Editor:
History tells us that the vast majority of humans follow whoever leads them without thinking, much less rebelling (Mailbox, Jan. 9). Genocide in Germany for instance, written about by Hannah Arendt, shows that not only did the average German not object, but also most Jews did not rebel on their way to the camps. Today, we see another instance in Gaza.
The Palestinians knew that they were being used as human shields by Hamas, yet they did nothing. Then when the war began why didn’t they ask the U.N. for a “Dunkirk” type evacuation so the belligerents could work it out. Let’s face it: We are lemmings. We see it here, too, in the recent presidential election. We all know the winner is a convict and inveterate liar who cares about no one but himself.
Listen to Hannah; “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist.” (Hanna Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism.)
We may complain, but why keep stepping over the cliff? If you want change, find a good leader and whip up majority support for them to carry out your agenda. The challenge for a future generation is to produce that leader and, most importantly, organize around them and march before it is too late for humankind. Just a thought.
Dennis Whitcomb, Blue Lake
This article appears in ‘A Big Family’.