
Mapping the uncertain terrain between the Holocaust’s history and memory - lermontov
https://www.thenation.com/article/saul-friedlanders-many-lives/
======
rhcom2
What a fascinating article.

> ﻿ But the idea of evil doesn’t enhance responsibility; it evades it, lifting
> the crimes away from the human plane where they belong.

This is something I think the National Holocaust Memorial in DC nails, the
human plane. The room full of shoes, two stories of ghostly family pictures
you normally see on a fireplace mantel. The whole place really brings home
that it was normal humans perpetrating horrible, horrible acts on other normal
humans. That it could have happened yesterday, that it could happen tomorrow.

~~~
1_2__3
How does showcasing the humanity of the victims provide any commentary on the
humanity of the perpetrators?

~~~
rhcom2
It wasn't showcasing the humanity of the victims that provided the commentary,
it was the commentary on how the anti-semitism rose to a level within the
general population that reenforced for me the humanity or "normalness" of the
perpetrators.

~~~
meric
What if normalness and humanity are not synonyms? Could it be our
responsibility to evaluate what's good and what's bad for society independent
of other' opinions?

