A chilling reminder … WHEN NOTHING CHANGES, NOTHING CHANGES !
Recently I was reminded of the famous exchange that took place after World War II between prison psychologist G. M. Gilbert and the leading member of the Nazi party Hermann Goering during the Nuremberg trials.
It epitomizes for me the frustration and sadness that I feel when the subject of war is broached. Why is it that we, who detest war and speak out against it, are so often berated for being “unpatriotic”? Why can’t I hate it when our young men and women are led to slaughter without being told that I don’t have the best interests of our country at heart ? Our leaders have so much power and Goering’s words, spoken in 1945, ring eerily true today.
When asked if the people want war he said, “Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.”
When Gilbert mentioned that in a democracy the people have some say in the matter and that in the United States only Congress can declare war, Goering answered: “Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”
(Goering was sentenced to die but committed suicide by cyanide poisoning before that could be carried out.)