Auschwitz

I'm reading Auschwitz:Tales from a Grotesque Land. It's so absolutely shocking, even though I have read other books on the subject, that my mind constantly wonders at "Man's inhumanity to man". Are we actually SO uncivilized? No better than animals? No - worse than animals as we are supposed to be thinking, caring, HUMAN beings! Although in my studies I have learned that hatred for the Jews has been rife for thousands of years I still don't understand why "Christians" have such intolerance for other groups. Why can't people just get on with their own lives and leave others alone if they don't want to mix. I don't always want to mix with others and yet, when I am forced, am often pleasantly surprised!!!! I wonder if the problem lies with radicalism? If there is such a word! Hassidic Jews are really intolerant of anyone outside their clique which I find most unpleasant and yet I wouldn't do anything about it except leave them to their own devices! If I saw one in trouble I would help but am certain many people wouldn't! We see them all the time in Switzerland, they keep to themselves, dress differently, stay in their own hotels and (especially the men) are VERY unfriendly! The women and children are shy but friendly as long as the men aren't around. This paternal society - including Quakers and Mormons - just asks for outsiders to target them. Personally I couldn't be bothered to target anyone but I suppose the more aggressive humans can't resist.

Another thing about places like Auschwitz, Birkenow, Buchenwald and the rest of the death camps is that they were not exclusively for Jews. Gypsies (sort of understandable) Political prisoners (ditto) academics (why?) etc were all incarcerated. I keep wondering what would have happened if EVERYONE targetted had been killed. Most of the Germans after the war was over were NOT intellectuals. Same with the Russians and all other nationalities. In fact I should think that only about 2% of the worlds population were actually intellectual at that time - a world full of dummies? What was the term someone famous used once "The Lumpiat Masses" or something like that!

My final thought about the death camps is: How did ANYONE actually survive? Just the very thought that my children had been taken from me and killed, or my parents, or husband, would surely be enough to make one succumb to the bitter cold, lack of food and sheer hatred endured by those survivors. Why didn't they fight back? If you look at some of the photographs taken in the camps, the inmates, weak and fearful though they were, vastly outnumbered the guards. Sure many hundreds would be shot, savaged by the dogs or beaten to death but surely thousands could have overcome the guards and taken over the prison camps thereby keeping the Germans OUT? Hmm but then a siege situation would endure and they would all be starved to death. Oh yes - I also don't understand how the rest of the world just stood by while all this was happening and I find it highly possible that it could all happen all over again in one form or another in the future. Maybe not in Europe and maybe not the Jews but somewhere else and with other groups of people whose thinking is not quite the same as "ours".