Intentional misuse of language is the purpose. Very good article. And if it weren't so sad, it would be close to absurd. What other person has to start every sentence with why "our case" was different. It puts every discussion on a downward slope, with the Jews pushing their heavy burden harder and higher.
During the Obama administration I went head to head with some art colleagues, arguing that no, babies and toddlers were not treated "just like concentration camps" when they were put in separate metal cribs - "cages." NO it is not. There, in Auschwitz where my mother spent time, babies and toddlers were killed immediately. No need for cribs or beds at all.
Thank you for an excellent article. I fear however that there is in fact a malicious intent behind all the “misuse” of terminology and it’s beyond immoral.
"All Lives Matter" was called racist by the same people who insist upon "Never Again for Anyone" in order to appropriate Jewish suffering, extermination ...and specifically it is applied to the Palestine Arabs. I watched the PBS Holocaust Remembrance programming. Very good.
Who will see Simon Schama's program if fewer and fewer schools teach Holocaust? What is the good of the memorials and museums when PBS for example airs programming to demonize and delegitimize Israel and twist the war against hamas as extermination of Palestine Arabs. When Hollywood /London celebrities who wouldn't wear a yellow ribbon, proudly sport the hamas bloodyhand print pin. And then use acceptance speeches to further damn Israel. Air propaganda posts on you tube. Write screeds for the New Yorker and NY Times. And so on.
I realize that I am not offering any great insight to the regular readers of FofJ; however, it bears repeating just as the " many who engage in this (holocaust inversion) language" repeat their lies. The "many" are for the most part the useful idiots who have grown up with no discernable moral compass. The ones who I despise are the "teachers" and leaders who have brought them to this point. Therein lies the battle.
What a timely essay! I quarreled with a friend in Italy just yesterday after he argued in a post that the "real Holocaust" that we should be lamenting is the Covid Plandemic. I responded:
The date of Januaury 27th, chosen for Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp where 10,000 Jews were being murdered every day. The direction where you are going is to put together all the bad things in the world, and to say proudly that you are against all evil. All we lose is that the Jews and their story are eliminated from the picture.
Those poor Jews. It's not enough that they were unable to prevent the deaths of 6,000,000 of their fellow Jews. Today they have to endure the fact that everyone is jealous of their suffering. Or they do their best to deny and downplay the horror of what the Jews experienced. So, Gaza is a concentration camp, Trump is a Nazi, and Covid was a Holocaust. Stretch your mind a bit. Start by imagining that everyone in Florence was murdered, and that all the inhabitants of every city between Florence and Rome are ghost towns, and that all the inhabitants of Rome are dead. And you haven't arrived yet.
Stop comparing everything to the Holocaust. Let the Jews have a day to mourn their dead. Enough already.
At 73 what has always amazed me is that despite General Ike having film and photos made of the discoveries of these killing centers that there are MANY people STILL saying it never happened.
They water it down in order to minimize the persecution of Jews, make it less strong, like a tea bag steeped in one cup of water compared to a tea bag steeped in one quart of water, then later one gallon of water, to the point it isn't tea any longer.
"Right-wing parties are reflexively branded “Nazis." Guess the fact that they were National SOCIALISTS doesn't count, eh? Also, "Certainly, many people who engage in this language believe they are acting in good faith" with which I disagree. This distortion of words and reality are intentionally meant to trivialize the Holocaust AND generate a one size fits all form of invective. Call it systematic word slaughter., if you will.
Thank you very much for your substack! Just a quick note for your reference: there is a duplicative paragraph starting with "For Jews, this erosion carries an added cruelty."
I have noticed how every time there is a current event people don’t like suddenly I see influencers posting references to the Holocaust & Anne Frank quotes. It’s very upsetting.
Intentional misuse of language is the purpose. Very good article. And if it weren't so sad, it would be close to absurd. What other person has to start every sentence with why "our case" was different. It puts every discussion on a downward slope, with the Jews pushing their heavy burden harder and higher.
During the Obama administration I went head to head with some art colleagues, arguing that no, babies and toddlers were not treated "just like concentration camps" when they were put in separate metal cribs - "cages." NO it is not. There, in Auschwitz where my mother spent time, babies and toddlers were killed immediately. No need for cribs or beds at all.
I was called a foreigner and a monster.
It was inevitable from the moment somebody decided to "universalise" the Shoah.
Thank you for an excellent article. I fear however that there is in fact a malicious intent behind all the “misuse” of terminology and it’s beyond immoral.
Good article!! It’s absolutely disgusting how they exploit the horror of the Shoah for today’s situation like Gaza! They are absolutely bastards!
Truly excellent. I couldn’t have said it better
"All Lives Matter" was called racist by the same people who insist upon "Never Again for Anyone" in order to appropriate Jewish suffering, extermination ...and specifically it is applied to the Palestine Arabs. I watched the PBS Holocaust Remembrance programming. Very good.
Who will see Simon Schama's program if fewer and fewer schools teach Holocaust? What is the good of the memorials and museums when PBS for example airs programming to demonize and delegitimize Israel and twist the war against hamas as extermination of Palestine Arabs. When Hollywood /London celebrities who wouldn't wear a yellow ribbon, proudly sport the hamas bloodyhand print pin. And then use acceptance speeches to further damn Israel. Air propaganda posts on you tube. Write screeds for the New Yorker and NY Times. And so on.
I realize that I am not offering any great insight to the regular readers of FofJ; however, it bears repeating just as the " many who engage in this (holocaust inversion) language" repeat their lies. The "many" are for the most part the useful idiots who have grown up with no discernable moral compass. The ones who I despise are the "teachers" and leaders who have brought them to this point. Therein lies the battle.
there is nothing comparable to the Shoah. It was absolute hell!
It’s a despicable expression of toxic envy.
What a timely essay! I quarreled with a friend in Italy just yesterday after he argued in a post that the "real Holocaust" that we should be lamenting is the Covid Plandemic. I responded:
The date of Januaury 27th, chosen for Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp where 10,000 Jews were being murdered every day. The direction where you are going is to put together all the bad things in the world, and to say proudly that you are against all evil. All we lose is that the Jews and their story are eliminated from the picture.
Those poor Jews. It's not enough that they were unable to prevent the deaths of 6,000,000 of their fellow Jews. Today they have to endure the fact that everyone is jealous of their suffering. Or they do their best to deny and downplay the horror of what the Jews experienced. So, Gaza is a concentration camp, Trump is a Nazi, and Covid was a Holocaust. Stretch your mind a bit. Start by imagining that everyone in Florence was murdered, and that all the inhabitants of every city between Florence and Rome are ghost towns, and that all the inhabitants of Rome are dead. And you haven't arrived yet.
Stop comparing everything to the Holocaust. Let the Jews have a day to mourn their dead. Enough already.
GOD BLESS ISRAEL AND ITS PEOPLE
It was designed to be the “final solution” and it almost succeeded in erasing us.
At 73 what has always amazed me is that despite General Ike having film and photos made of the discoveries of these killing centers that there are MANY people STILL saying it never happened.
It’s Jew hatred. That “feeling” always overrides facts!
They water it down in order to minimize the persecution of Jews, make it less strong, like a tea bag steeped in one cup of water compared to a tea bag steeped in one quart of water, then later one gallon of water, to the point it isn't tea any longer.
"Right-wing parties are reflexively branded “Nazis." Guess the fact that they were National SOCIALISTS doesn't count, eh? Also, "Certainly, many people who engage in this language believe they are acting in good faith" with which I disagree. This distortion of words and reality are intentionally meant to trivialize the Holocaust AND generate a one size fits all form of invective. Call it systematic word slaughter., if you will.
Thank you very much for your substack! Just a quick note for your reference: there is a duplicative paragraph starting with "For Jews, this erosion carries an added cruelty."
I have noticed how every time there is a current event people don’t like suddenly I see influencers posting references to the Holocaust & Anne Frank quotes. It’s very upsetting.