Tag Archives: the third reich

Bad Blood, the Story of Eugenics

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On Monday 21 November, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the first of a 2 part series entitled “Bad Blood, the Story of Eugenics”.

 

The first episode traces the idea of Eugenics from it’s founding father, Francis Galton in the 19th century, into the early 20th century, which saw the founding of the Eugenics Education Society and the embrace of eugenic ideas by people across society, including politicians.

 

Eugenics has a bad name due to the horrors of Nazi Germany, including the forced sterilisation of disabled people (which ended in the murder of many of them under the Action T-4 Programme), and culminated in the horrors of the gas chambers.

 

Eugenics has been embraced by people on the left and right of the political spectrum (and by some liberals).

 

The programme is worth a listen and can be accessed on the BBC iPlayer here, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fd39.

 

The iPlayer does, I understand only work within the United Kingdom.

Listening to Mosley Speak

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Listening to Mosley speak
I hear an apologist
For the Third Reich
“I was never an anti-Semite”
He said.
I shake my head.

“Sir, you lie
And those who glorify
You defame
Patriotisms name.
For they would like
To create a new Reich”.

(An interview with the late Sir Oswald Mosley on Thames Television, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNhF28fzN9I).

The White Rose Opposition to Hitler

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Oxford University has hosted a reading of the pamphlets, produced by the White Rose student opposition movement to Hitler, (in English translation). All of the White Rose’s members were executed by Nazi Germany.

You can listen to English readings of all of the pamphlets, together with introductory comments, here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqhoCj5MXzo&feature=youtu.be.

Should only black teachers teach black children about slavery?

Some time ago, I came across this post, https://solifegoeson.com/2017/12/20/white-teachers-who-teach-black-kids-about-slavery-piss-me-off/. I commented, however as my comment was not published I feel compelled to state my opinion here.

In the above post the author argues (essentially) that white teachers should not teach black children about slavery because they (the teachers) do not understand the experience of non-white people (the prejudice faced by those who’s skin is black). At the end of the post the blogger does recommend that one way forward is for those who teach to come from a greater diversity of backgrounds. However the whole tone of the article is hostile to the concept of the teaching of slavery to black children by white teachers.

I am not black. I am, however disabled (I am registered blind). Throughout history disabled people have faced discrimination. This discrimination manifested itself in various forms, including the forced sterilisation of those with disabilities on eugenic grounds. Eugenics reached horrific heights during the Third Reich when Nazi doctors, SS officers and nurses murdered the disabled under the T-4 programme. Indeed the use of gas was first employed on the disabled prior to it being used to exterminate approximately 6 million Jews (men, women and children). You can find out about Action T4 here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4.

I don’t, as a disabled person, (nor as someone who holds a degree in history and politics) argue that only disabled people are capable of teaching about the T4 Programme. To argue thus would be narrow minded on my part. Yes, as a disabled person I face difficulties and (on occasions) discrimination not encountered by non-disabled people, however those possessing empathy/those of goodwill can understand (and teach) about such matters.

It concerns me that if we carry the argument promulgated in the above article to its logical conclusion, that only disabled people will teach about disability related matters, only women will lecture on the discrimination faced by women throughout the ages etc. This risks leading to a closed academic environment, one in which I don’t wish to live.