That's just so wrong
Apparently, thieves have taken off with the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from Auschwitz. What the hell? Why? And how? That thing is heavy and large and iron and way up high. I mean, have you seen it? Where the hell would you hide it after stealing it anyway? The Poles need to get on finding it before someone melts it down or something.As an aside, I've always been bothered by fictionalized accounts of people in Auschwitz when they use the sign as something the individual walked under daily on their way to work. Yes, it's a recognized symbol of the camp, but the sign is in Auschwitz 1. The characters in the stories (and the vast majority of inmates in real life), based on described living and work conditions in these books, arrived at and were housed in Birkenau (aka Auschwitz 2) which is miles away. It's poor understanding and a lack of historical accuracy that gives holocaust deniers ammunition for their cause. It is often referenced in "historical" texts that the people saw the sign when getting off the trains and how cruel and sadistic they think it was to give people hope. No, no, no. Just stop if you don't know anything about it. Surprisingly, Wikipedia is on target with their reference. I should add that the sign appeared in other camps like Dachau and I have no idea who could see it there. I'm being specific to Auschwitz.
Hollywood hasn't helped matters. Spielberg decided that the actual barracks at the Birkenau camp weren't "right" and built new ones for filming Schindler's List. The historians that I met at the camp weren't real impressed by this.
I once wrote a paper about Holocaust denial and found it interesting that there are many things that are accepted about the Holocaust as fact that can be definitively proven as untrue. I don't understand the need to make things up when the truth was absolutely horrible. All it does is feed the flames of the deniers.
Anyway back to the stolen sign, I hope they're able to find it because a replacement would just lead to more protestations of denial of this genocidal atrocity.
posted by E @11:45 PM