Okay, I was going to scroll past - I was even going to reblog, sans commentary - and then I hit that caption.
In 1945, Jews weren’t “white”. They were “Jews.” For hundreds of years, Jews weren’t considered Caucasian, or European, or part of the privileged elite in any way, shape, or form. Even running the banks was another way to keep us oppressed, because guess what? If all bankers are Jews, and you don’t like your interest rates, there’s no one who’s going to protest if you light our fucking house on fire.
But you know what? Okay, leave aside the Jews. Because we get taught about (even if it’s not really given the time it deserves) and we’ve got a country (that’s busy pushing itself towards hell in a handbasket) and the Native Americans/First Nations got neither of those.
Let me tell you about the Romani.
Let me tell you about the Irish.
Let me tell you about the Scots.
The millions of people not members of the Russians in the 1700s and 1800s. (And 1900s)
Let me tell you about Armenia.
Let me tell you about China.
Actually, let me tell you about China again, because China has been through shit.
Let me tell you about Nigeria, and South Africa, and Rwanda, and the Congo.
Let me tell you about the Palestinian Territories and then about Israel.
And then the Palestinian Territories again.
Let me tell you about the Aborigines.
Let me tell you about this list on Wikipedia.
And then let me tell you this:
We are taught about one genocide, if we are taught about any, and that is the Holocaust. We should be taught about more. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee should be required reading for every high school student. We should learn about the complete and utter dickery committed by the US Government in the 19th (and 18th and 20th and 21st) century (centuries).
We should also learn about the fact that our erstwhile ally during WWII was busy killing more of its own people than Germany ever accomplished.
If we have to learn about one genocide, let’s learn about the Holocaust.
And I’m not trying to diminish 100 million dead, or countless ripped from their land, or any of that.
But 11 million people died in camps in 6 years (really more like 4). And that’s something the US Government never accomplished.
But the genocide of the Native Americans was committed (and it makes me nauseous to type this, but it’s true) by people believing that the Native Americans were savages, were animals, were of less value than the two billion bison killed during the same period. It was committed by soldiers against strangers. And many did not know.
And the genocide of the Jews was committed by a population who lived alongside them, who knew that Abram was just as smart as Johan, who knew that they were human - and who killed them, and let them die regardless. It was committed by soldiers against their own neighbours. And everyone knew.
What I’m trying to say here, I guess, is this: the genocide of the Native Americans was horrible, but it won’t happen again until we discover aliens, and possibly not even then. But the genocide of the Jews occurred in the most highly educated population in the world and it can happen any day, in any country.
And that is why the Holocaust is taught in schools.
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