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To equate us to the time of the Third Reich is offensive to me as an America. We are nothing like them; our social structure is totally different; our history is COMPLETELY different; and we wouldn't stand for disarming one entire portion of our society for a minute.

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:

Third Reich History: Early excess government centered in Austria/Hungary establishes itself as an empire. A military defeat results in Germany splitting from the empire into a republic state. On failure of the original republic due to financial ruin, a new government with a stronger central power takes over after about 11 years, and the old constitution is rendered obsolete. A few years later, Kristalnacht happens. In a build up to another war, paranoia results in minority citizens of that country to be rounded up and stuck into harsh concentration camps. Engaged in racially motivated military actions in the middle east, dividing arabic and muslim tribes against each other.

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
AR: This is true. Perhaps I focus too much on arguing whether or not the US is redeemable, and not enough on the individual stories of human spirit.

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Germany never split from it, it was never a part of it.

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Originally posted by AgentRouka:

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
AR: This is true. Perhaps I focus too much on arguing whether or not the US is redeemable, and not enough on the individual stories of human spirit.

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I encourage the latter! :) You find yourself reminded why human beings can be absolutely fantastic.

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Originally posted by AgentRouka:

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Originally posted by canttakesky:
I think, in the end, that is the more important point. That they DID disarm the demographic they meant to persecute. It's not necessary to disarm the entire populace to persecute a subset.

The lesson for me is to look at who they are disarming now, in the USA.

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Apart from denying Jews the rights they accorded other citizens, I sincerely doubt that being armed would have made much of a difference for the Jewish population of Germany. They were less than one percent of the population and apparently had little to no support from the general population.

Basically, disarming Jewish people was not a "step" on the holocaust ladder. It was more of a formality along the way, while marginalizing them economically and socially were the real groundwork toward eventually deporting and murdering them.

I just honestly don't think that this is a valid comparison. I find it almost offensive.

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:

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Originally posted by AgentRouka:

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
AR: This is true. Perhaps I focus too much on arguing whether or not the US is redeemable, and not enough on the individual stories of human spirit.

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I encourage the latter! :) You find yourself reminded why human beings can be absolutely fantastic.

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Also true.

Must stop trying to argue about American fascism. It's just A THING, that I do, a lot.

I acknowledge, and apologize in advance that my opinions also tend to piss off most everyone I know, which is unfortunate, but I can't stop saying it. I guess I just don't like America. :/ I don't wish it ill, but I don't like it.

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
I was not talking about the great depression. The great depression was never a weimar republic scenario because the US had a stable and very strong federal government at the time. But that doesn't mean that the US never experienced a Weimar republic scenario. It did.

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Germany never split from it, it was never a part of it.

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This is probably the best argument against what I wrote - except, did Austria agree that Germany wasn't part of that Empire? Hitler CAME from Austria, this wasn't exactly an unpopular sentiment.

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Germany/Prussia prior to Hapsburg meddling was ruled by a bunch of little kings (more than one of them as I recall completely crazy), much like America was ruled by its governor barons and theocracies and upper class with its indentured servants.

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I see very little difference between the two. But you may disagree. Just trying to point out that the argument is not as outlandish as people are depicting it. America has done TERRIBLE things, and I won't forgive or forget, no more than I will forgive or forget any other country that has done terrible things.

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What Habsburger meddling are you referring to, though? You are assuming something that never existed. Habsburg monarchs did not cause the formation of the German Reich in 1871, not even remotely.

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