When I came from Germany to the United States with my parents in the mid-1950s, it was only about ten years after the 2nd World War. As I attended elementary school, some kids called me a Nazi. I did not know what that meant, even as my English got better, but it was obvious that it wasn’t a term of endearment. I don’t recall any particular moment when the whole horrible truth of what had happened in the country I came from was laid before me in all its ugliness, but when I finally became totally aware I was ashamed to be from that country.
Later, as I matured, my shame turned into sadness and understanding as I thought, read and watched movies about what had happened. I was still sad that, as a German, my country of birth could allow the rise to power of a madman and the Holocaust to happen. But I also began to reach some level of understanding as I examined the key elements that led to the sickness of Nazi Germany. I believe that the key ingredients were this: a nation was in deep financial distress; a movement with a shrewd leader took power using democratic methods to erode freedom; he accomplished this by exploiting peoples’ insecurities, perpetuating fear and demonizing a group of people; he convinced people that war was the solution to their problems; and too many people went mindlessly along with the evil. I take no comfort from the fact that, unfortunately, given the right conditions, a similar tide of insanity can happen almost anywhere.
I believe that democratic governments are more fragile than most people realize. As some of our founding fathers warned, it requires constant vigilance to preserve democracy. While we, as ordinary people, have little control over most of the ingredients that I believe go into a triumph of evil, we can, as teachers, exercise some influence. That is, we can make a contribution toward the preservation of democracy by promoting critical thinking in our classrooms. For in a nation in which the majority of citizens are critical thinkers, I believe that it is far more difficult for powerful interests to manipulate the citizenry through ignorance. In such a nation, it is more difficult for them to develop what is often called “the banality of evil” in which ordinary good citizens go mindlessly along with the plan.
I believe that schools have many roles to fulfill, but none is more important than the development of good citizens. To that end, I believe that I, and all teachers, above all else, have the awesome responsibility to promote a nation of critical thinkers by developing in our students the ability to think and not just regurgitate facts. The future of our democratic way of life may depend on it.
5 comments:
Thank you for sharing your journey. This is all so very relevant right now with the current political climate in this country. I whole heartedly agree with you that we are all responsible for helping build a generation of thinkers. Sometimes it is harder to live this belief but I also try to keep it in focus.
Your story is very interesting, as a history teacher, I can understand your feelings.
I also immigrated here from Scotland in the 1960s, my uncle was in the British Royal Navy and sunk 3 times by the Germans, but he lived, the other was in the British Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot.
Isn't it interesting that we all have such different backgrounds but unite here in the US with the common cause to educate our young people? I think it is wonderful that we can offer them so many different perspectives and stories on our past.
Not only do I agree but as I stated on my blog, feel you said it all in a much neater, concise manner than I did. But with that in mind, democracy isn't always "neat" in fact it's often very messy as we've all been witnesses to so developing critical thinkers for the idea of preserving democracy (and promoting it) gets my vote!
I like the idea of "good citizenship", but what does that mean in practice? weren't Nazi followers also "good citizens"? Do good citizens contribute, or question the government? Do they pay their taxes dutifully...or protest where their taxes are going to?
Indeed, it is often difficult to know what being a good citizen means. I'd argue that Nazi followers were not good citizens. They were good soldiers, following orders, looking for salavation in a leader and a mission. They certainly were not critical thinkers. I believe good citizens should always question their government.
The tax issue is a real good question to bring up. It is difficult to answer. I dutifully pay my taxes, but I'm far from the ideal good citizen. Perhaps being a true good citizen requires more committment to ideals and more courage than most of us have.
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