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I have a nephew who was a Holocaust denier. May still be.
My sister's boy Eric was indoctrinated in that hatefulness by one of his high school teachers. My father tried to counteract it by taking him out to hear the stories of a friend who helped liberate one of the death camps. I don't think Eric was convinced. If he had been, I don't think my father would have told me the story.
I've never asked Eric about it. If he still holds those opinions, I don't want to know. I don't know him well, and I'm not sure I like him. But he's family, and I really don't want to have any reason to like him less. Besides, there's no point in being confrontational with someone I see at most twice a year -- is there?
My ambivalence probably mirrors the reaction of most of us to racial hatred. We don't want to know that our neighbor, our co-worker, our friend is a racist. So we shy away from discussing the issue until the other person has given us some sign of where they stand. Then we either relax or tighten up completely, depending. The result is that the quiet haters, the ones who give aid and comfort to the violent ones, are rarely confronted with the truth.
James von Brunn is one of the violent ones. He appears to be an equal-opportunity hater -- against Jews, Catholics, blacks, Hispanics, and government employees. He isn't happy with the world as it is, and he is willing to take matters into his own hands to change it, no matter the cost -- to him or to others.
Haven't we seen enough of that lately? I wonder if he realizes that he is a comrade-in-arms of the suicide bombers who kill our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. But fanatics rarely have true self-awareness.
Maybe I'll bring that up at Thanksgiving dinner this year.
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1 comment:
I so agree with the problems created by unwillingness to confront, often masked by what is called politeness. I was taught not to "make waves," but being somewhat of a rebellious nature, I have tried to "make waves" thoughout my life. My younger brother has expessed regret that he took that lesson to heart. As a result, no dinner table discussions about matters of substance or consequence. He is a liberal Presbyterian Democrat, his wife a conservative Presbyterian Republican. The communities in which they lived while the boys were growing up were ones in which his views were distinctly the minority. Their two adult sons formed their political/theological views outside the home.
On the other hand, my son grew up in a house where discussions were held frequently with guests (some would say argumentative). I'm happy to say he's in my political and theological fold, but is still quick to call his mom out when my views are kneejerk simplistic.
Is it possible that liberals are just too fairminded?
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