Which Holocaust Matters?
by Manuel García, Jr.
Which Holocaust should Americans be most concerned about: the WWII Holocaust of European Jewry, the American Back Slavery Holocaust, or the North American Indian Holocaust? Interestingly, about 6 million people were consumed in each, though the time spans were 12, 200 and 400 years, respectively.
The Nazi's processing rate was at least 50 times that of the Native American removal or the Black slave accrual rates. It is the industrialized acceleration of the human removal rate that gives the Nazi-driven Holocaust its ferocious psychological shock.
Rounding out all the figures -- rather broadly -- we can put it simply this way: 6 M North American Indians done away with in 400 years and by 100 years ago could be psychologically accommodated by people living during the process -- and now. Similarly, under 6 M Blacks enslaved or born into slavery in the USA over 200 years and by 100 years ago could also be accommodated by most people then and now.
However, the elimination of 6 M Jews (and others) during 12 years of still living memory is too close to be entirely brushed away as "history," of which we, our nations and our institutions can be entirely absolved of responsibility. Even so, most people find it easy to let the Jewish Holocaust slip into the "memory hole" along with American Black slavery and the "Indian Removal."
More at http://www.swans.com/library/art10/mgarci12.html
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