I understand that by thieves stealing this sign, it denotes a loss of an important piece of history. What is redonkulous is that people are acting as if this is an object equivocal to the Mona Lisa or the Statue of Liberty’s dress. A staff member at Auschwitz was ”visibly shaken” by the event, and Polish people as well as many others are ”outraged” that someone would tamper with the historical site.
HAS EVERYONE GONE MAD??
This was a place where millions died. I’m glad the sign is gone. Hell, I’d be thrilled if the entire godforsaken compound is burned to the ground. But what I cannot wrap my head around is the fact that people would even WANT this place to be in existence.
—May they rest in peace…
This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2009.
just some people’s kids.
Yeah, that’s a great attitude to have. Let’s just forget that millions of Jews were massacred. Wow. I’m not going to even begin to wrap my head around that one.
I guess because there are still a lot of people out there who deny or don’t understand the scale and horror of the holocaust—the ruins of the camp still stand so that people living today can know about it; that it really happened.
Horrible that such a stain on humanity exists, that such an ugly thing must still stand on the earth, but if any of us can learn from our past, there is hope we can become better people.
It is also considered a grave site, and for these reasons has not been torn down to make way for something else.
Sadly, there are some people who would find it very convenient if the ruins of the camps disappeared—a key piece of evidence would be gone, and it would be easier to claim that it was never there.
As for the theft of the sign—words cannot express the revulsion I feel towards someone who would think it cool to possess such a thing.
Horrible, just horrible, any way you look at it.
Supposedly we’re suppose to learn from History or we’ll make the same mistakes again !
Seeing as we go to war like its our Planetary #1 sport, I believe you can safely say we’ve learned NOTHING !
As for this one hell hole being ‘saved’ .
What about all the gulags where millions died in the Soviet Union…where’s that monument ?
Cambodia, the Pol POT massacre hundreds of thousands of people killed…often because they were educated !
THE millions killed by Mao? anyone see that memorial ?
Rawanda ? Dafar ? Nepal ? the Chechens… what’s going on in China with the Urigur’s !
Let’s not forget our own North American Native atrocities, Central & South American native mass murders.
I see no reason to pick one over another & make it the poster child for mans inhumanity against man !
But that’s me, others obviously don’t agree , which is part of why we learn nothing. By placing one place out in front of all the others, IMO equally important lessons, allows us to much more easlily over look them .
I would like to take who ever stole that sign and do very bad things to them.
And we’ve Godwin’d the whole fucking Coast site. Everyone turn off their computers and go outside to play in the snow.
The sites of the Holocaust only have meaning if you give them meaning. We won’t forget even if every Holocaust site were destroyed, every book and video burnt, and all the survivors gone. We simply can never afford to.
Pavillion…not only do we forget !
At the present time, genocide is going on in Africa.
But the world doesn’t want to know !
Just look at Zimbabwe ! ! !
Unbelievable that the richest country…the bread basket of Africa, is destitute (well the country & most of the people are ! ! !Mugabe & his crowd are some of the wealthiest people in Africa ! ! ! And the world keeps on doing business with him … :'(
I don’t think the OP wants to forget the holocaust, Dr. F. What I can gather from their bitch is that the OP is questioning why this place is in existence when it’s representative of an awful massacre — like getting rid of it would honour those who died there more than keeping it open? I dunno.
I do think, however, it’s important to have places like this around so we can’t forget — most of history isn’t pretty.
You guys do realize at the height of the Holocaust, the western world didn’t care, and in fact we (Canada) turned away Jewish refugees? Even US weapons manufacturers sold arms to Nazi Germany. It wasn’t till Hitler attacked France that we took notice.
Good point Dr. Fever
Did the population actually know though ?
Not just those who were amoung the better informed, but Canada was more an agricultural society ,people were spread out more. World news sure didn’t get out to the massses like it does now ! I wonder how ‘informed’ ma & pa (average person) throughout the country, really were ?!?
Dr Fever,
You are correct—the obscenity that we now call the holocaust was perpetuated with direct participation/support by some nations, (and corporations) and turning a blind eye by others.
I believe that the important thing is that today we recognize that level of wrong that was done and have the physical record, detailed scholarship, and official memorial events that allow the story to be told.
That the camps are still there serve as a reminder—especially to some people who really need to be reminded—of all the evil that was done at that time. And that it cannot, should not, be swept away and forgotten, even though there are some people who want just that.
There are some interesting historical anecdotes written by the members of the allied forces during the time of the end of the war. Certain commanders made a point of rotating as many American, Canadian and British troops through the areas of the camps so that they would witness first hand what for many years had been dismissed as “rumour” or “exaggeration.”
All of human history is indeed filled with horrific events—many of which were permitted to take place by the very powers that could have, should have stopped them. Yes, it can make you despair.
I have no “positive” response to any of these historical truths, other than in all cases we must continue to see, learn, remember . . . and know the responsibilities this burden confers on us as a species.
A person who would steal the sign from what has now become a place of rememberance is a sick person indeed. They dishonour all those who suffered and died there, those who lost their entire families, and those who died trying to bring an end to the nazi regime in Europe.
I don’t know how someone like that lives with themselves.
Imagine if the place was burned down and erased from the face of the earth. People have a hard enough time learning from what happened, without erasing all the evidence of it. I’ve met people who are passionately certain that the holocaust didn’t happen, and it sickens me. It’s that kind of person that I imagine taking the sign… but I shouldn’t speculate. I hope they find them, and find out why they did it.
This place is important BECAUSE millions died, OP. This is more than a historical landmark, this is a mass graveyard for millions of innocent people. This not a place that should be tampered with, or forgotten.
More— No, I’m certain that “Ma & Pa” out in rural Saskatchewan did not hear much about the war, but when they did, it was propagandized. That I am certain of. It’s only through exhaustive research I would assume that these facts have come to light.
Ruby— I couldn’t have said it better myself. Anyone who has the need to steal such a thing as that, especially from Auschwitz… It’s indescribable as to what should happen to those poor souls.
When you consider that during WW2 the “regular” people didn’t know much of what was going on in Nazi Germany concerning the Jews because of their lack of education and living mostly in the countryside that people today would be more aware of genocides happening in Africa, given our better education and living mostly in cities. Sadly does not seem to be the case.
I think it is odd that someone would steal the sign but I also don’t think people are going to suddenly forget about what happened there because it is gone.
Pavillion, reading your post, made me realize that today we are more aware of what they let us see…or what is popular & easily seen. But in Africa this type of activity is happening today, yesterday & tomorrow, in more than one country while the world pays little or no attention.
(and yes I know it isn’t on the scale of WW2), but as it is… its wrong, its known & its passed over/ignored by the ‘higher powers’
Don’t be ridiculous. No Jews were “turned away at the height of the holocaust”…
Are you referring to the SS St. Louis in 1939? No-one knew then what Hitler’s “final solution” would be…including Hitler!
Get your dates and facts right before trying to share blame for the Nazis with the whole world.
Even as the death camps were “liberated” in 1945, the world didn’t know the extent of the holocaust FFS!
Frosty— I never said we turned away Jews “at the height of the holocaust”. Yes, I’m talking about the St. Louis incident. I did however say that most of the western powers did not care until France was invaded. Nobody gave a shit when Germany invaded Poland, because they were just Polacks. You probably believe that America was the sole reason we won WW II as well?
And next time, if you’re going to quote someone, do it right. Don’t put words in my mouth asshole.
I don’t understand how its a blow to our heritage also. Especially when Canada’s leaders stole from Aboriginals to “create Canadian heritage”. Harper is always stuck up Israel’s ass.
NGF, and OP, I think this very awkward and unfortunate phrasing of “loss of heritage” is due to mistranslation between the Polish and English. Of course it is not a “loss of heritage” in the way we would normally think of that phrase—ie the loss of an art treasure or positive symbol.
Rather, I think I understand the meaning meant by the people who maintain the site as a memorial: that an important historical reference (albeit a very tragic and horrific one) has been tampered with and trivialized. Something very valuable to world history (and to present day humanity) has been lost.
Right now, it appears that someone took the sign as some kind of grim souvenir—disrespecting the horrific reasons why the sign had been allowed to stand for all this time.
So, while the wording in the articles does seem strange to our ear, it is important to remember the intention of what the speakers are trying to convey in this case.
The reason the allies won WWII was because of the USSR.
I almost wrote my thesis on that, actually.
Also: no one liked Jews until after WWII and the exposition of the mass killings at the hands of the Nazis. That’s why the boats were turned away. The only country that would take in Jewish refugees was England. Anti-semitism was pretty strong at the onset of WWII among allied countries.
You can all relax. They recovered the sign.
Holy fuck really – it’s just like the indians and blacks bitching about shit that happenned 400 years ago !!!!! All ya’s get over it – its done – – move on !!! Burn the fucking thing – and put up a memorial – who the fuck wants to see where they fuckin killed millions of people ? What a fuckin reminder – for whoever, I have no side to take !!! Yea hey let go look at the fuckin killing machine and start hating people again ? Really – whoever defends it – defends a 50 year old hatred and believes we should all remember it so we know what to next time a race pisses us off? OH i’m gonna burn on this post .Maybe ask the vetrians of that war that exist about it – not the poster including me that only knows about it through history class and whatever other publication i gleaned it from ?
Dr Fever, Germany invaded Poland 1 Sep 39. Britain demanded German withdrawal. On 3 Sep 39 when there was no withdrawal, Britain, France, India, Australia, New Zealand, and on the 10th Canada declared war. The only major player who didn’t was the US, who remained out of it until 6 Dec 41.
The only reason the USSR fought on our side was Hitler double-crossed them. If he hadn’t it would have been a different story.
BT— I am aware of when war was declared. I am simply stating that nobody really cared until France was invaded. In fact troops weren’t fully escalated until France was rolled over. The only reason why the British allies went to war was due to the fact that France declared war, and the remainder were obliged by treaty. Up to that point, Parliaments on both sides of the water were flip-flopping on whether or not to go to war, especially considering we had just gone through WW I.
The Russians went to war because there was a significant territory gain for them. It was an opportunistic land grab. The double cross just gave a proper excuse. Although, it wasn’t the main reason.
That all aside, weedhog, we need to be reminded that the Holocaust existed. The reason? To show the horror that the human race can inflict upon one another. The best way we can do that is leave facilities like Auschwitz up. The reason for that is simply because it’s a massive reminder, and you can see the importance of it if you either simply go to the site or, even better look through some of the many photos available of the site. Sadly, it’s lost some of it’s capacity to teach over the years obviously; as atrocities like ethnic cleansing that continue in Africa and the first world looks away. I think this is because this generation has never had a serious threat to them, and when it has happened, it’s suppressed.
I don’t think it’s so much that it’s suppressed, Dr F. it’s that the generation in early adulthood right now doesn’t give a shit about anything but themselves and their ‘stuff.’
There are people starving in this world — people who are living in shacks in the third world, yet we bitch our asses off when the power goes out or we get a ticket because we can’t find a place to park our cars, or how we bitch about how shitty public transit is in HRM….at least we HAVE public transit, cars, and homes to connect power TO.
You also realize that we cannot compare troop movements and communications in 1939-40 to today. Troops had to be moved mainly by ship and train, no aerial troop movers then. Information from the front was not instantaneous as i is now thanks to satelites. No unmanned aircraft to see behind enemy lines. Even most Germans who lived near the death camps didn’t know what was going on.
just on your point of troop movement — during WWII, railway tracks in the USSR were incompatible with tracks in the rest of Europe, which slowed movement to and from the USSR.
And don’t forget the Quebecers all bought sneakers and ran like the weaselly fuckers they were and some still are – Vive Le Quebec suck my left nut
Dr: Fever -“”You guys do realize at the height of the Holocaust, the western world didn’t care, and in fact we (Canada) turned away Jewish refugees? “”
Followed by: “” I never said we turned away Jews “at the height of the holocaust”.””
And wiping up the rear with : “”if you’re going to quote someone, do it right. Don’t put words in my mouth asshole.””
Again with the ‘asshole”, lol…what are you, 11?
Maybe next time go back and read your own posts, lol…Why don’t you just admit you don’t really have the first clue about the holocaust, and who knew what, and when?
In addition, you’re way off the mark with this nonsense that “nobody cared about Poland, just after France was invaded” nonsense (!?). Chamberlain declared war 2 days after Hitler invaded Poland, as per his agreement to do so…
The only good point you make is about Aushwitz, the rest is nonsense.
“”Even most Germans who lived near the death camps didn’t know what was going on.””
Correct. A (rare) good point by BT.
I get tired of all this nonsense like “the world allowed the holocaust to happen”, when even MOST GERMANS (and many Nazis) didn’t know the extent of the horrors until the very end…