“It must be wonderful just to jump into that bubbling pot”

“In this closed circle Eva Braun posed herself as the girl who was natural, healthy, joyfully physical.”

— The World at War, E01 A New Germany

… and women began screaming. It was like a mass religious ceremony. And I listened to his speech and I felt that more and more excited atmosphere in the hall and for some seconds again and again I had a feeling “What a pity that I can’t share that belief of all those thousands of people, that I’m alone, that I’m contrary to all that.” It was very funny, I thought “Well he’s talking all the nonsense I know, the nonsense he always talked” – but still, I felt it must be wonderful just to jump into that bubbling pot and be a member of all those who are believers.

– Werner Pusch, German Social Democrat speaking about his attendance at a National Socialist rally led by Adolf Hitler during the party’s rise to power in the early 1930’s

excerpted from The World at War, ep01 The New Germany (1933-1939)

The idea of a mother being told after this terrible journey, that her children are going to be gassed, was an utter outrageous idea in her mind. Because after all what she suffered, here comes a gangster who wants to increase her suffering. So she was tempted to go immediately to the next neat officer and say that “This man says, sir, that my children are going to be gassed!” And he says “Madame, do you think we are barbarians?”

– Rudolf Vrba The World at War E20 Genocide (1941-1945)

It makes me think, in this time in which there are sanctuaries in which people are killed – dreams which deprive – of oligarchies run by bribery – all this cult-like conformity which often morphs into the most grotesque tyranny – this time of emojis and twits and soundbite-level mentality as human evolution regresses – who is really awake and aware?

Who are the ones like Werner Pusch alone amidst the beguiled masses?

And meanwhile, like the mothers getting off the trains at the Vernichtungslager about to be gassed to death, concerned people are constantly making their appeals to one authority or another “Please, sir, don’t destroy our environment!” “Please, sir, don’t poison our food, air, and water!” “Please, sir, respect our rights!”, as if such appeals have any meaning.

We have the problems we have, the devastation facing Earth, the gross deprivation of basic rights, precisely because of the types of people in authority now, not despite them. Precisely because there are so many, complicit and conforming with their good intentions yet malevolent results, not despite them.

The camp system had to be as self-supporting as possible. Most of the labor was done by prisoners. As to shortages of guards Himmler told Hess briskly, “Use more dogs”.

– The World at War, The Final Solution Parts 1 & 2 1’46.13″

Always more dogs.