I am addicted to Nazi Documentaries.

[Philosoraptor]

I confess, ever since I was a young boy I've been fascinated by the history of how the Nazis rose and fell, I've always read the books, gazed in horror at the photos, studied world wars one and two, and every time there's a t.v. documentary about Hitler and the Nazis I always watch, and it scares the fuck out of me every time. Especially these days.

Sometimes I wish I was not morbidly interested in this awful hysteria that was the rise of the Nazis, I wish I'd never even known of it at all. And to most, it's ancient history like the history of Rome, but it only happened just the other day, only a life time ago.

I've always seen the history of the Nazis as a warning to the world, a terrible lesson that must never be forgotten, but I fear it has been. To the general American public, the lessons of Vietnam and the lessons of Nazi Germany are forgotten, erased and replaced with what bush constantly calls, 'the lessons of September the Eleventh'.

As a class, we must pay closer attention to our lessons, lest we all fail.

[Cruzan]

1. History Channel for you then

All Hitler, all the time.

[Philosoraptor]

2. The Hitler Channel

Is what Mrs. Philosoraptor calls it, she cares not for them, or nature shows.

When I was a kid I visited my buddy's house and the living room was filled with Nazi flags, logos, paraphenalia, swastikas of all kinds, and at first I thought he was a Nazi. But he'd fought the Nazis, and been disabled, and collected Nazi memorabilia. He told me, never forget the Nazis and what they did.

[JVS]

3. Philosoraptor: "I am a Nazi..."

You need to be careful to make less misquotable statements

[Philosoraptor]

7. SURELY no one would misquote me!?!?

But I guess they might.

[jollyreaper2112]

18. misquote you?

You aren't by any chance running for office, say, as a dem?

[bluerum]

4. It wasn't that long ago. My father and his brothers were all involved

in WWII. One uncle was in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. My father was in Africa and Southern Europe. Sixty years ago. Thats all it was.

Sequel-ed by...

A Cold war against Russia, the Eastern bloc and Cuba.
Korea.
Viet Nam.
Covert wars in South America and the Middle East.
Now Afghanistan and Iraq and potentially more.

This has all happened during my lifetime (except WWII).

I look back and shake my head and mutter WTF.

[rasputin1952]

5. Both World Wars attract me like a moth to flame...

The impact they've had on humanity is incredible. In both instances, the depravity that humans can reach is astonishing. WWI never "had" to happen, it was based entirely on national pride, and w/o WWI, the rise to power and the murderous horror that became WWII would have had no basis.

Nazi's learned the hard way how to gain power, it was no where near a dance down the aisle. Failure after failure met them as they moved toward domination. They finally gained power by terrifying their opposition, or killing those that became aa little too vociferous, and creating the illusion that all would be well under the tutelage of Hitler and his cronies.

Fear is a powerful emotion. It can move people to do things against their own interests, just as an attempt to alleviate said fear, even if it means giving up whatever principles one has.

[qdemn7]

6. Read the Draka series by S.M Stirling

It's SF, the Draka make the Nazis look like weenie wavers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Domination

Stirling describes the series as dystopias based on the idea "supposing that everything had turned out as badly as possible, these last few centuries."

[Philosoraptor]

8. Hmmmm.....

This is new to me, I'll check it out, thanks.

[xultar]

9. I will admit to tivo-ing my share usually sat and sun nites on THC or IHC

I especially liked the one on Hitler and the occult.

[Philosoraptor]

10. Hitler & the Occult was great, so was "High Hitler" about his addictions

That guy was more doped up than Elvis fucking Presley.

[AndyA]

11. Reminds me of someone else we all know.

Like the current occupant of the White House. :(

[Marrah_G]

21. Except he doesn't believe in Witchcraft and the Occult

[AndyA]

22. Well, there's all that Bohemian Garden stuff. Not really witchcraft

or the occult perhaps, but certainly in that vein.

[Philosoraptor]

23. pat robertson's 200+ born again govt. moles are definitely occult.

[siligut]

26. Philosoraptor and Xultar

Maybe you two would enjoy reading Unholy Alliance A history of Nazi Involvement with the Occult, by Peter Levenda. He pulls it all together. If you go to this link to the book at Amazon go to the customer reviews too, as Peter Levenda answers back to a few of them.

[shenmue]

12. Wait until you get into police video shows

:crazy:

Then you're really gone.

[Philosoraptor]

13. Can 'Days of our lives' be far behind?

[sheerjoy]

14. Check heavily into Precott Bush

*'s granpa who was Hitler's finance man... shows the Nazi ties to the man the US allowed into the oval office and why he has such a bloodlust built in.

[Philosoraptor]

15. All in the family. bush's & Hitler & bin Laden family/business connections.

I've tried telling the tale of prescott bush to many folks who thought I was delusional.

[sheerjoy]

17. It is simply historical fact

and shines some light on why * is such a warmongering drunk. Keep sharing the facts... I do, too... it is there to be seen, shameful as it is and embarrasing as it is that we actually allowed him to steal an election. (Sorta gives ya pause as to why no one can oppose him and win).

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

28. Check your inbox in 5 minutes. -nt

[KharmaTrain]

16. Watch History International

Last night they had a fine program on the Mexican Revolution...even tying it into the social and political unrest going on there now.

I'm a major History "buff" and went through a Nazi and World War II phase similar to yours...especially since I had relatives in Poland and Russia that never made it through the war alive and I wanted to better understand what was fact and myth. I've always prefered internationally produced programs on the war...British, Russian and French as opposed to American ones that marvel in us bombing and blowing up things.

I would say that we're blessed to live in an age where so much information and history is available...and those who chose to "forget" about the past do so for other motives.

Cheers...

:hi:

[Marrah_G]

19. My daughter has also been strangely fascinated with WW2 Europe

She has practically commited the Diary of Ann Frank to memory and reads/watches anything she can get her hands on. She's 16 and her favorite movies include things like "Band of Brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan". Other kids are watching MTV and she's glued to the History Channel.

[tabasco]

20. One of the best documentaries is "Nazis; A Warning From History."

They interview victims and perpetrators of horrendous acts of cruelty. It highlights the fact that many non-Germans went along willingly with extermination of their Jewish neighbors. Lithuania was a horrible example. BBC produced this one and they made a great effort to find these people who could give first-hand accounts.

I can't watch much of that stuff anymore. It is too depressing.

[raccoon]

24. I was too, until about the year 2000 my interest waned. Wonder why. :sarcasm: nt

[leftofthedial]

25. these are grand times for you then

if no Nazi documentary shows are on the Hitler, er, History Channel, you can just watch Faux News.

Murkans are too ignorant to know history, much less learn from it

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. The best book to read to get a feel of how it was for the Jews and "ordinary" Germans.

"I Will Bear Witness", by Victor Klemperer

A day-to-day diary kept by a German-Jew professor married to an "Aryan". It's two volumes and covers the period between 1933 - 1945. No concentration/death camps. No (real) torture. No valiant resistance.

By being married to an Aryan he was (somewhat) protected from deportation. But, not from the degradation, dehumanization, humiliation, and terror.

He was a WWI vet and a very "patriotic" German. A secular Jew, a "moderate" politically, he viewed the rise of Hitler as a passing phenomenon that the German people were far too civilized to allow to continue. He scorned the Communists and Socialists who resisted Hitler as little better than the Nazis and the Zionists as nationalistic religious fanatics.

It is a gripping read throughout, because of it's lack of heroics. Klemperer was entirely human. Brave at times, cowardly at others, foolish, self-pitying, naive, bewildered. But, the best thing about his diaries, is that he steadfastly refused to be anything but an honest observer of everything, even himself.

He survived the war only because of his Aryan wife and the incredible good fortune that the bombing of Dresden (which he considered an atrocity) coincided with his scheduled deportation which allowed him to become a paperless, non-Jewish, refugee.

Most revealing was his encounters with the "average" Germans, most of whom went along with the regime's persecution out of agreement, self-interest, fear, bigotry, or indifference. The few who gave him (and, others) any sort of "support" were the scorned Communists and Social Democrats. Even that wasn't the heroics of movies, (except for the Aryan woman/friend who hid his diaries as he produced them), but the simple courtesies and whispered words of encouragement on the street.

If you, or anyone, wants to understand how a "civilized" people can allow themselves to become part of a murderous regime, I urge you to read the diaries.

The books were huge bestsellers in Germany and a movie was made - which I havent' seen.