Say NO to Nazism!

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Disclaimer: This story reflects my personal experience and is not meant to be an endorsement of any mentioned political party or ideology. Certain names and details have been modified for privacy reasons.

When I was 14–15 years old, I didn’t care for either American political party: the Democrats and the Republicans didn’t resonate with me. I had ZERO clue what they believed in. I was drawn to the visual spectacle [not the ideology] of Nazism, because it felt comfortable and hypnotizing to me.

I got drawn into accessible and documented historical visuals [images and video clips] of rallies, eagle salutes, and the excessive and compulsive Hitler praises. My brain went “wow! This stuff looks great. I want to learn more.” Okay. I didn’t agree with or fully understand Nazi ideology. You got me there. I, nonetheless, was infatuated with the spectacle. I thought “I wanna imitate it!”

When I was a freshman, I mimicked a hitler salute and yelled “Heil Hitler!” in the back of the bus with a fellow freshman who said “Hail Hitler!” Again the worst part: the spectacle manipulated me more than the actual Nazi ideology, which I didn’t bother to study in those days. If I had actually read it, I would’ve packed my bags (figuratively) and gotten the hell out of that mindset sooner.

This obsession continued more covertly: I devoted myself to learning more about the Reich and Hitler, outside of school. I never frequented the eagle salute or Hitler salute in public. Did I know about the Holocaust? Yes and I continued to push that away as unimportant. I liked learning more about the Reich and how people fell in love with it.

Then, by no later than age 16, I actually started to REMEMBER what the Nazis did: 6,000,000 Jews dead by 1945. My obsession receded when I saw the Nazi regime’s [via Heinrich Himmler’s S.S.] atrocities depicted in films like The Boy With Stripped Pajamas (2008), Schindler’s List (1993), and Europa Europa (1990).

Also, seeing Bruno Ganz’s performance as Adolf Hitler in Downfall (2004) helped me better understand how delusional and unhinged that Austrian-born dictator was during his last days. I highly recommend watching it. You will get a chilling insight into how the so-called “Fuhrer” acted outside the spotlight: Hitler wanted to let his own subordinates, army, and people die.

That type of leader does not get my vote in an election. I can tell you that. If you cannot save your nation’s people from a humiliating defeat in wartime, don’t run for public office. Seriously!

To make things more self-humiliating, while in college, I took a DNA test and discovered 5–6% of my ancestry was Jewish through my father James’ maternal side of the family. I had, regretfully, ignorantly, and shamefully betrayed that small percentage. Yeah, I can’t imagine they’d had welcome me into their homes if they saw me idolizing the Reich at age 14 or 15.

Nowadays, having better nurtured my critical thinking skills, I, Nate, acknowledge NO political party, especially ones that perpetuate autocracy, fascism, racism, and genocide, is perfect. We, humans, cannot let cowards and manipulators of Hitler’s type to sway us with spectacles, simple solutions, and divide and conquer strategies that lead to death and destruction.

We must nurture our empathy and critical thinking skills. That means do not blindly accept what you see, hear, or believe at face value. Question yourself and others, while maintaining an open mind!

And, to you, the student in middle school, who struggles with belonging. Do not let any master manipulator lure you in with false security and false hope. You have to believe in YOURSELF! Say NO to Nazism!