Everyone isn't a rebel. We glorify rule breakers and independent souls, but how many of us fit that description? It's much more common for people to fall in line, but there is a lot of honor in that. We don't write or talk about it much, but men have a desire to follow a worthy cause.
For every marauder, thief and barbarian, there are ten more soldiers, and they fight just as hard. They may not seem like interesting characters, but their passion and their pride are only matched by their discipline. When they rise from their beds and don their uniforms, they march into a fervent life of servitude. There is a complete and loyal commitment, to country and state, or leader and God.
Dedication to a cause is very noble. Dedication to a superior is a compromised position. When you've been groomed to honor authority, it doesn't take long for awe to turn into reverence. There are terrible days ahead for any good officer, who discovers they are committed to an unworthy commander.
Classic Movie Trailers - The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
There are countless works of fiction set in World War II. There are numerous history books, that have covered the subject with great detail. An exhaustive list of games is also available, and they allow you to reenact every pivotal scene. Films can place a group of Nazis anywhere in time, for an instant supply of trite and clichéd villains.
It's a part of history we love to relive. We seem to revel in it and I think it's unhealthy. Given all our denouncements of intolerance and prejudice, we view Nazi Germany with unjust stereotypes. A large group of people can't be wholly evil, just as no community is completely pure.
There's no denying the horrors that were committed. It's chilling to contemplate the recorded inhumanities. I simply want to separate the act from the actor. Those people weren't some separate species of humankind.
Fanaticism is a danger to everyone. What Germany succumbed to was an extreme case, but the problem appeared before and many times since. There are plenty of old stereotypes, irrational fears and unsupported beliefs that inch us towards the same ledge.
Jews probably won't be victimized the same way. We're too mindful of antisemitism, and plenty of minorities can take their place. All it will take is a struggling country, or one that believes its greatness has come and gone. They will cast their votes to return to former glory, and they'll pass laws to marginalize a small group. One charismatic figure will hide his boiling madness, and people will reject that they've made a terrible mistake.
We are easily swayed by propaganda, and we have an impatience that defeats critical thinking. Even worse, we have a tendency to be exclusive, and we dismiss the troubles of dissimilar groups. We're social animals that become blind followers, if a smart person takes advantage of our weaknesses.
Men like Rommel are the most susceptible. A soldier is dangerous, when he has devotion to kind and cause. Human beings are creatures of habit, and some actions are contrary to our very natures. Mutiny and treason are unthinkable sins, to the military trained and taught to abhor them.
Betraying a senior officer can be betraying yourself. Even if it's the right thing to do we may not go through with it. Deep down, we admire and associate with our leaders. If years pass in their service, it's hard to part with our ideal visions of them.
Instead of using Nazis as easy targets, we should spend more time with the lessons they've given us. They are a telling example of many human faults, and we lose sight of that with the loss of our sympathy. There shouldn't be so many games with Nazi cannon fodder, and we should be more critical of how they are depicted. If we treat them as a second class of humanity, we'll find that we're dangerously close to following in their footsteps.
Trailer here.
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See "The Desert Fox" on Netflix!
Next Week: "The Enemy Below"
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