From: Gabriella Taylor (Health9Net@AOL.COM)
Date: Mon Feb 05 2001 - 13:04:31 PST
Hello Ron and Everyone, This is just an aside: I've read many articles by leading professors, and many chapters of books on the internet in researching the Hitler Youth. One rather "odd" things (to me) stands out, which is that in *all* of the writings it is mentioned that "there were no other groups/organizations for youngsters to join" at one time (because, of course, they were all disbanded by the SS), etc. Well, so what? Was this, is this a "German thing" that I'm just not familiar with... a "social thing" in which I'm not endrenched? (I do tend to go my own way...) Why *would* a youngster *have* to join *anything*?!?! I am at a complete loss as to why this "explanation" (of sorts) exists in ALL texts, and I can't thread together the two ideas. As a "youngster" I never belonged to any groups or clubs or organizations. (As an adult I do not belong to groups or clubs either and have no desire to. I am an artist; I belong to the Universe). I do know of many kids who did not and do not and would not think to or want to belong to clubs or organizations, ESPECIALLY ones that indoctrinate and go against "human" values. As a parent, there are no circumstances under which I would allow my child to belong to something akin to Hitler Youth (yes, I realize the parents were threatened); but, of course, I am lucky in that I have a choice in the matter. I won't even allow my child to *go to school* if I don't approve of their treatment and philosophy (and, yes, I homeschooled my child in 3rd grade for a whole year until I found the *right* school). I'm sure I'm missing something, perhaps a German culturally-based idea of the times, but this inclusion in all research has become somewhat glaring in light of what it actually IS that we are talking about -- Hitler Youth, a phenomenon and not an ordinary social club for youngsters. Now, I realize that for most of the elders who were thus indoctrinated, talking about Hitler Youth might be as natural as talking about the Boy Scouts or anything *not* out of the ordinary. But I would like to remind everyone that Hitler Youth was very much out of the ordinary (save perhaps for the Spartans). To take young impressionable children, rob them of what might have remained of their childhood (war time was bad enough), and make them property of the State for life, is inhuman in all ways possible. I realize that "labels" are "dangerous" (as Eberhardt Weber insightfully pointed out) but we *do* have basic definitions of what it is to be "human" and Hitler does not fit into any of them, nor does his Hitler Youth. It is unfortunate, but not unexpected, that he succeeded in his aims: No one who was a member seems appalled. And no one "sees" what went on without the Hitler Blinders of the times, say, through the eyes of Socrates or Gandhi instead of through "German eyes." I find this amazing. The indoctrination was *so* complete that children who were part of HJ, today as adults, are still incapable of looking at it from a rational, "sane" perspective; that is, to see that the whole thing was completely insane and a nightmare that NO CHILD should ever have to be, yes, *subjected to* (whether forcefully or with enticements). I would like to offer the words of the creator of HJ in closing: "... and they will never be free again as long as they live." Hitler...1938 "This youth learns nothing but to think German and to act German. When these boys enter our organization at the age of ten, it is often the first time in their lives that they get to breathe and feel fresh air; then four years later they come from the Jungvolk into the Hitler Youth, and we keep them there for another four years, and then we definitely don't put them back into the hands of the originators of our old classes and status barriers; rather we take them straight into the Party or into the Labor Front, the SA, or the SS, the NSKK [motorized corps] and so on. And if they are there for another two years or a year and a half and still haven't become complete National Socialists, then they go into the Labor Service and are polished for another six or seven months, all with a symbol, the German spade. And any class consciousness or pride of status that may be left here and there is taken over by the Wehrmacht for further treatment for two years, and when they come back after two, three, or four years, we take them straight into the SA, SS, and so on again, so that they shall in no case suffer a relapse, and they will never be free again as long as they live." sincerely, gabriella p.s. I really only meant to address that issue of clubs, but it seems one thing led to another... and here we are. ========== ========== > Subj: Re: Specifics on H_tler Youth, Please > Date: 2/4/01 8:17:50 PM Eastern Standard Time > From: gillen@NCONNECT.NET (Ron Gillen) > Sender: MEMORIES@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (Project Memories of the 1940's, > for Children in Project Chatback) > Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:MEMORIES@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU">MEMORIES@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU</A> (Project Memories of the 1940's, > for Children in Project Chatback) > To: MEMORIES@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU > > Well let us not forget that the German Red Cross was also run under the > direction of the S.S,, in many cases or all cases both were the children > 'encouraged' to join and there was no other organization for them to join. > Ron Gillen Rg ========================== >