PrintJune 5, 2011
A Subtle Tyranny
Tyranny does not always initially come like the wolf on the fold, red in tooth and claw. Sometimes it comes tip-toeing on velvet little feet, quietly, one soft step at a time.
It often comes in simple guise, as seemingly reasonable requests made one at a time. Incremental demands accumulate, build up noiselessly and slowly, but eventually with increasingly rapid pace.
All we want is for you to register your ethnicity. What is the harm of putting down the fact that your parents are Jews? Now all we want is for you to wear a gold star. Everyone should be aware of who you are. Next, all we want is for you to practice your separate ways within a small section of the city. (Never mind it is a ghetto -- and by the way, fork over your possessions, as you are too rich and others could use your wealth.)
All we want is for Germans to live under one national entity. After all, the Sudetenland has millions of Germans living under Czech rule...(Read Full Article)
