words to speak -- and think about.

[lagilman]

Elsewhere it is reported that Abby Mann (screenwriter for JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG) died this week. Along with that announcement was a post with an excerpt from that movie that I felt was worth repeating, and worth re-reading. You might, in order to get the full experience, read it out loud.
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"Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he loathed the evil he did. But compassion for the present torture of his soul must not beget forgetfulness of the torture and death of millions by the government of which he was a part. Janning's record and his fate illuminate the most shattering truth that has emerged from this trial.

If he and the other defendants were all depraved perverts - if the leaders of the Third Reich were sadistic monsters and maniacs - these events would have no more moral significance than an earthquake or other natural catastrophes. But this trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men - even able and extraordinary men - can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination.

No one who has sat through this trial can ever forget. The sterilization of men because of their political beliefs... The murder of children... How easily that can happen! There are those in our country today, too, who speak of the "protection" of the country. Of "survival". The answer to that is: survival as what? A country isn't a rock. And it isn't an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult! Before the people of the world - let it now be noted in our decision here that this is what we stand for: justice, truth... and the value of a single human being!"
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To which I can only say, amen.

(thanks, A-TC)

Comments

[hilleviw.livejournal.com]

You've inspired me to grab some Hannah Arendt off the shelf. Cheerful weekend reading - but yes, important. Never forget, yes?

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

That was great. Thank you for posting it.

[vcmw]

I guess what saddens me most is that we haven't done anything organized as a society to ensure that such stuff never happens again. The Milgram experiment showed that regular folks anywhere could often be prodded into doing horrific stuff through their respect for authority. In order to really change our potential for horror, wouldn't we need to change that kind of authority/obedience dynamic in our culture at a very deep level, and then think hard about what we could use to replace it that would still allow conflicting groups to make decisions together socially? I know I'm young and not too widely read, but I never remember hearing about any group that works to do that.