GRGR Re: German sadism

[Doug Millison]

>the german reunification
>   as a cracked mirror of contemporary world history. it's the germans and
>their
>   oh so "very particular" national culture ... for some time this worked
>as a
>   consolation for the western functional elites, not knowing (- who
>does?) how
>   to deal with all this turn of the millenium problems and their "facist"
>   potentials: massive migration, bio-technology & the coming wars in asia.
>   of course i did not compare simple antisemitism to the final solution.
>
>               kfl

GR shows some broader "fascist" (I use the term in a more general, less
Nazi-specific sense) forces at work in the world, and specifically links
these forces to technology and Capital.  GR also provides examples of
genocide other than Germany's Final Solution. At the same time,  GR  shows
us a big ugly fact that no amount of relativizing or minimizing rhetoric
can hide, the Final Solution: these scenes are more graphic, more shocking,
than the dodo extinction, more shocking -- to this reader -- even than the
other German genocide in the novel, that of the Hereros. I think this focus
reflects an intentional emphasis on Pynchon's part, although not being a
mind reader or having discussed it with him I can't say for sure.

I haven't studied Goldhagen's work, but I've read a bit about the debate
it's sparked in Germany, and I think that's a good thing. I recommend,
again,  _The Beast Reawakens_ by Martin Lewis to understand the neo-Nazi
resurgence in Germany and elsewhere in the world, in particular for its
treatment of the various ways in which so many Nazis were permitted to
continue in positions of power in Germany without being held accountable
for their crimes in any meaningful way, and how Nazis managed to move out
into broader spheres of influence -- as Pynchon anticipates when he tells
us where to search for Weissmann.

I think it's great that we've got so many watchdogs in the world, carefully
monitoring other countries for their contributions to current world
problems, crises, etc. I also think it's a good idea for people to closely
follow what's happening in their own countries and take care of business at
home first -- certainly we should be doing this here in the U.S. where we
have our own historical baggage and problems to address, and I know that my
German friends (the Germans I know personally, I mean) feel the same way
about Germany.


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