I’ll go with the low-hanging fruit: Mein Kampf. I’ve read it, cover to cover. As a piece of propaganda, it’s good. As an example of good writing? Absolutely not (though I will admit I have only read it in translation). Oh, and the whole fascist, racist, and generally shitty worldview of the author that he infuses into the text. And the fact that the author is literally Hitler. You 5-star that book? You’re a Nazi. Period. And as a Jewish person, I don’t look too kindly on them.
What’s wrong with someone going out of their way to get Mein Kampf? Reading something doesn’t mean you agree with it, and if someone is interested in that period of history, then the book is a good primary source for what the Nazis were thinking.
There are plenty of books available in Germany that deal with Mein Kampf in a historical context. You can read all its contents, but not without historical criticism and comment.
Why would it be so important to someone to get a genuine copy of the book unless you disagree with the general commentary on it?
Already answered it above, but - to really understand how bad it is is the answer. It’s pure shit and the books talking about it usually lift it up a couple of levels of quality.
There aren’t many things that people worldwide will be in agreement with almost 100% but feelings of disgust towards Hitler is one of them. I’ve never met a person who was even ambivalent towards him and his actions, let alone supportive. Wanting to read his book to see if you can get inside his head learn “wtf was he thinking?” isn’t exactly abnormal. It’s called morbid curiosity and there is nothing wrong with that. The average person can’t comprehend how someone could be this way, they can’t wrap their heads around how one could not only commit these atrocities but recruit millions of average citizens to carry these atrocities out on their behalf. The same principle applies to consuming true crime. The average person can’t wrap their heads around serial killers like Ted Bundy, so they read and watch documentaries trying to understand. It doesn’t make you a bad person or a supporter of the cause by seeking this info out. Besides, he who ignores history is doomed to repeat it.
I wish I was as naive as you. There are plenty of people around that don’t see him as the monster he is. The far right and fascist ideologies are on the rise worldwide. Neo Nazis who agree, praise him, and hold his message up, have always existed. People all over the world using symbols and phrases that praise Hitler all the fucking time. 88, HH, Hel Htler, the SS runes in many shapes and forms… these are only the most common ones.
Antisemitism and white supremacy are still very much real. An otherwise very average person once told me, “Hitler was a GOOD guy. MAYBE he went around it the wrong way, but he did have the RIGHT idea.” And this is something way too many people agree with.
If you have never met such a person, congratulations. Protect your sheltered life. But that doesn’t mean the evils of the world don’t exist.
I’m not naive but I also didn’t take it account that remnants of that time are still alive and well, especially in Germany. On the other hand, neo nazis and white supremacists only account for a tiny percentage of the population. I imagine you see it more in Germany than I do in the States simply for the fact that there are millions of living people who had parents, grandparents, and other direct relatives who supported Hitler’s vision of the perfect world. They grew up in households that supported the Third Reich or were full on members of the nazi party. You have living people who were members of Hitler Youth or League of German Girls. It’s very difficult to shake off the ideals you were raised with, whether it be political propaganda, religion, or flat out bigotry in general.
I’m not sheltered, I’ve seen the effed up things this world has to offer. 9/11 happened during my first year in the Navy and I’ll never forget my first time pulling into port in U.A.E. for a few days. 2 goddamned middle eastern fucks saw me, a blonde haired, blue eyed American girl, out with several of my male buddies shopping in one of the gold souks. They then approached us and tried to fucking buy me from my fellow sailors to use as a sex slave. Yes, you read that right. They assumed American women are so lustful that they’d LOVE being bought for the low, low price of 3 of their finest goats just to be used for sex 24/7. And yes, they were serious. Until I opened my filthy Sailor’s mouth and told them to fuck off unless they wanted the entire U.S. Naval Fleet up their asses. We were in civvies, not uniforms, so they didn’t realize we were American military and in Dubai, it’s understood that they are to leave the military personnel alone when they’re in port. I hate to think what could have happened if we were just regular American tourists, especially during that time. But circling back to the Holocaust and that horrible time in history, for the very few who still support Hitler’s ideology on this side of the pond, life isn’t good for them and they are not accepted by society.
With your distorted worldview, please never come visit Germany or Europe for that matter.
And for your information, there are not more neo nazis in Germany than in the rest of the world. If at all there is more spotlight shone on them and they are more ostracised here than anywhere else.
We are not the ones who elected a far right fascist in the last years, who states publicly that white supremacist and violent fascists are “very fine people”.
You seem oblivious that those proud boys and other organisations running around Heil Hitlering themselves are exactly the ones who have genuine copies of Mein Kampf at home because they do agree with him. But sure, tell yourself there are no Neo Nazis in the US. You just call them Imperial Wizard or whatever instead.
The most part of your ramblings have nothing whatsoever to do with the topic at hand. That you’ve been in the navy and shit, has nothing to do with your naive views on the world being nazi free (except Germany of course) and 100% agreeing on a view on Hitler.
To put it short, for me as a German, if I‘d know someone went out of their way to get Mein Kampf, I will assume -unless you‘re a historian and need it for research- you‘re at minimum a Nazi sympathizer. Noone goes into that much trouble unless they have very deep interests and if you‘re not an academic historian, that level of devotion/motivation to get that book doesn‘t leave much else room for why you want it.