Ordinary Men Or Willing Executioners Essays - Human Rights Abuses

Ordinary Men Or Willing Executioners The arguments of Christopher Browning and Daniel John Goldhagen contrast greatly based on the underlining meaning of the Holocaust to ordinary Germans. Why did ordinary citizens participate in the process of mass murder? Christopher Browning examines the history of a battalion of the Order Police who participated in mass shootings and deportations. He debunks the idea that these ordinary men were simply coerced to kill but stops short of Goldhagen's simplistic thesis. Browning uncovers the fact that Major Trapp offered at one time to excuse anyone from the task of killing who was not up to it. Despite this offer, most of the men chose to kill anyway. Browning's traces how these murderers gradually became less squeamish about the killing process and delves into explanations of how and why people could behave in such a manner. Goldhagen's book however, has the merit of opening up a new perspective on ways of viewing the Holocaust, and it is the first to raise crucial questions about the extent to which eliminationist anti-Semitism was present among the German population as a whole. Using extensive testimonies from the perpetrators themselves, it offers a chilling insight into the mental and cognitive structures of hundreds of Germans directly involved in the killing operations. Anti-Semitism plays a primary factor in the argument from Goldhagen, as it is within his belief that anti-Semitism more or less governed the ideational life of civil society in pre-Nazi Germany . Goldhagen stated that a Demonological anti-Semitism, of the virulent racial variety, was the common structure of the perpetrators cognition of the German society in general. The German perpetrators were assenting mass executioners, men and women who, true to their own eliminationist anti-Semitic beliefs, faithful to their cultural anti-Semitic credo, considered the slaughter to be just. Though his statements seem quite harsh in content, they are not completely unjust for there is no obvious reason why a culture cannot be fanatically consumed by hatred. Goldhagen argues that for centuries, nearly every German was possessed of a homicidal animus towards Jews and thus 80 to 90 percent of Germans would have relished in the occasion to eliminate Jews. (Goldhagen dissents from Christopher Browning's estimates that 10-20 percent of the German police battalions refused to kill Jews as 'stretching the evidence ). It is one of Goldhagen's central arguments that the police battalions were prototypical of the murderous German mind-set. Goldhagens true distinction from Browning is to argue that German anti- Semitism was not only a significant but rather it was the sufficient condition for perpetrating the extermination of the Jews. Goldhagen observes that if it was not for Hitlers moral authority, the vast majority of Germans never would have contemplated the genocide against th e Jews. He also argues that by the time Hitler came to power, the model of Jews that was the basis of his anti-Semitism was shared by the vast majority of Germans. To rebuttal his claim I must ask that if anti-Semitism was true to not only the Germans but also the other European countries then why didnt a massive scale anti-Semitism movement come into play elsewhere? It is true that Goldhagen believes Had there not been an economic depression in Germany, then the Nazis, in all likelihood, would never have to come to power. However, this statement simply requires a question that if the Germans were fanatically anti-Semitists then why did they have to wait an economic depression to attain power and act out their anti-Semitist beliefs? Anti-Semitism, according to Goldhagen, was symptomatic of a much deeper German dissatisfaction. It served the Germans as a moral rationale for releasing destructive and ferocious passions that are usually tamed and curbed by civilization. Goldhagen uses the testimonies from the Reserve Battalion 101 as evidence to assert his claims on the anti-Semitic nature of the Germans. He tends to use much of the same evidence that Browning used but he, in trying to prove his point, neglected to use some the vital information that Browning used to assert his own claims, thus selecting only the relevant information. Goldhagen uses numbers to give an idea of the make-up of the men, there age, status, and participation in the Nazi regime. While pointing

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Review

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Review Since its publication in 1988, Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers continues to be a book both beloved and banned in school libraries across the country. A realistic novel about the Vietnam War, the day to day struggles of young soldiers and a soldiers view about Vietnam, this book is bound to be offensive to some and embraced by others. Read this review to learn more details about this high-profile book by an established and award-winning author. Fallen Angels: The Story It’s 1967 and American boys are enlisting to fight in Vietnam. Young Richie Perry just graduated from high school, but he feels lost and unsure about what to do with his life. Thinking the military will keep him out of trouble, he enlists. Richie and his group of soldiers are deployed immediately to the jungles of Vietnam. They believe the war will be over very soon and don’t plan to see much action; however, they are dropped down in the middle of a war zone and discover the war is nowhere near being finished. Richie discovers the horrors of war: landmines, the enemy lurking in spider holes and murky swamps, the accidental shooting of soldiers in your own platoon, burned out villages full of old people and toddlers and the children who are strapped with bombs and sent amongst the American soldiers. What began as an exciting adventure for Richie is turning into a nightmare. Fear and death are tangible in Vietnam and soon Richie begins to question why he is fighting.  After surviving two encounters with death, Richie is honorably discharged from the service. Disillusioned about the glory of war, Richie returns home with a renewed desire to live and an appreciation for the family he left behind. About Walter Dean Myers Author Walter Dean Myers is a war veteran who first enlisted in the military when he was 17. Like the main character, Richie, he saw the military as a way to get out of his neighborhood and away from trouble. For three years, Myers stayed in the military and recalls his time served as â€Å"numbing.† In 2008 Myers wrote a companion novel to Fallen Angels called Sunrise Over Fallujah. Robin Perry, the nephew of Richie, decides to enlist and fight the war in Iraq. Awards and Challenges Fallen Angels  won the prestigious American Library Association’s 1989 Coretta Scott King Award, but it also ranks 11 on its most challenged and banned book list between the years 2000 and 2009. Depicting the reality of war, Walter Dean Myers, who is a veteran himself, is faithful to the way soldiers talk and act. The newly enlisted soldiers are depicted as boastful, idealistic and fearless. After the first exchange of fire with the enemy, the illusion is shattered and the reality of death and dying changes these young boys into tired old men. The details of combat can be as gruesome as the description of a soldier’s final breathing moments. Due to the graphic nature of the language and fighting, Fallen Angels has been challenged by many groups.

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Reflection paper - Essay Example The truth is that by the end of the buildout phase most of the opportunities to get ahead of competitors are all but gone. One of the benefits of IT is that is can be easily transferred. Not surprisingly the cost of IT has also decreased greatly over the years in conjunction with its increased usage. Outsourcing is an important issue in our economy because there are pros and cons to be argued for its relevance. I can see why so many firms turn to outsourcing, and that is to reduce costs. This is naturally the number one goal of any organization, making the option to outsource work all the more appealing. On the downside, when outsourcing occurs overseas it can evoke strong reactions in home country customers. I think that outsourcing can be a high risk activity, and it is for this reason that it must be done very carefully. In a globalized world IT governance takes on increased importance, as it is often vital to the organizational success of a firm. Managers must understand IT governance because if done correctly it can reduce costs and risks but also help the company to gain a competitive business