Bullying and the Holocaust
Image from
Pixabay.
The connection between bullying and the Holocaust offers an interesting topic of discussion. There are many who say that we can learn about the nature of bullying by a study of history. However, others see risks in comparing bullying to the holocaust. Kalman (2016) explains that calling the Holocaust “bullying” is offensive and inaccurate. He explains that the comparison of bullying to genocide serves to catastrophize bullying and trivialize genocide. Other sources on the topic confirm Kalman’s (2016) position that the Holocaust cannot be simplified as bullying (Echoes and Reflections, 2017).
In his talk, Stan Ronell quoted General Eisenhower as saying that what he saw in the concentration camps was horrifying, and that children should be taught tolerance. Also, Ronell quoted the famous saying, “Those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” As a history buff, I am very fascinated by writings from the past. If one reads Eisenhower’s writings from his time in the war, one acquires a good understanding of the situation.
Bullying should not be connected to the Holocaust because the two are not comparable in terms of harm. There is a huge difference between kids picking on another kid on the playground and the murders done by the NSDAP (the political party of the Nazis). The Holocaust caused significantly more harm than bullying ever does. I agree with Kalman (2016) in that bullying and genocide are two very different things.
Even though bullying should not be taught in connection with the Holocaust, the Holocaust itself should continue to be taught. As Ronell stated, Holocaust survivors such as himself will not be around forever. Teachers have to make sure that people have learned from the past and will not repeat the atrocities of the Holocaust. Students need to learn about both the Holocaust and modern-day bullying. However, connecting the two topics does not do justice to either one (Echoes and Reflections, 2017).
Though bullying should not be taught in the context of the Holocaust, it is a behavior that needs to be corrected. Young people have to be shown the correct modes of behavior by adults. As an educator, I would take action to correct any type of bullying that I observe. For instance, I would speak to the students, assign detention, and possibly contact parents. More serious cases of bullying might even lead to school suspensions.
Bullying and the Holocaust are important topics that should be addressed in schools. However, it would be too simplistic to compare one with the other.
References
Kalman, I. (2016).
Calling the Holocaust "bullying" is offensive. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/resilience-bullying/201605/calling-the-holocaust-bullying-is-offensive
Hello Michael, Great blog post! The idea of the connection between the Holocaust in Bullying is very interesting to think about when you break it down. I do agree with the point we can learn about bullying if we look at our own history, but in the same sense its hard to compare bullying to something so tragic in horrible as the Holocaust. I don't think the two can be compared per say just because of the events of the holocaust compared to a case of bullying. I also love history , as a history major I understand how horrible the camps were so to compare that to a bullying case in a school cant be done. I agree with you that it should not be compared , but it has to be taught so we can learn from this. I agree with Kalman the same way you do. All in all great job explaining why the two should not be compared but that we should learn from both.
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