The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Curt A wrote:"In retrospect is this any different than what we did to Afro-American Blacks during the slavery period in this country, and yet we collect and listen to "coon" and "[n****r]" music."

Abe, I am German by descent, my German ancestors came to the US in 1850 after the Revolution of 1848. I spent a lot of my life wondering how a nation of educated, technically advanced people could be swayed by the rantings of a megalomaniac who totally destroyed his own country and people... BUT the worst part was how they could consider a specific group of people to be less than human and mass murder them. In regards to the slavery question, yes there were atrocities and some of them were treated as less than human, but they were not slaughtered by the millions for absolutely no reason... I am in no way defending slavery, but many American European immigrants were also treated as slaves, not just African Americans.

However, there is still no comparison to the way Jews and other Nazi dissenters were treated, not only in Germany by the Nazis, but Russia, Poland and many other European nations where they were rounded up by the tens of thousands, shipped to Auschwitz and murdered... It is totally unimaginable and insane. You are right, none of this should ever happen again, but given the right circumstances human nature and greed may lead to something similar in the future if people are not taught to learn from the past...

Lucius1958 wrote:

Curt A wrote:"In retrospect is this any different than what we did to Afro-American Blacks during the slavery period in this country, and yet we collect and listen to "coon" and "[n****r]" music."

Abe, I am German by descent, my German ancestors came to the US in 1850 after the Revolution of 1848. I spent a lot of my life wondering how a nation of educated, technically advanced people could be swayed by the rantings of a megalomaniac who totally destroyed his own country and people... BUT the worst part was how they could consider a specific group of people to be less than human and mass murder them. In regards to the slavery question, yes there were atrocities and some of them were treated as less than human, but they were not slaughtered by the millions for absolutely no reason... I am in no way defending slavery, but many American European immigrants were also treated as slaves, not just African Americans.

However, there is still no comparison to the way Jews and other Nazi dissenters were treated, not only in Germany by the Nazis, but Russia, Poland and many other European nations where they were rounded up by the tens of thousands, shipped to Auschwitz and murdered... It is totally unimaginable and insane. You are right, none of this should ever happen again, but given the right circumstances human nature and greed may lead to something similar in the future if people are not taught to learn from the past...

I realize that this forum frowns upon the mention of politics, but I fear that that 'future' is already unfolding before us...

Bill

Curt A wrote:

stevel wrote:I'm of the opinion that if all these things were destroyed it will make life easier for the deniers in future.

Maybe the place for them is the Holocaust Museum... I don't think they should be destroyed...

As far as the deniers go, I have been to Dachau, Auschwitz and several other camps - that kind of evidence is hard to destroy and leaves a permanent image in your mind.... People who fall into that category are deranged to say the least...