The Drowned and the Saved

Again sorry for the late posting this week.

For Monday we had to read The Drowned and the Saved, chapters 2 and 5.

Much of chapter 2 had to do with how one can judge people in the "gray zone," those who in some ways collaborated with the Nazis in perpetrating the Holocaust yet who were also victims of the Nazis.

The author explains that the both the desire to survive and the desire for power motivated Nazi victims to do things they would never think of doing in a more stable environment.

As one example, he discusses the role of the "Special Squad," the group of prisoners in the concentration camps given the task of running the crematorium and other parts of the extermination process.

He argues that for two primary reasons these people should be considered victims rather than perpetrators: 1st, With the help of the extra rations they would receive, they could better preserve the memory of the atrocities committed if they were liberated or found a way to escape. 2nd, They took this job to avoid being immediately killed. No one is really fit to judge them, as we do not really know for sure what we ourselves would do in the same circumstances.

In chapter 5, the discussion shifted to the "uselessness" of Nazi violence. In contrast to the author, I believe there had to be an element of sadism involved in what the Nazis did. It couldn't have all been conditioning. It boils down to the innate human ability to enjoy another human beings suffering if all the inhibitions have been removed and this behavior is encouraged (these are, in fact, two sides of the same coin).

As much as human beings are social creatures and our an innate drive to work with others for a common goal keeps us from hurting others, there is still sadism in the human equation.

It is mindboggling how much evil humans are capable of working.

I thought both of these sections were interesting, especially since they discussed the morality and philosophy behind the events of the Holocaust.