Little something I wrote about in Lit. About the Holocaust

[-tronski-]

Needs work - there is some unnecessary detail like swapping his MP40 etc - and alot of what's there sounds a little too much like a Hallmark movie of the week
Your character doesn't have to be the terminator - but if he's in the SS-TV your character is not going to be standing there worrying about the act on the spot especially if hes been there for sometime.
To survive and function in such an environment its entirely likely he's reduced the selection process to no more than selecting cattle - members of the Totenkopfverbande were selected and trained to do so.
My suggestion would be your characters usual function was not selection or a KZ guard at all, but worked as a clerk in the KZ or something similar that way you can still have your story play out with little change.

 Tronsky

[katanaso]

It's very easy to comprehend when you dehumanize a people to the level of rats and pests. That's what they did. How many here would have moral difficulties shooting a rat, even if it had a young offspring? It happens in all wars, even today, even our wars. The Nazis just took it to an industrial level.

This

None of us really know what went through their minds, and I'm happy for that. I am of the opinion that most people feel like F22Raptor does, if for no other reason than to comprehend the brutality of it. To kill without remorse, particularly unarmed women and children changes humanity in a way that most of us have never seen first hand (I'm thankful for that too).

And that's what they did. 6 million Jews; 12 million others.  For the Master Race.  

I can't comprehend the idea of thinking an entire group of people is on the same level as vermin, or subhuman, and hence should be exterminated, but that's what happened.

This isn't about the standard soldier.  

[F22RaptorDude]

It's very easy to comprehend when you dehumanize a people to the level of rats and pests. That's what they did. How many here would have moral difficulties shooting a rat, even if it had a young offspring? It happens in all wars, even today, even our wars. The Nazis just took it to an industrial level.

I have problems killing bugs that are larger than 3 inches, just can't do it, hate the crunch they make

This
And that's what they did. 6 million Jews; 12 million others.  For the Master Race. 

I can't comprehend the idea of thinking an entire group of people is on the same level as vermin, or subhuman, and hence should be exterminated, but that's what happened.

This isn't about the standard soldier. 

I tried to remain hopeful that maybe one thought against

Needs work - there is some unnecessary detail like swapping his MP40 etc - and alot of what's there sounds a little too much like a Hallmark movie of the week
Your character doesn't have to be the terminator - but if he's in the SS-TV your character is not going to be standing there worrying about the act on the spot especially if hes been there for sometime.
To survive and function in such an environment its entirely likely he's reduced the selection process to no more than selecting cattle - members of the Totenkopfverbande were selected and trained to do so.
My suggestion would be your characters usual function was not selection or a KZ guard at all, but worked as a clerk in the KZ or something similar that way you can still have your story play out with little change.

 Tronsky

Well I made it to where he didn't care about beating the snot out of em, but he would think a little before actually killing someone

[katanaso]

I hope no civilized person has to see anything as horrible as that, I already can't handle death in a peaceful way. When my great grandfather who served in Normandy died I couldn't get a grip on myself for weeks it hit me so hard. To see this would mentally scar me for life... as i'm sure this goes for the majority of others as well

It has happened numerous times in the last 100 years.

Take a look at this list somebody compiled: 

http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html

[katanaso]

I tried to remain hopeful that maybe one thought against

I understand.  It's squealing horrible to think about, and hope is one thing that can provide some comfort in such a sickening thought.

It's still difficult to comprehend how Hitler managed to make all of these people think a fellow person was subhuman. 

[4Prop]

This
  

I can't comprehend the idea of thinking an entire group of people is on the same level as vermin, or subhuman, and hence should be exterminated, but that's what happened.

6 of my uncles served in vietnam. 2 of the 6 also in korea.1 who was a Green Beret in vietnam. I say on behalf of most vietnam vets I've spoken to.

they think that the vietnamese are rats. nothing but vermin. they felt no different killing a VC or NVA soldier then they would shooting a racoon. To this day my uncles still think that they are nothing but sewer rats

P.S didnt mean to hijack the thread 

[Butcher]

I had a 12 page essay to write back in high school for my senior year, it basically said to pick an idol - write up a biography based on my observations and then go into character and read it to the class. It was a history class, more so it was about literature, the person must write the paper well enough to pass, and the teacher was a part time college professor by night.  

We were told we could use props, I bought a WW1 headgear and goggles (replica of course). To get into the character I decided to go hunting in Georgia with some family, although the deer season wasn't filling as I hoped, I did bag a turkey - which the idea was I never really "understood" this persons state of mind at the time. It was by far the worse and toughest assignment I ever written on, main reason is the bullet to the head really can't be described, frankly there isn't many to talk about the subject - let alone freely.

Basically my essay concluded when he was shot in the head, as I expressed its impossible to continue without fulling knowing how one felt, basically I lowered the bar and simply said - he couldn't be without his men.

If you didn't know by now, my essay was on Baron von Richthofen, so respected in my mind I named a german shepherd Baron.

Kudo for opening your mind and putting it on paper, however in reality its best we never try to imagine the horror, as I could not imagine taking a bullet to the head and surviving - let alone ask someone how they felt about it.

/great story btw, brought back some memories

[katanaso]

6 of my uncles served in vietnam. 2 of the 6 also in korea.1 who was a Green Beret in vietnam. I say on behalf of most vietnam vets I've spoken to.

they think that the vietnamese are rats. nothing but vermin. they felt no different killing a VC or NVA soldier then they would shooting a racoon. To this day my uncles still think that they are nothing but sewer rats

P.S didnt mean to hijack the thread 

The few that I've spoken to weren't like that, though they did hate.  They also didn't hate the Vietnamese people as a whole.  Did your Uncles and the others feel the South Vietnamese were vermin too?

One person I spoke to at lenth was one of the early Advisors, and he was very matter of fact about it.  He said the first time he killed a soldier, it made him sick to his stomach, but he also realized that soldier was trying to kill him.  He then said that it was not difficult from then on.  But he told me this without perjoratives.  He told me that he did what he needed to do.

I actually forgot about my conversation with him until you posted that.  Thanks.

Sorry for the re-hijack.

[PR3D4TOR]

I have problems killing bugs that are larger than 3 inches, just can't do it, hate the crunch they make

Don't worry. The machine gun's report will drown out all crunching sounds. And whimpers. And cries for mercy.

[F22RaptorDude]

I had a 12 page essay to write back in high school for my senior year, it basically said to pick an idol - write up a biography based on my observations and then go into character and read it to the class. It was a history class, more so it was about literature, the person must write the paper well enough to pass, and the teacher was a part time college professor by night.  

We were told we could use props, I bought a WW1 headgear and goggles (replica of course). To get into the character I decided to go hunting in Georgia with some family, although the deer season wasn't filling as I hoped, I did bag a turkey - which the idea was I never really "understood" this persons state of mind at the time. It was by far the worse and toughest assignment I ever written on, main reason is the bullet to the head really can't be described, frankly there isn't many to talk about the subject - let alone freely.

Basically my essay concluded when he was shot in the head, as I expressed its impossible to continue without fulling knowing how one felt, basically I lowered the bar and simply said - he couldn't be without his men.

If you didn't know by now, my essay was on Baron von Richthofen, so respected in my mind I named a german shepherd Baron.

Kudo for opening your mind and putting it on paper, however in reality its best we never try to imagine the horror, as I could not imagine taking a bullet to the head and surviving - let alone ask someone how they felt about it.

/great story btw, brought back some memories

Thanks, at first the story didn't bother me but towards the end reality was setting in and the deeper I got the worse I felt, but I wanted to show that even though i'm lazy and don't do a lot of work I can still conger up somewhat of a good story, words from my friends, my teacher, and the members on the board have really made my spirits fly the past few days

6 of my uncles served in vietnam. 2 of the 6 also in korea.1 who was a Green Beret in vietnam. I say on behalf of most vietnam vets I've spoken to.

they think that the vietnamese are rats. nothing but vermin. they felt no different killing a VC or NVA soldier then they would shooting a racoon. To this day my uncles still think that they are nothing but sewer rats

P.S didnt mean to hijack the thread  

I have to agree, the stuff I have read on both wars horrifies me, what they did to POW's is unacceptable

I understand.  It's squealing horrible to think about, and hope is one thing that can provide some comfort in such a sickening thought.

It's still difficult to comprehend how Hitler managed to make all of these people think a fellow person was subhuman.  

A lot of the people who were in the military for Hitler... I have to think, the Majority of them were what? Normal people before the war, or maybe wanted revenge for ww1, but a lot of them I know had to have been just normal citizens. I guess the offer of a brighter future made them all change their life style, to bad it back fired

Don't worry. The machine gun's report will drown out all crunching sounds. And whimpers. And cries for mercy.

Good god...

[PR3D4TOR]

Get off my lawn! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NelBNtNm8l0

[4Prop]

Kat, I was refering to north vietnamese.

[F22RaptorDude]

Get off my lawn! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NelBNtNm8l0

I cried at the end of that movie, we need more people in this world like his character

[coombz]

some of you guys would probably find the book 'The Lucifer Effect' by Philip Zimbardo really interesting, or at least have a read up on 'The Stanford Prison Experiment'

sadly it doesn't take very much at all to bring out the worst in humanity

[PR3D4TOR]

I cried at the end of that movie, we need more people in this world like his character

No we don't. His character is very much like the other "characters" we've been discussing in this thread. He's a man who's dehumanized an entire people and reduced them to "sandbags". We do not need more people whose souls are ripped out when they're barely adults. People who struggle trough life and only regain their humanity when they're senior citizens. That's Eastwood's character.