What Germany May Not Have Learned From the Holocaust

Published on October 8, 2024, filed under Everything Else (RSS feed for all categories).

Most thankfully, Germany has learned much from the Holocaust, taking a great number of measures to avoid committing such unimaginable crimes again (cf. remembrance culture).

But when you look at our—I’m German—geopolitical posture and policy positions towards some countries, you may wonder if one lesson was really learned.

That lesson starts with that it’s a crime to kill tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of a people.

Yet it also means that it’s a crime to kill tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of any people.

No matter who they are, and always, without exception, requiring a determined response standing up and fighting for the people being violated and killed.

You can tell, this post is really about any country:

Limiting the lessons from a genocide not to kill or accept killing of a particular group of people shows limited (and dangerously selective) learning. It actually fails to recognize what unspeakable crime such killing is. And it stands in the way of acting against such crimes, home and abroad.

In the end, killing is only to bring more killing. It gets increasingly tiring to wonder when we will finally learn; when instead of killing people and accept people being killed—or displaced or their means of sustenance and livelihood being destroyed—, we make the counterintuitive pivot and ensure they are taken care of and well off. Because only that brings lasting peace and prosperity.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a frontend engineering leader and tech author/publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead for companies like Google and as an engineering manager for companies like Miro, I’m a contributor to several web standards, and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development (and engineering management), but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my views and experiences. (Be critical, interpret charitably, and send feedback.)