Holocaust trivialization debate
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Holocaust trivialization is the term used to describe the metaphorical (or otherwise comparative) use of the word "Holocaust." Numerous authors argue that such uses trivialize the meaning of the Holocaust, and many consider them offensive.[1] In the words of Holocaust survivor and novelist Elie Wiesel,
I cannot use [the word 'Holocaust'] anymore. First, because there are no words, and also because it has become to trivialized that I cannot use it anymore. Whatever mishap occurs now, they call it 'holocaust'. I have seen it myself in television in the country in which I live. A commentator describing the defeat of a sports team, somewhere, called it a 'holocaust'. I have read in a very prestigious newspaper published in California, a description of the murder of six people, and the author called it a holocaust. So, I have no words anymore.[2]
David Stannard argued in 1996 that attempts to eliminate Holocaust comparisons belittle other events of comparable magnitude.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Antisemitism and Hate in Canada, from the League for Human Rights of Canada
- ^ Comprehending the Holocaust: Historical and Literary Research, ed. Asher Cohen, Joav Gelber, and Charlotte Wardi.
- ^ Stannard, David E. "The dangers of calling the Holocaust unique", The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 2, 1996.
[edit] Further reading
- Holocaust Trivialization by Manfred Gerstenfeld, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- The Holocaust in Historical Context by Steven T. Katz
- A Name for Extermination by Anna-Vera Sullam Calimani; Accessed 23/09/07 through JSTOR
- A blanket ban on Holocaust denial would be a serious mistake, by Timothy Garton Ash of The Guardian
