Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
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Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
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Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#2Nazism has nothing to do with race and nationality. It appeals to a certain type of mind.
It's not Nazism that should occupy the thoughts of intellectuals. It's the underlying psychology of the in-group/out-grouping and jingoism. There's nothing qualitatively exceptional about Nazis. They were just one point in a spectrum of behavior within the range of possible human behaviors. The challenge to society is that society itself is made out of the psychology of human group cohesion. We are immersed in such psychology, and taught almost from birth to regard such things as akin to ground truth.
As 21st century intellectuals, we need even more to be self-aware of how such group psychology distorts our perception of reality.
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#3Ironic that so many of the personality flaws listed in this article apply to today's caste-worshipping Zionists.
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#4Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#5Very interesting to hear this from a contempory standpoint. Nazis as so often portrayed as purely evil that it's difficult to think of them as real people that willingly accepted that way of thinking.
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#6Very interesting to hear this from a contempory standpoint. Nazis as so often portrayed as purely evil that it's difficult to think of them as real people that willingly accepted that way of thinking.
Just turn on your favorite cable news station for US primary election coverage, and it won't be so hard to imagine.
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#7Dupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11053415
TLDR: anyone that is either poor and afraid of communism or is driven by social acceptance (ie. nearly everyone) would be strongly tempted to join the nazis. Anyone poor who isn't stupid would be "purged", but would likely still join.
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#8The anti-Nazi propaganda always reads so much like the pro-Nazi propaganda. Good, honest, beautiful, happy people think like this...
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#9Nazism has nothing to do with race and nationality. It appeals to a certain type of mind. It's not Nazism that should occupy the thoughts of intellectuals. It's the underlying psychology of the in-group/out-grouping and jingoism. There's nothing qualitatively exceptional about Nazis. They were just one point in a spectrum of behavior within the range of possible human behaviors. The challenge to society is that socie…
Keep in mind the date: this was written in 1941 and yet pre-sages much of "authoritarian personality" of Fromm et al, evolutionary psychology (e.g., seeing the all-powerful state/demagogue as an ersatz romantic partner), the idea of "self-esteem", and Public Choice economics (e.g., Mr. L). That makes the article all the more brilliant and interesting to read, as it demonstrates that many of the above theories are not after-the-fact constructions, massaged, to fit the data.
Some interesting asides, though:
1) re: "United States of Europe" (turns it, that would actually happen!) wasn't just the dream of idealistic liberal youths of that time; it was also quite popular with many Nazis (see Speer's memoirs) and Vichyists.
2) There's also one character -- the brilliant intellectual experimenting with every intellectual idea and mixing in his own. He would seem at home in Mussolini's Italy/Petain's France. In many ways, he seems to resemble Vilfredo Paretto. I'd wager 'L' and he are the most dangerous archetypes: while Nazis would certainly "purge" both in the end, they would be instrumental in their rise to power, and would seem like the biggest "surprises" to many.
Personal note: the German emigre archetype is really interesting; I'm a former-USSR Jewish emigre to the US, now a naturalized citizen -- yet I "knew" in a sense, that the US fit my temperament and psyche long before walking off the plane and through customs. Free Utopia/Dystopia novel idea: a union of polities where each individual is free to take a specially crafted a personality test and then is allowed (by choice) to emigrate (free of any charge/transaction costs fully covered, etc...) to another polity that matched their personality (in addition to other routes of of immigration -- legal, but not unconditional or cost-free -- to avoid breeding a pure monoculture.)
Re: Who Goes Nazi? (1941)
#10Very interesting to hear this from a contempory standpoint. Nazis as so often portrayed as purely evil that it's difficult to think of them as real people that willingly accepted that way of thinking.
This is my biggest beef with most WWII movies/games. They most horrifying aspect of Nazis, Fascists, and tyrants is that they're made up and supported by real people. People with loved ones just trying to get by in the world.
Given the right conditions, it genuinely seems that any culture or peoples could be turned into a place where concentration camps, genocide, and oppression are just part of making the trains run on time.