The WRONG Lessons From Auschwitz
Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by allied troops. Commemoration ceremonies were held at many Holocaust Museums and monuments throughout the United States and the world. This is as it should be, because there are, incredibly, still significant numbers of people (some Muslims as well as others with Nazi sympathies) who deny that the tragedy even occurred.
There was, however, one aspect of many of the media interviews on the subject that I listened to that bothered me: the interviewees (Museum Directors, anti defamation activists, educators, and others), by and large, seem to harbor a number of misconceptions regarding the causes of antisemitism and bias.
The first misconception regarding bias mindsets that I heard over and over again is that bias is a LEARNED phenomena. This conception is comforting, of course, because it would imply that if we simply begin teaching children “diversity” at an early age it would be entirely possible to eradicate bias and prejudice before they can form. Unfortunately, although this explanation is comforting, it’s mostly false. Bias and prejudices are not entirely, or even mostly, learned. They are tendencies and predilections BUILT IN to the human psyche as the result of millions of years of hominid evolution. The basic unit of human society through 99.99% of its history is the TRIBE. Paleo anthropologists estimate that the tribal size ranged from fifty to, at most, a couple of hundred individuals (including women and children). Since resources were often scarce and since humans were not equipped to be fearsome hunters (like tigers, lions, wolves, etc.) starvation was a constant threat. Competition between tribes was common and at times was violent. It was a fact of life that a person’s chances of survival were integrally linked to the survival of his or her tribe. Tribal loyalty became vital, and, as a consequence, it became VERY important to know how to identify one’s clan, support it, and, conversely, reject and repel other clans or tribes. There is, therefore, a NATURAL inclination of humans to identify strongly with their own clan, and, as a consequence, abjure and disparage “others” from different clans or tribes. Most human bias stems from deep sociopsychologic traits that over millions of years of evolution were quite adaptive. Such inclinations and prejudices are ingrained and die slowly.
Another misconception regarding bias and prejudice is that it exists mostly in the ranks of the unsophisticated and uneducated. Unfortunately, this conception, is also wrong. One has merely to look at the “traction” that the anti Semitic BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement has gained throughout colleges and universities across the United States. These include ELITE universities that claim to be educating our “best and brightest” And, the shocking presence of “sophisticated bias” is not confined to campus (where it might be partially excused as a foley of youth), but one can see it numerous non students in positions of leadership and power. There are, for example, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS (Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilan Omar and others) who are boldly, unashamedly anti semitic. World wide, tremendous bias is also seen in leaders of major countries (Indonesia, Iran, Brunei and many others).
Another misconception is that bias and antisemitism are limited to “white supremacists.” The recent “Black Hebrew Israelite” massacre in Jersey puts the lie to this misconception. On a national level, one has merely to look at France, which is quite antisemitic (as demonstrated by a number of polls regarding attitudes toward Jews in the country) but makes no pretension what-so-ever of “white supremacy.”
So, being aware of all this, what do we do? How do we combat bias and prejudice? There are just two ways, really: ethically and pragmatically.
First, ethically. Although religious thought and teachings are rarely mentioned these days, religion is the single most effective weapon against hate. Most of the American abolitionists were, for example, religiously motivated. It should be TAUGHT to our children that they should not be driven by bias and prejudice and hate BECAUSE IT IS WRONG TO DO SO. Christianity and Judaism (and to some extent other religions as well, some more so than others) teach us that we must treat our fellow man as we would want to be treated ourselves. NO ONE would to be treated with bias, prejudice and hate. It’s unethical and WRONG to do so. THAT is what we should be teaching our children. And that simple teaching needs to be “hammered in” again and again and again, because it must counteract and offset tendencies derived from millions of years of hominid social evolution.
Second, are practical considerations. It’s simply impossible for a society to function smoothly with rampant bias, prejudice and hatred simmering like a disease beneath the surface. For us, as a society, to enjoy the incredible freedoms that we are blessed with and the material prosperity that we are privileged to have, we must enlist the participation of citizens and workers and from ALL backgrounds, clans and “tribes”. Harmony is essential to the well being of all.
Perhaps with the help of religious and ethical teaching together with an understanding of the fruits of a harmonious society, we can banish the miasma of bias, prejudice and hatred to which our species is, unfortunately, prone.