ACHTUNG! EXPLOITATIONGUZSCHLEIFEN UN HEIMERSCHMIT! Etc.

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So ..the children of Holocaust victims are apparently suing Germany for psychiatric compensation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1715469820070717?feedType=RSS

Seriously.

Now, the Jewish Holocaust was horrible. I don’t place it above or below anything — genocide of any sort is horrendous, from Armenia to Rwanda …extermination of innocent human life for any reason is inexusable. Unfortunately, it seems, that many feel otherwise. Now, I’m all for compensation; if they hurt you, they must pay. Yeah sure, sounds good. Whatever makes you sleep at night, I say. My problem comes in when people put importance on certain suffering over other and when that suffering is exploited.

In my own opinion, the worst apparent genocide of the century has been the Rwandan genocide. The Armenian genocide was horrible, and is made worse by the fact that Turkey, everybody’s favourite second-hand-European-wannabe state, flat out denies it. The Jewish holocaust was horrible because of the methodology which was used to carry out the murder of millions. You had Pol Pot kill milions in Cambodia. You had Mao kill over 50 million; Stalin over 20 million. Mussolini in Ethiopia. Idi Amin in Uganda. Nixon/Johnson in Vietnam. And on and on and on. The genocides of the past century are truly endless to list, with disputed numbers and much argument. Ultimately, none is upon a higher pedestal than the others. Mao having killed over 50 million does not make the Chinese genocide greater than Mussolini’s 300,000 or so. Murder is murder. Hatred is hatred. You cannot compare it, nor can you lessen it. It’s something I find hard to argue against. But back to Rwanda. I’m not saying Rwanda is the worst genocide in terms of numbers or methodology — it’s the worst because it has been the most recent (aside from the Iraqi genocide, which many people would argue that the victims have not been racially pinpointed, and were casualties of war ..I would beg to differ greatly, but for simplicity’s sake …I’ll save it for another time). I’m not going to explain the entire conflict, because, quite honestly, you should know. If you don’t know, then be ashamed of yourself for being a complete idiot. The Rwandan genocide was one which could have been prevented. Everyone knew what was going on, everyone was watching on their telescreens; safe and warm at home, on the couch. But no one did anything. Over one million lives were lost in 1994. Soon there’ll be the ‘final’ numbers for the Iraqi genocide, and then the final numbers for Darfur. Those aren’t complete genocides yet, you see — they’re in the process. The most recent genocide is always the worst genocide, I believe, because it’s one emphatic reminder, everytime, that we just never learn; that we’ve let a huge portion of our fellow beings down.

So, genocides are continuing to happen. The Jewish Holocaust taught us “never again”, did it not? So why again, and again, and again? And why so much importance to it in comparison to the other genocides? Why isn’t anyone reading the names of the million or so killed in Rwanda on my campus? Why didn’t I learn about the Rwandan, Armenian, Ugandan, Chinese, Russian, Aboriginal genocides in High school history classes? It’s vital that you note that I’m not, at all, trying to diminish the importance and significance of the Jewish Holocaust — but I am asking why has the importance and significance of the others been diminished? As a, you know, human being, I find it offensive that some genocides are more important than others. That some are more worth our attention, than others.

And this is why the asking for psychiatric compensation by the children of holocaust victims troubles me. I would understand and entirely support pyschiatric care for direct victims — but second generation? Why does the word exploitation appear before my eyes? Not to sound harsh, but the families of the Holocaust victims have been given much more than any other genocide victims’ families–including a whole country. I don’t hear the children of the Muslims and Hindus on those infamous trains during 1947 asking for any compensation. Did the Vietnamese ever ask for anything? I wonder if the survivors of the Rwandan genocide will ever ask. I wonder if they will ever be given anything. I usually wish for the best in people ..but I feel that perhaps a good lawyer found these individuals and decided to capitalize on a horrible genocide.

I hope they don’t win the case. Germany has paid greatly for it’s past. Canada and US (including Britain and France), haven’t given really anything to the victims of Aboriginal (Native-North-American) genocides which encompasses more than 80 million by some counts; instead, they’ve ghettoized and intoxicated what is left of the Aboriginals. Germany has paid billions in reparations, lost major nationalistic pride, compromised freedom of speech in it’s state, and has to face decades more of international humiliation at the hands of young males on the internet because of a man with a really emo haircut and an even worse moustache. The US and Canada briefly mention the blood on their hands in their history books. If these individuals do win the case, in my own opinion, it’ll be a slap across the face of every other victim or relative of a victim of a genocide or war.

Again, I’m not trying to diminish the Jewish genocide; I’m just trying to figure out why we’ve degraded and forgotten the rest.

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