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Parallels
Posted November 5th, 2008 by jscheel
Ok guys, now that I’m done watching the election, and now that everyone has cast their vote, it’s time for me to discuss an interesting similarity between 1930’s Germany and 2008 America. I received some flack from for drawing this parallel in a tongue-in-cheek manner (something I probably shouldn’t have done), so I feel that I need to defend myself more fully here.
Let me start by saying, I DO NOT believe Obama is America’s Hitler. Nor do I believe that Obama is a monster like Hitler. Nor do I believe that Obama is a bad person for being part of these similarities (there is no guilt by coincidence here). For the sake of transparency, I DO disagree with Obama, and feel that he is bad for this nation, but not because of the parallel I am drawing here. This discussion is merely intellectual:
By the end of the Weimar Republic, Germans are being crushed under a crumbling economy while still suffering the wounds of a terrible war. The Germans, tired of their current regime, are desperate for change. Along comes Adolf Hitler promising change through a socialist platform. He is able to draw huge crowds through his inspiring orations, strong messages, and flair for pageantry. His rallies are gigantic public spectacles, with arrays of flags, thousands of people, and a strong solitary image of the leader himself. People flock to Hitler for his populist views, with the hopes that he will make them great again.
I don’t think I really need to spell out the parallels. If you are reading this, you can probably see them for yourself. As I said before, I don’t think Obama is Hitler, and I don’t think these similarities make Obama a bad person. I just find it interesting that history has repeated itself.
Edit
After sleeping on this, I’ve decided that I’ll draw this parallel if and when I want to. I didn’t say anything about it during the election, even when McCain and his supporters were demonized and reviled. Case in point, Family Guy’s not-so-discrete “a vote for McCain is a vote for Hitler” joke the other week. I chose to stick mainly to the issues at hand. When Obama is President, I will respect the office, as every person should.
For goodness sakes people, I defended Obama repeatedly to my conservative friends and family when they would say things like, “Obama is a Muslim,” or “Obama hates America,” or “Obama is the antichrist,” etc. Heck, I even disagreed with people who were insistent on associating Obama and Ayers. However, anybody who is a student of history should easily be able to spot this parallel and shrug, and anybody who is celebrating Obama’s victory right now should have tough enough skin to take it in stride. Maybe I’m just desensitized from being demonized for the last 6-7 years, but jeez people, is Obama so glorious that I am stepping on toes by addressing these similarities from an intellectual stance? Maybe I won’t look like such a jerk when all of post-victory fervor dies down. But until then, enjoy your victory dance. Obama ran an amazing campaign, and you now have four years to try things your way.
Thanks for your comments Aaron! First off, you are 100% correct about comparing the current administration to some parts of Nazi Germany. Those have been addressed pretty well, and are as valid as my observations about Obama.
I think that it’s going to be very had to quell the fierce partisan politics that have arisen in this country. Both sides have sold their souls to the extremes for support, and in doing so, have committed themselves to keeping the divide open. Whether they realize it or not, politicians are controlled by this. For example, Obama, proposing bipartisanship, healing, etc, then selecting Rahm Emmanuel for Chief of Staff. Or McCain, selecting Palin as his running mate.
As for my comparison being inflammatory, Hitler’s leadership has always fascinated me. If he had not pursued his Aryan and expansionist agendas, he would have gone down as one of the greatest leaders of all time. At it’s heart, he was a populist that said the right things at the right time. It worked brilliantly, regardless of what horrors he chose to pursue with his powers.
I appreciate your response on a purely intellectual level, and I see the similarities too. It’s a keen comparison, and ultimately I can see the comparison and shrug.
But, as counterpoint:
First, I could easily make the argument that the other side of the fence has had it’s share of demonization during the last 8 years — for example, being considered “unpatriotic” for not supporting the war in Iraq. And the truth is, there’s been a pretty fair share of demonization of the Dem side during this election. (Not by you, but by others). And vice versa, as well.
So, I think the problem I had with your comparison is that it doesn’t help solve the bigger problem — and this is something that both McCain and Obama beautifully addressed in their speeches last night: that in the last 10 years we’ve become a country very fiercely and almost evenly divided, a country that’s taken sides and seems unwilling to work together to solve our problems. That’s my biggest problem with our current politics system, and to some degree a small part of the very complex reason I vote like I do. Just for clarification, I’m certainly not accusing you personally of being unwilling to work with both sides. I guess my point is that statements like yours don’t necessarily hurt, but they don’t really help either.
And you have to admit that comparing anyone to HItler — whether its his political style or his personal beliefs — is a pretty loaded and inflammatory statement. :)
A
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