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Americans: Never, EVER question again how Hitler came to power in 1933 Germany (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/leopardsatemyface@lemmy.world
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Because you now did it to yourself.

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[–] 166 points 2 years ago (12 children)

It doesn't matter.

Europeans know the history of fascism much, much better than Americans do and they're electing right-wing leaders too.

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  • [–] 30 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    There's "knowing" on a theoretical level, and knowing having experienced it. As the generational knowledge of people that have experienced fascism dies off the younger generations have to learn the hard way. Seems to happen every 100 or so years.

    The idea of "European exceptionalism" is no different than the idea of "American exceptionalism". People are fundamentally the same regardless of where they live -- we all have the same base instincts, the same hard-coded tribalistic tendencies, and the same fears. Every population on the planet is susceptible to fascism because it preys on the aforementioned.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    The idea of “European exceptionalism” is no different than the idea of “American exceptionalism”.

    I'm European and I subscribe more to American exceptionalism than European exceptionalism.

    I mean the US has exceptionally awesome landscapes and national parks, exceptionally friendly and polite people and uh... Yeah, exceptionally nasty politics, that's the one. That's the one I hate.

    It's a country with so much potential, and most of it is spent bickering instead of building a better future for everyone. Which they damn well could afford with their GDP per capita.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    i'd argue that there's knowing how things were and there's an undertanding of it. i went through the higher tier of the segregating west german school system under the supervision of very humanist engaged teachers. and yet that system was far from being able to deliver the second.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Which is always a very scary part. Especially over here, people should know better as they have first-hand experience (as a society at least). Seems it's too far past already or something. 😔

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