Germans Cringe at Hitler's Popularity in Pakistan

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,683966,00.html

by gruseom • 16 years ago

20 46 16 years ago

ugh• 16 years ago

“Don’t mention the war”?

biotech• 16 years ago

Are you referencing the episode of Faulty Towers in which Germans are visiting? John Clease repeats "don't mention the war" several times to his fellow English hospitality workers, but he himself fails in this endevour, with hilarious consequences.

sliverstorm5• 16 years ago

Thank you so much, that was hilarious :)

(no offense intended to those of you who are German of course!)

sliverstorm5• 16 years ago

The Nazis are waging a new kind of war. The war of public opinion, in which they weasel their way into completely unexpected places...

Edit: what, is it so impossible that some neo-nazis are trying to drum up support in foreign countries?

sliverstorm5• 16 years ago

Also, the comments about 'but I'm Aryan'... couldn't you stymie them with the simple explanation: 'Do you look like me?' (says german). 'No, but I'm Aryan'. 'Doesn't matter, you don't look like me so they probably would have shot you on sight'.

Not 100% accurate but I think it gets the point across.

philk• 16 years ago

I think that's being overly generous to modern Neo-Nazis. They, and white supremacist groups in general, seem to be from the bottom of the barrel intellectually. I doubt they'd have the wherewithal to execute such a plan.

sliverstorm5• 16 years ago

Yes, you're right. I forgot about that. I tend to assume other people are on a level playing field with me, mentally, though that doesn't always turn out so well.

bad_user• 16 years ago

That's just paranoia.

We do have Nazi activists in our country, although they call themselves extreme right activists, and while being a group that spreads racist and antisemitic ideas, it's mostly harmless.

Although a large percent of the population is Christian and goes to church regularly (which are also hubs for spreading racist/antisemitic propaganda), such activism has had little impact on the general population.

That's because people are tired of propaganda and of empty promises and of big changes that don't bring that significant improvement in life quality that's being promised.

Germany wouldn't have ended up with Hitler if they wouldn't have taken a big hit in WW1. With Germans dying out of starvation because of the British blockade, or because of the economic meltdown post-WW1, it's easier to believe the fallacies in Mein Kampf, to believe in Hitler's vision and shut your eyes and ears in the wake of a genocide. But that's only because Germany's economy and quality of life had nowhere to go but up, and it did just that (for a while anyway).

But in a country where things are mostly working (i.e. there aren't many people dying from hunger) it's hard for such ideas to gain popularity, even if those ideas are spread by a champion as articulate and smart as Hitler was. That's because with a higher quality of life comes a higher moral ground, and people are mostly conservatives anyway.

eru7• 16 years ago

For all the Weimar Republic's flaws the more interesting questions almost becomes not why it failed, but why it lasted so long.

The hit taken in the treaties of Versailles is just one reason. The economic crisis around 1930 is another one. Churchill made the suggestion that Germany should have become a constitutional monarchy instead of a republic to give the monarchists something to rally behind the new state.

WalkingDead• 16 years ago

In many places the vocal minority controls the media. I guess this popularity issue is not a Asian thing only. A significant large number of silent people in Germany I assume is supportive of Hitler's work --- that's what my impression is after personally talking with a limited few.

sliverstorm5• 16 years ago

The academic in me wants to ask you if you spoke with a statistically relevant sample size? :)

thomas11• 16 years ago

(Disclaimer: I'm German.) It is only a tiny extremist minority who is even somewhat supportive of Hitler. Even if the media was completely controlled by a vocal minority - not entirely possible in a free democracy like today's Germany - you would at least see these Nazi-leanings in election results. Not the case.

plinkplonk6• 16 years ago

Two things

(1) "Mein Kampf" is just another book for Indians. Sure it is available in bookstores, it isn't particularly popular. Most people have read it, and most think it is a turgid bit of prose.

(2) Why should Indians (or Pakistanis for that matter) have the same level of Hitler Phobia and/or Holocaust guilt Germans have? I thought the German "guilt" was all about how Hitler and co misled their ancestors into The Holocaust and other dirty deeds. Indians and Pakistanis were colonized by the British at the time of WW2 and many of our ancestors fought against the Nazis and the Japanese. (Some of them fought for the Nazis/Japanese trying to attain independence for India from the British).

Nutshell: People who had nothing to do with the Nazis or the Holocaust and for whom the Nazis and Hitler were "people far away" fighting and winning aginst an oppressive colonial power don't have as much of a bad reaction as people who were invaded/ruled/slaughtered by them.

Big Deal.

Genghis Khan built mountains of skulls during his invasions but would Germans blanch if they saw a Muslim with the name "Genghis" or "Timur" or think his name is inappropriate?

As something to chew on, many babies born in the Middle East / Pakistan etc are being named "Osama". An American child with such a name would find social situations difficult I imagine. No such stigma in Pakistan. At some point will we see a headline "Saudis cringe at Osama's popularity in Pakistan"?

To be even more controversial it could be argued that Bush and co "killed a million Iraqis" for no real purpose. Should all Americans hate and abhor W? Stalin and Mao were responsible for more deaths than Hitler Should Chinese be surprised that some few Americans think Mao was "cool"?

fwiw I personally thing Hitler was a charismatic and thoroughly evil person. Most Indians who are aware of actual history feel the same way.

But I am also aware concentration camps were "invented" by the British during the Boer War and the large scale deaths of non combatant Boer women and children in these camps could be called genocide if it happened today. Should we hate Lord Salisbury (and Winston Churchill for that matter) too? I don't see many Britishers being ashamed of them.

fh• 16 years ago

In essence, you say that the Nazi cult that some Pakistanis (supposedly) entertain is no big deal, because they are not responsible for the Holocaust. As a German, who as a matter of fact doesn't feel particularly guilty about things his great-grandfathers did half a century before he was born, I'd like to know how you come to such a peculiar opinion. Evil is less evil if you can blame someone else? It's okay to revere mass murderers as long as you're not the one who let them come into power?

Your point about children's names is almost the textbook definition of a straw man, and I think you know it. Many German children are named Joseph, but that name has a long cultural and religious history, and no one in their right mind would associate that with Stalin. I guess the story with the name Osama in Muslim cultures is similar. However, if Pakistani parents name their children Adolf, a name that has no cultural associations in Pakistan whatsoever except being linked to a brutal mass murderer, then that's at least a little bit cringe worthy.

(I wonder if Godwin's Law applies to a discussion that's already about Hitler in the first place, and if a factual discussion about such a topic is even possible...)

plinkplonk6• 16 years ago

"you say that the Nazi cult that some Pakistanis (supposedly) entertain is no big deal,"

There is no "Nazi cult" in Pakistan. Talk about exaggeration.

Yes, for some people Hitler had some virtues (as they do Genghis Khan, Mao Tse Tung, Stalin, Che, Lenin, George W Bush) which they think are worthy of being admired.

" I guess the story with the name Osama in Muslim cultures is similar."

You are wrong.

There is a rise in babies being named Osama after 9/11. I thought that was obvious from the context. Sorry if I was not clear enough. Arab and Pakistani teenagers wear T shirts with Osama's picture on them. There are large numbers of people who think Osama Bin Laden is a heroic figure. You (and I) think he is a homicidal maniac. Other people don't.

You can always find some people somewhere who admire the mass murderers of history (including Osama, Mao , Stalin and the British who created concentration camps in the first place), as compared to those whose ancestors were massacred. It doesn't mean much.

Germans expecting all Pakistanis to hate and abhor Hitler as much as they do is like some Pakistanis expecting them to love Osama Bin Laden.

So yes the world doesn't always have prejudices in lockstep with your own, and sometimes admire people you abhor and vice versa. Sorry about that.

gruseom• 16 years ago

I wonder if Godwin's Law applies to a discussion that's already about Hitler in the first place, and if a factual discussion about such a topic is even possible...

I'm not sure how this didn't occur to me before I posted the article. What was I thinking? Well, I guess I know what I was thinking: it is an observant article about an interesting new (to me) phenomenon. It isn't particularly critical. In fact, the most surprising quality of the article itself is how gentle and non-judgmental it is. And I still think it's one of the most fascinating cultural pieces I've read in a while.

But you're right: Godwin's Law doesn't fail to apply just because one begins at the absurd instead of going through a reductio to get there, which means the probability of a good discussion approximates zero.

lispm5• 16 years ago

Hitler was not fighting against an oppressor - he was upon something greater: conquer Europe, enslave people to get them working for the Germans and kill everyone that he was thinking of as unworthy. Hitler was a racist, he was the oppressor, tried to conquer a bunch of countries and caused the murdering of millions of people.

The 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' thing might explain that some people like him (there are other reasons, too). But if we look at Hitler himself and rate him on what HE did, then it is easy to see that he is in no way somebody that can be seen in positive light.

Also, when Hitler thought of 'Arier' he was thinking about a white, germanic 'race'. The word 'Arier' was a political tool and redefined as necessary.

plinkplonk6• 16 years ago

"Hitler was not fighting against an oppressor -"

You could argue that the post World War 1 "reparations" policy on Germany was indeed oppression.

But I wasn't talking about that. I meant that for Indians (and Pakistanis) of the time, Hitler was fighting the British, who was their oppressor/colonizer. The struggle for Indian Independence was in full swing when WW 2 broke out.

"if we look at Hitler himself and rate him on what HE did, then it is easy to see that he is in no way somebody that can be seen in positive light."

And yet many Germans did see him in a positive light. And if he had won the war would he still be considered universally evil? Stalin and Mao killed more people than he did yet there are significant numbers of Russians and Chinese who admire them today.

I agree with you that Hitler was evil. I completely agree that Hitler's "Aryan race" meant something completely diufferent from what people in India/Pakistan who admire Hitler think he meant.

I guess just don't see things completely in black and white and/or expect other people to believe exactly as I do, especialy about judging historical figures, and find them "cringe worthy" if they differ in opinion from me.

When I was living in the USA I met many people who thought the Confederates were fighting for a noble cause for e.g. and I didn't "cringe", though I didn't believe that myself. I understand that History is rarely uni dimensional and that other people have different views of History and historical figures than I do.

Europeans don't universally condemn Mao or Stalin. And there are a least a few who admire them.

Why should Pakistanis universally condemn Hitler? And why can't there be some Pakistanis who admire him?

stevoski• 16 years ago

This popularity is also in India. Although I'm not German, I live in Germany, and when in India I often answered the ubiquitous question "where are you from?" with "Germany".

Then most times came the "Hitler was good" response.

My theory is that what endears Hitler to Indians (and perhaps Pakistanis) is nationalism. Nationalism is rife in India. And Hitler's political party was ardently nationalistic.

borism3• 16 years ago

Indian subcontinent is after all the birthplace of the original "Aryan race".

shishir_pandey• 16 years ago

well neither AIT nor any other alternative theory has as yet been accepted as totally correct. But AIT is more often thought of as being more accurate..so Indian subcontinent may not be the birth place of aryans.

mrphoebs• 16 years ago

As far as india is concerned...

(1) like plinkplonk said "Mein Kampf" is just another book to read, except its author killed 6 million jews.

(2) The conclusion that the article draws regarding 1.2 billion indians based on an art exhibit and a restaurant owner is akin to saying everyone in the United States is old after seeing two elderly people from the country.

jbm• 16 years ago

As far as India and Pakistan is concerned... (from what I recall from what my parents told me)

(1) Hitler's Germany fought the British, who the common Indians/Pakistanis generally hated.

(2) Germany made token efforts to "assist Indian independence". Undoubtedly meant to destabilize the British, but any assistance was undoubtedly appreciated.

I don't want to talk about the elephant in the room (anti semetism), but for what it is worth, I have never heard a desi ever say "Hitler was great because he killed the Jews".

plinkplonk6• 16 years ago

"I don't want to talk about the elephant in the room (anti semetism),"

There is no anti semitism in India. There are hardly any Jews here.I believe there is one synagogue in Kerala. Most of the few jews who lived in India emigrated to Israel long ago. Very hard to hate people who you never encounter! The religious faultline in India is Hindu/Muslim.

Interestingly enough the image of Jews is that of ferocious and competent warriors, not meek/servile/moneylenders/fill-in-your-favorite-anti-Jewish-stereotype, largely due to the fact that Indians know of Jews mostly through the lens of Israel and its wars. Even people who are Pro Palestine/Arab anti/Israel think Israeli armed forces and the Mossad are very dangerous.

vegashacker• 16 years ago

The photo in the context of the article's title is a little misleading. It makes it seem like these children are lighting candles in honor of Hitler.

borism3• 16 years ago

every intelligent person knows that swastika is a good luck sign in central asian cultures, especially in today's Germany

philwelch3• 16 years ago

What's odd about this isn't Hitler's popularity in Pakistan, it's Hitler's unpopularity elsewhere in the world, particularly Germany. Most countries lionize their conquerers, even their genocidal conquerers. Had Hitler won even a limited, partial victory, it's not unlikely Germany would see him as a hero today (or at least as a "complicated figure"). Consider the attitudes of their respective homelands towards such figures as Genghis Khan, Ataturk, and Andrew Jackson. If you help your own "people" at someone else's expense, you become a hero to one side and a villain to the other, and Hitler definitely was a net gain for your average "Aryan" up until they started losing the war. It's standard us vs. them, ingroup/outgroup thinking.

To total outsiders, separated by vast differences of space and time, they don't care about the victims either and assign shortsighted judgments. How many Westerners within the last 30 years probably thought Genghis Khan was a total badass? How many people basically ignore the parts of the Bible that describe God leading the Hebrews in a variety of genocidal wars?

Genocidal conquest is how things were done, and it takes a very contemporary set of moral beliefs to even see that thing as wrong, as long as it wasn't committed against you. It's not even a lesson that's necessarily sunk in yet (review 2003-2008-era anti-Iraq-War rhetoric and compare mentions of US troop casualties to mentions of Iraqi civilian casualties). Powerful people in Europe bought into the concept of human rights and started building the contemporary moral view of genocide after Hitler did to Europe what Europe had been doing to the rest of the world, but if Hitler hadn't been defeated so thoroughly I suspect our very moral standards wouldn't be up to the task of vilifying him to the same extent. In a way, Hitler in WWII explicitly represented and practiced the philosophy that genocidal conquest is the way things are done, and the western allies--seeing the extreme to which Hitler had taken that idea--were forced to adopt (and develop) the contrary position. All in all, I think there's a fairly nearby possible world where Hitler achieved at least a partial victory and no one is nearly as shocked at him as we are in this world.

lispm5• 16 years ago

You got that wrong. It is not about winning wars. Hitler also did not care about the wars. They were tools for him. Tools in the struggle of the 'germanic race' over all other races. If the Germans do not win the war, they were not worthy in his view as 'race' to survive. Hitler was motivated by racism and race struggle.

We should have learned from these mistakes. These are not how things should be done. We should not repeat the mistakes of the past.

philwelch3• 16 years ago

What part did I get wrong? I'm not making any moral statements, just synthesizing some facts. It largely wasn't until after Hitler lost that the Western world really cared about condemning genocide.

I live in a country that was built through conquest by defeating its original inhabitants in war and either enslaving them, relocating them, or exterminating them so the conquerers could inhabit their land. I suspect a lot of us are, and we don't all live in the same country. That's how a frightening amount of history unfolded--and if you're alive today, there's a pretty decent chance your ancestors won one of those wars. Hitler's conquest of Europe differed only in his methods.

Again, I'm not making any moral judgments. It seems to me that centuries of history were made by some groups violently enslaving, relocating, or exterminating other groups, and no one really cared that much. Hitler, like most conquerers, thought it was perfectly fine to enslave, relocate, or exterminate other groups of people as long as it served the interests of his own. His philosophy wasn't unique in that respect, in historical terms it was probably the norm.

You and I are enlightened enough that we don't want to "repeat" those "mistakes", but only because Hitler was famously unpopular and lost the war. If Hitler cut a deal with the western Allies and satisfied himself with a large chunk of eastern Europe, I don't know how many of us would share the enlightened anti-Nazi attitude we do share.

eru7• 16 years ago

> If you help your own "people" at someone else's expense, you become a hero to one side and a villain to the other, and Hitler definitely was a net gain for your average "Aryan" up until they started losing the war.

I agree with the first part as a description. The second part about Hitler being a net gain was probably only true in perception--if you measured e.g. GDP (or even better consumption) the Nazis were most probably a net loss.

Germans Cringe at Hitler's Popularity in Pakistan

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