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WHO WAS HITLER?

Sir-In view of "G’s" reply to my letter, may I amplify my earlier remarks? The crucial point is not so much that the Germans committed crimes. against humanity (the question of the relative guilt of the German people has been discussed in various quarters), but that humankind can be so indoctrinated and conditioned that such things become not only accepted but considered a right form of action. We should be mindful of the fact that there will always be those who are eager to exploit our vanity, sadism and greed; awareness that we can be so exploited is our principal safeguard. It is well to remember ‘that we are, all of us, products of our own particular culture, and that we are a\mere uncertain step from formerly accepted brutalities. The British, for instance, now commonly regarded as one of the least aggressive of peoples, held public hangings barely 100 years ago, and many were the intelligent and otherwise humane individuals -who regarded a hanging as a diversion not to be missed. I do not think we should take for granted humanity’s progress. There is no inevitable/ progression; every gleam of enlightenment has been hard won. That justice and right will always or even ultimately prevail is, to say the least. highly uncertain.

P.

(Hamilton).

This article text was automatically generated and may include errors. View the full page to see article in its original form.I whakaputaina aunoatia ēnei kuputuhi tuhinga, e kitea ai pea ētahi hapa i roto. Tirohia te whārangi katoa kia kitea te āhuatanga taketake o te tuhinga.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19570816.2.22.4

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 940, 16 August 1957, Page 11

Word count
Tapeke kupu
217

WHO WAS HITLER? New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 940, 16 August 1957, Page 11

WHO WAS HITLER? New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 940, 16 August 1957, Page 11

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