Nazism, Political Correctness, and Censorship

In recent years we have seen the resurgence of Nazi ideology. Claims such as that holocaust never happened and that Jews are in control of everything extend beyond the obviously ignorant and have gained the attention of some people of intellect. This is quite disturbing, but there are ways to counteract this malignant trend.

Nazism is actually quite easy to refute. There is no such thing as a Jewish conspiracy; there are all sorts of Jews, and they disagree with each other on many important issues. There is no such thing as a superior race; for 1,000 years that were the Dark Ages the white man was at the bottom of the world and could not hold his head up to China, India, Baghdad, Timbuktu or Meso-Americans. And if Jews were in control – and if Jews were evil – then these neo-Nazis would all be facing a firing squad. That they are instead free to spread their propaganda shows that either the Jews are not in control or that the Jews are so good that they would even let live the people who want them dead.

Why did something as obviously wrong as Nazism get as big as it did? Probably for the same reason as did Communism and Islamic Jihadism. The human brain has an endless capacity for self-delusion, most of it harmless but some not harmless at all. Fortunately along with this capacity for self-delusion there is also the capacity for reason; and it is to this that I appeal in confronting Nazism.

I do not come to this from the position of political correctness. I detest political correctness, and I've done more to fight it than have most conservatives. My response to the politically correct is that there is no need for their censorship. The real arguments against Nazism are weighty enough that there is no need to silence them. There is a need to do what academia is supposed to do: Confront wrong ideas with better ideas and refute the delusion that comes their way.

I am a Jew. I make no apologies for being a Jew; I was born that way. I did not crucify Jesus. I do not support Karl Marx or Sigmund Freud. I refuse to be made accountable for the sins of my ancestors. In the same way as I refuse to make my daughter accountable for the sin of Eve.

Most problems have solutions; and the solution to wrong ideologies is refuting them rather than censoring them. As Thomas Jefferson once said in a debate, “Sir, I detest everything you have said, but I'll fight to my death for your right to say it.” Nazis should have the right to say what they have to say; and I in turn have the right to refute them. That's how the process is supposed to work, and doing so is doing the right thing by democracy.