Genocide doesn’t happen because of “monsters” but because the rest of us choose to do nothing

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Genocide does not begin with monsters or madmen. It begins when ordinary people choose comfort, obedience and indifference over the human rights of others.

I spent the Christmas of 1991 visiting friends and family in Germany. I had a wonderful time. It is a magical season, and many North American traditions come from Central Europe. The people are also very warm, and we shared much fun and laughter.

During one celebration, a thought came to me that has never left. “How did a nation of warm and kind people fall for Nazism?” The quest to answer this question changed my life, and it continues to impact me every day.

The uncomfortable truth is that genocide did not only happen in Nazi Germany. It happens in every society where citizens prioritize their comfort over the inherent human rights of others, and where fear and coercion are allowed to turn moral silence into a survival strategy. It happens when we dehumanize our neighbour.

Genocide begins when ordinary people choose not to resist.
Image courtesy Planet Volumes

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