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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

A Non-convincing Wave

I expect most of you have heard about "The Wave": A true story of a very charismatic teacher in a California high school who in 1967swept his students into a frenzy of fascist-like behavior based on charisma, group cohesiveness and discipline.The teacher, Ron Jones, later wrote up the story,and it was made into a fine movie. My old colleagues in the education department of Yad Vashem liked to use the film to demonstrate the potency of group pressure.

Well, it seems the story has now been turned into a German feature film.

Personally, I never found much in this story to be of real significance. The thing about Nazi Germany was that it wasn't the act of a class of teenagers, but rather of millions of adults; it didn't last a week, but rather many years; and the Germans never snapped out of it until the Allies had bombed them back into the Middle Ages, abolished all levels of their state from mayors to the national government, and then slowly started putting it all together again.

2 comments:

  1. FROM CAROL HERMAN

    Livni "won" by 341 votes! And, you're worried about Germans and their nazi white washes? Who cares?

    Livni, however, represents a real threat! Arik Sharon wanted to change party politics in Israel. He used his charismatic leverage to create Kadima.

    Then? Well, Olmert WON in a real election. A better advantage than 341 votes.

    However, Livni wanted to become prime minister. So, at first, the "tools" of communism, the police, used their muscle with the propaganda artists; your stinking presstitutes ... to label Olmert a "thief" and a "what not." And, Livni then "rode this idiocy" into an internal election ... That's been corrupted by Ehud Barak.

    To make things worse? DEBKA, worth a few grains of salt, says that Netanyahu, Shas, and Barak ... all together now ... form 43 seats. And, that's more than what Livni has under her tuchis.

    Up ahead? You think Livni forms a government? Where? Around her bathroom mirror?

    You don't see that what just happened is its own terror on Israel's body politic?

    What did it take, here? IDIOTS! This is NOT the way to run a government.

    As to the germans, hitler's dead. And, they're stuck with the stink.

    Always beware of the "stink."

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  2. I believe most people are interested in this phenomenon not because it surprises them that people can loose their individuality but because they think of themselves and the people around them as basically good and nice. Therefore they are apalled at the thought that they may be susceptible to movements that are not so nice.

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