The more things change...
I've been to Dachau twice.
The second time I went, a friend and I walked there from Munich. We spent several hours traveling in circles, trying to find the preserved camp.
After many miles of fruitless search, I stopped an older lady in front of a shop to ask for directions. She didn't speak any English, so I found myself trying to communicate in German. The following is a heavily paraphrased translation:
"Excuse me, do you know where the concentration camp is?"
"What? What camp?" - Here I had made a mistake, and asked about the "Lager", German for camp. I'm still not sure, but I believe that it has the same meaning as camp-ground. Generally a good thing.
"The camp... The area where-"
"Oh, why don't you visit our malls? We have many beautiful parks and buildings!"
"Thank you, but my friend and I are trying to find the camp, the museum, to visit."
"Yes, but it would be good for you to see our churches! Our library! There is an excellent restaurant around the corner - I could show you."
"Again, thank you, but we are just looking for directions to the concentration camp."
She sighed. "Folgt ihr der Schildern." "Just follow the signs." Then she turned, looking very sad, and walked away. Directly across the street was a large, circular sign. A crying face. Another was placed perhaps 100 yards down the path.
Just follow the signs.
I bring this up in lieu of the recent bombings in London. I listen to quite a bit of talk-radio while on the way to, and at, work. There have been messages from every American anagram of an Islamic tolerance council that you can think of. They always say the same thing - that this was a terrible tragedy, please don't hold this against "us".
That's fine, and I understand where they are coming from. I feel no compunction to beat up the next middle-eastern person that I see, but I suppose that there are people out there that can't differentiate between the local kabab retailer and the enemy. On the other hand, and this is where the terrorists have the edge, how do I know that the local kebab retailer isn't just biding time? I can't. You can't. No one can.
I'm going to be religist here, but I can't understand why only words are offered in condolence. Every time I hear a message from the American Islamic Happy-Happy People Society, I struggle, struggle to hear their words and except them. But it just sounds so much to me like Arafat "condemning" attacks on Israel.
My blind spot is rage, and I won't try to deny it. I know in my heart that the vast majority of Muslims are just like you and I. They probably pray more often, but that isn't a difficult goal when compared to an agnostic. I can't believe that most Muslims wish their children to die in a "martyr" attack. To be honest, it sickens me that anyone would be happy with their children's death, no matter the reason. God, is that a cultural bias? Is it possible that people would be happy to sacrifice their offspring? Even God stayed the hand of Abraham before slaying Isaac. Would it have been different if Isaac were encouraged to strap bombs onto himself and detonate them at a cafe? Would Abraham have been proud?
I don't know. But I'm splitting hairs; excuse my digression.
As much as I want to throttle any given Islamic Peace Society, as much as I want to yell "Why the fuck aren't you doing anything other than protecting yourselves? Why can't you help to stop this?!", I remember the old German lady and her sad, sad goodbye.
Follow the signs.
posted by KOM @ 12:05:00 PM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
As much as the terrorism scares me, the hotheads who prowl around ready to pounce on anyone who is different terrifies me. My husband is not caucasian and any idiot can see after looking closely that he is not middle eastern. Yet, after 9-11 we both were uneasy in public due to the glares sent his way.
A difficult world we travel in.
Great post, KOM. These are very difficult times. When I meet people for the first time, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what religion they practice,I always assume the best and hold them in high regard until time and experience proves otherwise. Call me naive, but I will continue to live this way just like I would hop on a flight or ride the subway tomorrow. It's my personal protest against terrorism.
yup - my boyfriend is of Greek heritage, and after NY bombings, he had to show ID and sign to pick up the mail for his work, something he'd done every day for the previous 6 years, and these people knew him.
It sux. He's GREEK. Orthodox. Sheeeeesh.
wonderfully written Kom!
These are the times. It's war whether Americans choose to see this or not. Separate the rational of what we want from the reality of what is. Once upon a time Italians had to endure, to cite another parallel in history, not only the internment camps during the second world war in North America but the distrustful eyes of people who thought every Italian was in the mafia. I still get comments. Hollywood doesn't help but I think most of us take it all in stride. I understand why our governments rounded up Italians (not just Japanese but Ukranians and Germans as well) - some were indeed engaging in Fascist activity. Denying this is counter-productive. Some were serious others not so. Some were even anarchists. Some were partaking in the meetings to get the cash Mussolini was sending. Everyone had a motive. But how is the government, racist or not (The Liberals were racist in Canada), which has to provide security supposed to know all the intricacies? So, you round them all up. Like Guantanamo. Surely the Italians who engaged in such activity had to have known it wasn't proper right? It would havebeen easy for Italians to blame Hitler but they didn't. Same with the modern Arabs. Arabs need to stand up and take repsonsibility for their actions. No buts in the equation. They suffer from severe lack of leadership but if they would account for their actions they would find life would go smoother. As for the mob, who ironically helped out in the war effort, Italy alone tried to wage war against the mafia. No one else. Italy's problems. Not America's. God bless London. Hope this made sense. I'm tired now. Good post. Interesting.
Nice post KOM.
Eh, I tend to think our government should be the ones to try and stop "this." Seems like our government isn't really interested in doing that though.
Just my opinion.
I don't trust the government to tie a shoe, much less stop terrorism world-wide. This is something that everyone needs to get behind.
Throwing up your hands and saying "it wasn't me" doesn't cut it. For any of us.
But, truth be told Kom, it wasn't them. Middle-Eastern people (not their government mind you) can't control terrorists, anymore than White people can control that sicko child molestor who killed that family or I can control a drug dealer in some random inner city who happens to be black.
I agree with you that we can all step in and try to work as a global community to end terrorism, but I think it unrealistic to expect a whole ethnicity to reign in their psychopaths. That's why it's so important for the government to protect us against real threats like terrorism, and not fake threats like that silly war we're engaged in now.
Just my opinion, of course.
And, BTW, Kom, I totally understand your point. I would almost agree with it, but, my own personal experiences as a Black American stop me from thinking like that. And, I'm not saying that your racist or nothing like that at all!! I would just like to see everyone unite to solve this, instead of one group being singled out.
I hope that made sense...
:)
Reese,
There are many Islamics - black, white middle-eastern, Asian... I'm not rascist - I'm religist, if anything. And just for the record, I'm an equal oppertunity religist - I can't think of a single major religion that hasn't been the cause of untold human suffering.
But to address your race examples: It's true that white people can't root out the sicko child molesters, but they can not harbor known sickos. Same with your black drug dealer - communities have gotten sick of the shit and cleaned house.
The difference is that jihadists need support - they can't work in a vaccuum the same way that a lone child molester can. Or not as effectively, at any rate.
Every person who says "I didn't bomb the place" but knows who did and didn't stop it is responsible, in my eyes.
Which is of course not to say that every Islamist is or knows a terrorist - any more so that Commentators comment about every Italian being in the mob. But there are one hell of a lot of them.
I agree with you. You can't just say I didn't do it, if you knew someone else was going to do it and then did nothing. I agree with that 100%.
I thought you were saying that even Jo Schmo Muslim in America, who really doesn't know any terrorist had an obligation to stop terrorism. I would suggest that his obligation would be just the same as ours.
I guess I mis-read what you were getting at though. My bad.
It seems to me that several people who were not directly involved with the Oklahoma City Federal building bombing were arrested as well and charged with crimes because they knew what the bomber was up to, but didn't physically help him. I think they probably rounded up every person that guy ever knew to question them. We don't take too kindly to no terrorists in these parts. But, I do not agree with treating every person of a particular nationality like the enemy. That is just plain crazy. My grandmother thinks the government did right by sticking all the Japanese people in internment camps. When you ask her about the children and babies, she replies without a second thought that they need to be with their parents, right? I wonder if she would have felt the same to see her mother and father in law, both born in Germany, sent to a camp. It must be nice to be able to judge a person simply based on the shape of their eyes or the color of their skin, and not have to worry about all the Germans or Italians who look the same as all the other white folk. I don't know. Why can't we all get along? I don't want your stuff, leave my stuff the hell alone!!
She said as she filled the minivan.
...Just saying.
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