Nearly Half of Britons Unaware of Auschwitz

[Ft. Worth Frog]

Believe me, this poll does not surprise me at all. As a teaching assistant at a fairly large university, I have seen my fair share of ignorance out there. No kidding, I have seen that FDR dropped the A-Bomb on Korea, Reagan won the Civil War, and that the picture in the Capitol rotunda with G. Washington surrounded by 13 maidens (13 orifinal states) rrepresent his excessive sexual appetite. I only hope that some of them are kidding. But then again, history just bores the heck out of some people the way math, chemistry and bio make me doze off. One thing I hope to do as a professor is just make students aware that history is very relevant and not just about dead people. One day, they will be dead people also, but that does not mean their lives have no relevance or meaning.

 

[nbcrusader]

Perhaps there is a reluctance to teach of the evil that exists in this world?

Auschwitz is practically synonymous with the Holocaust. It would be hard to understand one without knowing of the other.

 

[Irvine511]

excellent point, NBC. can't imagine one without the other.

on a side note, i visited Auschwitz -- alone, save for my just purchased ATYCLB album -- late one afternoon in early November a few years ago. easily the most emotionally overwhelming travel experience i have ever had. the enormity of what happened is staggering.

 

[Irvine511]

Believe me, this poll does not surprise me at all. As a teaching assistant at a fairly large university, I have seen my fair share of ignorance out there. No kidding, I have seen that FDR dropped the A-Bomb on Korea, Reagan won the Civil War, and that the picture in the Capitol rotunda with G. Washington surrounded by 13 maidens (13 orifinal states) rrepresent his excessive sexual appetite. I only hope that some of them are kidding. But then again, history just bores the heck out of some people the way math, chemistry and bio make me doze off. One thing I hope to do as a professor is just make students aware that history is very relevant and not just about dead people. One day, they will be dead people also, but that does not mean their lives have no relevance or meaning.

just because i like to share ... my first production job was working for a PBS Frontline show. we had a little "news quiz" that we gave our interns, all of whom were either in college or recent graduates. my favorite answer to the question of "who is Kofi Annan" was: "the President of Africa."

 

[dandy]

just because i like to share ... my first production job was working for a PBS Frontline show. we had a little "news quiz" that we gave our interns, all of whom were either in college or recent graduates. my favorite answer to the question of "who is Kofi Annan" was: "the President of Africa."

that's unbelievable.

i always thought those doughheads they had on leno's jay-walking segments were playing it up, but it appears that maybe they weren't. scary.

 

[joyfulgirl]

excellent point, NBC. can't imagine one without the other.

on a side note, i visited Auschwitz -- alone, save for my just purchased ATYCLB album -- late one afternoon in early November a few years ago. easily the most emotionally overwhelming travel experience i have ever had. the enormity of what happened is staggering.

I visited Dachau alone many years ago. It was really surreal. There it was right alongside beautiful farm land. I saw a farmer on his tractor from the bus window and the next thing I saw was Dachau. I sat outside Dachau that beautiful afternoon contemplating the experience and suddenly I realized that there were no birds singing at Dachau.

I also visited Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam on the same trip. The smell of the place, just that old musty smell, and the energy the place carried made me suddenly quite ill with a migraine, the only one I've ever had.

 

[Irvine511]

at one point i was alone in the prison cells beneath one of the bunkers (the irony of a prison within a concentration camp still sticks with me). the only time in my life i had a panic attack and had to run outside.

 

[joyfulgirl]

at one point i was alone in the prison cells beneath one of the bunkers (the irony of a prison within a concentration camp still sticks with me). the only time in my life i had a panic attack and had to run outside.

I can relate. It's like these places are still alive with death.

 

[Irvine511]

I can relate. It's like these places are still alive with death.

wow, that's poetic. nicely said.

 

[speedracer]

I didn't know the names of specific Nazi death camps until I read Maus, by Art Spiegelman.

 

[Renne]

I remember a few years ago now I was out with some friends, and we'd gone for a late dinner before going to a gig at the Espy, and as it does with us, conversation turned to odd topics.

One of my friends brought up this radio call in thing one of the crappy commercial radio stations had where listeners were asked to ring in and discuss whether - if they had to - they'd send their mother or daughter to Auschwitz.

We all expressed our distaste for this [memory tends me to believe it may actually have been for some kind of competition or something, which explains why we were all so horrified ] and then this girl who is about three years older than me piped up with "What's Auschwitz?"

I could not believe it.