The Nazi Test--Test Yourself and See

 

If the uniform fits, wear it.

Grad students used to ponder, “If I were alive in Nazi Germany, would I resist? Or would I have been a ‘good German’?” I imagine they still may, if any of them any longer think about Nazi Germany.

Of course, they all think they would have resisted.

Probably without considering the likelihood of torture and death had they done so at the time.

But here’s a handy guide to help you answer the question:

1. 1.      Do you support abortion? Do you at least remain silent? This, after all, is a holocaust larger than that pursued by Hitler. Unlike Hitler’s, it is explicit and open. Unlike Hitler’s, the victims are self-evidently innocent. Extra points if you also support “Medical Assistance in Dying.” This is not so far removed from the Nazi concept of “life not deserving life,” and hustling in that direction.
2. 2.      Do you believe that morality is culturally relative? That is what the Nazis believed. They too rejected “conventional morality.” It served their purpose. It can justify violating any moral principle not to your or your group’s advantage. And it can justify exterminating other culture groups, on the grounds that their morality conflicts with yours.
3. 3.      Do you believe that culture is based on race? So that, for example, criticizing Islam or aboriginal culture is a form of “racism”? If so, this ultimately justifies killing those of other races on the grounds that their culture is incompatible.
4. 4.      Do you see people as “communities,” and not as individuals? This is near the core of Nazi ideology—group think and race identity.
5. 5.      Do you blame certain identifiable such “communities” for much of society’s ills? Communities based on personal characteristics, rather than ideas or opinions? For Hitler, it was the Jews, the gypsies. Perhaps for you it is the “patriarchy”—that is, men—or “the rich,” “the billionaires,” “whites,” or some other group—often enough, it is still the Jews. Do you believe, for example, that Gaza is a “holocaust,” Jews being involved, but not the war in the Ukraine, say, or in Yemen or in Sudan? This is scapegoating, and leads to the sort of mass murder Hitler engaged in.
6. 6.      Do you believe it is legitimate to break the rules if this may produce the desired result? This too was at the core of the Nazi concept.
7. 7.      Do you believe it is important to get along with those around you? Do you think virtue is found in seeking consensus and avoiding strife? If so, you would have gone along with the Nazi ideology if in Germany in the 1930s. You would not have been a Schindler.
8. 8.      Do you believe in deplatforming, shouting down, or silencing those whose opinions you consider wrong? These are the Nazi tactics, stormtrooper tactics. They are perfectly tailored to further Nazi aims.
9. 9.      Are you opposed to getting involved in foreign wars? So was Hitler—he was all about avoiding war. He led a widely promoted pacifist movement just as he invaded Poland. He wanted to achieve his aims without war. If you will not come to the aid of a distant country if they are invaded, then by the same logic, you will not come to the aid of the Jews when they are rounded up and sent off to camps. After all, it is not your business, is it? Nobody attacked you.
10. 10. Do you believe in state control and/or heavy regulation of the private sector? This is the essence of the Nazi economic program. It usefully concentrated power in the political leadership, in the state.

Give yourself ten points for each positive answer. If you score over 50, congratulations, you’re a Nazi.