If a subject is taboo, like incest, wife-beating, Nazi techniques, does that

[StarsInHerHair]

make it unreal? There are alot of strong feelings swirling around Nazis and what they did, but their "T4" program targeted many kinds of people: the mentally retarded, the homosexuals, the Gypsies, those of Jewish faith, those with dementia. So alot of people seem to want to put Nazis and their methods into a lockbox and forget about it happening ever again.

Before the 1960s wife-beating, etc. was considered a taboo subject, the Swing Generation differed with their Boomer kids and the Boomer kids removed a good chunk of the taboo aura around alot of problems. It is, in fact the first step in solving a problem: acknowledging that it's real.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. People get cooties because of the images that came

out of Europe. It horrified everybody and we'd like to think we are dang exceptional. We are not, and we are going down a very similar path... so that makes people very nervous.

[gateley]

2. Agree. Well said. nt

[bobbolink]

3. People don't like having a mirror held up to them when they aren't at their best.

Anyway that can be found to remain in denial is upheld.

[cali]

4. wife beating, incest and Nazi techniques are hardly taboo subjects.

[Brickbat]

5. Wife-beating and incest were state-run programs?

[ZombieHorde]

6. Yes, in the South.

Sorry! Sorry! I couldn't resist the joke.

[Brickbat]

9. Bwaa!

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Social taboos, of what we can speak off

in polite society.

A little history... when Bosnia broke (you know that other genocide) I ran a little conference on Genocide at a four year University with graduate programs.

People had NO issue talking of the Killing Fields, or the Armenian Genocide, or a slew of other Genocides, but when we reached the holocaust... it was like entering sacred ground and being quiet. Comparisons to OTHER genocides were all but well received by the General Public because the Holocaust is seen as exceptional. Well it is not... but that is another discussion.

One of the professors was of Armenian descent and was surprised when I asked him to give a presentation on the forgotten genocide of the 20th century... and how it prefaced the Nazis (see about learning lessons) in some of the methods, including the mass movement of a people. We only did 20th century, and we did point out that we were. per force, limiting it to a time period... otherwise we would have to cover the American Indian Wars... and yes, all the way back to the Middle Ages.

[StarsInHerHair]

8. yeah, I brought up Bosnia as a reply to those who're against ever using

the Nazi comparison, I don't think I got an answer. VERY interesting, how it seems to be a permanent taboo. I've likened it to an absolute belief in other threads now. It probably is fear-based, as well as our American exceptionalism.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. It is the way it is taught partially

and it is taught as this great exception. Well, as a historian, if you are honest about it... we have about 10 minor ones a century and one MAJOR one a century.

Yeah, in Europe they mostly involve Jews and Gypsies... and well Armenians of course... as well as Muslims... but the Holocaust is seen as this great taboo and where we have to be quiet like church mice, after all, IT WAS the worst in recorded history.

As to the US... we are going down a very predicted way... and it makes us very uncomfortable.

[saras]

10. Wife-beating, damned right

Especially before the feminism of the 1970's

As for incest, I think that depends on what state you lived in. But it wasn't that long ago that if you tried to get your child out of an incestuous situation, likely as not the state (i.e. the court system) would be on the side of the dominant male in the situation, regardless of whether he was the protector or the perp.

[StarsInHerHair]

12. yes, and it takes dragging that out and talking about it before awareness

can even happen, and THEN it takes even more work to put an end to it.