| May. 28th, 2005 @ 12:00 am My Struggle with Mein Kampf |
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As part of my general education learning-about-life process, I've been reading 'Mein Kampf' lately when stepping outside my house for little smoke breaks. Ugh. Just ugh. His writing style sucks. It's so dense and rambling yet he rarely gives specifics. He often makes up hypothetical situations and then makes so many dumb assumptions about what these pretend peoples' thoughts and motives are, as if what he presents is the only option. He leaps to weird conclusions that have little connection to the preceding paragraphs as if it's obvious.
I'm on page 106, in the middle of Chapter 3, and ugh. I want to take a break from it. I've had enough. But I think it's important to read. So far from what I can tell amidst the rambling (and without reading more objective material about it yet), he didn't like Germany's Parliament because he thought it was a way for cowards to wield power without having to take responsibility for their actions (hiding behind a majority)....He saw a lot of art, movies, plays, etc that he thought were filthy (filthy how he doesn't say, nor does he say which pieces exactly he's referring to), and he claims that after he viewed these things he looked up info and credits about the projects and nine-tenths of them were created by Jews....From this he concludes that "filthy" Jews are running Parliament...!...And he takes at least thirty pages to say that...ugh.
One part that stuck out at me a few days ago makes me wonder if Orwell read 'Mein Kampf', because Hitler describes a process that sounds a lot like the function of the Ministry of Truth:
"The thing we designate by the word 'public opinion' rests only in the smallest part on experience or knowledge which the individual has acquired by himself, but rather on an idea which is inspired by so-called 'enlightenment', often of a highly persistent and obtrusive type.
"Just as a man's denominational orientation is the result of upbringing and only the religious need as such slumbers in his soul, the political opinion of the masses represents nothing but the final result of an incredibly tenacious and thorough manipulation of their mind and soul.
"By far the greatest share in their political 'education', which in this case is most aptly designated by the word 'propaganda', falls to the account of the press. It is foremost in performing this 'work of enlightenment' and thus represents a sort of school for grown-ups. This instruction, however, is not in the hands of the state, but in the claws of forces which are in part very inferior. In Vienna as a very young man I had the best opportunity to become acquainted with the owners and spiritual manufacturers of this machine for educating the masses. At first I could not help but be amazed at how short a time it took this great evil power within the state to create a certain opinion even where it meant totally falsifying profound desires and views which surely existed among the public. In a few days a ridiculous episode had become a significant state action, while, conversely, at the same time, vital problems fell a prey to public oblivion, or rather were simply filched from the memory and consciousness of the masses.
"Thus, in the course of a few weeks it was possible to conjure up names out of the void, to associate them with incredible hopes on the part of the broad public, even to give them a popularity which the really great man often does not obtain his whole life long; names which a month before no one had even seen or heard of, while at the same time old and proved figures of political or other public life, though in the best of health, simply died as far as their fellow men were concerned, or were heaped with such vile insults that their names soon threatened to become the symbol of some definite act of infamy or villainy."
What is also frustrating about this book is that occasionally he will describe something accurately, have an interesting insight, or put a complicated problem into straightforward terms. But then *from those* he comes up with off the wall crap that makes no sense. It makes me throw my hands up in the air and wonder how the hell did people fall (and continue to fall) for this. And then that reminds me of how a majority of Americans decided to reward Bush with another term.
Tonight I watched a three hour PBS documentary about the life of Leni Riefenstahl, the female German director and actress who shot the Nazi films "Victory of Faith" and "Triumph of the Will". Before World War II broke out, these films were given many international film awards, because they were highly stylish and she innovated many camera and artistic techniques.
I'm starting to realize while typing this that a piece of puzzle may just be selective hearing and passion. After reading Hitler's own explanations for a bit, and learning about how Leni Riefenstahl was duped, I can kinda see how dim people could be attracted to certain rhetoric and proposed policies (especially pertaining to a poor economy), get swept up in the moment and grandiose theatrics, and not pay attention to the parts that would normally, in a calm environment, make one uncomfortable or horrified. Things get escalated gradually so that it seems to be a natural progression.
That makes more sense than my frustrated digusted reaction of just saying that people suck, or that people are morons (though it's not as primitively satisfying).
Anyway, I'll keep reading it. I'm curious to see if he states detailed info about his genetic theories and his genocide plans in this book. |
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