hiding in plain site

Cherry

By Ed Crane

Tue, 28 Jan 2025
  • 155 reads
11 comments
 

eighty years

since ausch witz fell

innocent survivors free

to return to wrecked homes

one year since gaza invaded

innocent survivors free

to return to wrecked homes

two celebrations

so closely linked

but

not

in

a

good

way

Certificate 18
Poem
Horror

Comments

Submitted by celticman on

the murdered become murderers, victims of genoice, commit genocide. Nothing good to report. But how can we stay silent? 

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Any criticism of the "poor" Israeli state's methods labels us as antisemitic.

I suppose that makes The Don's solution "unethniccleansing" 
 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Yes. Hard to hear so many speakers proclaim "We must never let this happen again" as this seems to relate to one lot of people only, while others can with equanimity be walled in, starved, bombed and forced into disease and homelessness

othering is the most terrifying concept we have

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

also it seems.

The one lot of people you may or may not be refferring to do not seem to have learnt much from their memories. (other than how to do the same) broken heart

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

Yes indeed, the words 'Never Again' do ring a little hollow when similar things have been going on for decades all over the world, just not on the same scale or with the same appalling efficiency as happened under the Nazis. I fear that once the Holocaust is gone from living memory the tendency to describe it as a terrible one-off, or to deny it completely, will get even stronger. Of course nothing else is the same as the Holocaust, because each genocide has its own motives and distinguishing characteristics, but if we don't challenge each one, something on that scale will happen again. Not that the scale is the main thing. The desire of one lot of people to obliterate another lot of people is the central point, however many or few.

Sorry. Recent events seem to have put me in perpetual rant mode.

Very thought provoking poem, Ed.

Submitted by celticman on

Mark Hodkinson makes the same point, airy. When the last man or woman dies, the last witness. Deny. Deny. Deny. Forget. It's part of the curriculum in English schools. But then, why bother? A bit boring. A bit much. Of no relevance? The Holocaust met not by apologists, but with blank-eyed stares. That's happening. And will continue to happen.  

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

(to shrinking minds)

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

Even "Don la Matta" is up for it in Gaza. That is ****ing scary!

If he can do it, so can we will be the claim of wannabe dictators  

Sometimes I'd like to get on a spaceship out of here, but something tells me it's a universal problem of life itself.

(one of God's major hiccups ... if he/she/it even exists laugh)

Sorry, Airy I get a bit cynical sometimes

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

It is so sad that the Nazi's holocaust has led to a not the same but partly similar, in its disregard for 'the enemies' lives'. You would have thought that a greater sense of justice would have been the result, but instead we have tribalism among so many. Unfortunately the wrong politicians got to the top, on a number of sides,and we have ended up with a humanitarian and injustice mess. Neither the right wing Israeli parties, nor American politicians, probably Arab and middle eastern leaders from various countries, or Hamas, have been able to provide sensible paths to peace in recent times. It could have been better if different players had acted differently.

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Gaza is not the same as what happened to the Jews. But it does look, to me from far away and ignorance, more like what happened to the (non Jewish) Poles.
The biggest lesson we should take from history is not what happened to one group of people, terrible as it was, but the danger of 'othering', as that must be the first step in every atrocity. Why immigrants to America now are framed as criminals and lunatics, why Palestinians in their own country are framed as terrorists, why people through time have been enslaved, displaced, slaughtered. The more of us there are, the more this might happen. So long as the lesson learned is only applicable to one People, however well we learn it, we will fail

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

As you both say holocaust is not the same as what happened in Gaza, but it's in the same ballpark.

Regarding the situation in Gaza I find appalling but I get frustrated when criticms of Netenyhu's methods are wriiten off as anti semitism (did I spell that right?). I believe anybody has the right to criticise acts of extreme cruelty which probably are illegal human right offences. I have no issues with Jewism anymore than I have of Christians or Muslims or Hindus. But I reserve the right (as everyone should) to seek accountability for inhuman acts of violent cruelty regardless of religion or race.

The Jews suffered terribly and in 1948, as far as I can understand, the Palastinians got a raw deal. The whole Israel thing was rushed and ill thought out in order to ease everybody's consciences). I think that is accepted by the West. But nobody tried to fix it early on. The Israelis had the backing of the most powerful nation on Earth so that was OK. Things were left to ferment, not unlike what happened in Germany in the 20's (I still have old postage stamps overprinted with 1,000,000 deutsche marks in my school stamp album). Palestine along with it's people were forgotten. In the 60's they were crushed along with their allies.

Since then there has been no attempt at appeasment. The Israelis effectively locked them up in a prison of their own land. the West, afraid of the US (and the US afraid of the very infuential Jewish businesses) said nothing other than empty warnings.

You can't blame the Israelis as they were given carte blanche and they were themselves afraid because of a situation that was allowed to get out of control.

Now we have the growing sickening trend of nationalism again ( human memory is so ****ing short) even here in little Belgium (at least their proportion representaion has clipped a few wings)

The US, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, Italy and more to come will only make things worse. I hope for the sake of my grandkids and kids society will wake up. 

Personally I just sit here and try to ignore it all telling myself I'll be dead and gone before it gets bad enough to affect me (I could be wrong tho')

Thias might seem a bit simplistic but who cares ... those in power don't seem to, they just make noise.