Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Where's the Call?

I have noticed this, and it annoys me too. I really, really, really dislike the appropriation of the Holocaust for political ends. Unless you're actually talking about either a) the legacy of the Holocaust on its victims or b) the ongoing or imminent genocide of a vulnerable group of individuals, it's really a form of Holocaust trivialization. The Nazis weren't bad because they had a disagreeable health plan. The Nazis were bad because they rounded up and killed 11 million people.

I think the ADL was right to scold Alan Grayson, but he's clearly not the only or even primary offender, and I've been wondering where they and other Jewish organizations have been hiding these past couple months. The entire discursive model of a huge swath of the conservative movement has been tremendously disrespectful towards the Jewish community during the health care debate, and we shouldn't be hesitant to call them on it.

UPDATE: The ADL has just secured an apology from Southern Baptist leader Richard Land, for yet another "health care = Holocaust" comparison.

1 comment:

PG said...

Hmm... on this one, I think Phoebe is closer to correct.