Gregory's ServerThis is an article that took a lot of strength to write and I might take it down again. But I felt like it is an article that is very necessary right now. https://bastianallgeier.com/notes/grandpa
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 @bastianallgeier thank you for sharing. I can't imagine being a young child and brought up to believe Nazism is good and proper. If you learn it from childhood, it must also be extremely hard to change, too. I'm sorry you had such a person in your life but I'm also glad his influence actually had the opposite effect on you in the end. Never again.  @Joe_Hill @sarajw @bastianallgeier I recognise none of the faces, wondered whether it was computer/AI-generated. Sadly, it was real. @bastianallgeier Thank you for speaking up and out. This piece is a good model for me and perhaps others who want to write more in a fractured political economy. @bastianallgeier What a great, personal, empathic piece of writing, thank you for this. As an Austrian I can really relate, and I know many with similar stories. Yet the fascists are gaining power everywhere you look. Sad to see how short the collective memory is. @bastianallgeier Thank you for sharing this 🙏  @bastianallgeier I can relate so much. My grandfather’s brother was in the Waffen-SS and died in WW II. My grandpa made it back home from the Russian front after losing his toes, but he died when I was two. I still don’t think he was a Nazi himself and my grandmother always told the story that when my grandfather once returned home for a short visit from the military, he said: “War is an injustice.” @bastianallgeier Still, realizing that members of your family you love and look up to were either complicit or indifferent was eye-opening for me as a teenager. I also realized that the stuff from the history books that seemed so distant (and in b&w photos) actually happened just yesterday. And once you see the butcher’s hooks in Buchenwald yourself, all of this hits you hard. This is what people do to other people if nobody speaks up. Just like you, I’m an anti-fascist for the rest of my life. I know it's not the same, but I also feel like we're all in this together. My great uncle was a gunner in the RAF Bomber Command in WW2. Lovely man. I don't know exactly what missions he undertook. But reading up on the firestorms rained down on Hamburg really puts me in knots. Whatever political bent those people had, so many died. @matthiasott @bastianallgeier My great-grandfather kept a journal from 1944-1946 . It was written in "Kurrentschrift" so it was hard to decipher. A couple of years ago we sat down with my grandma and recorded her reading it - I later transcribed it. He wrote about life in the last days of the war and the years after. Feels a lot more personal than the history books as it's set in my hometown. Tanks rolling down the streets I grew up in. In one entry, he crossed out the name of the holiday: @mxbck @bastianallgeier Amazing. And fantastic you took the time to record it with your grandmother and transcribe it! 👏 @matthiasott @bastianallgeier yeah it was a very special experience. I made a printed version and donated it to our local library. The PDF is here if you're interested: @bastianallgeier thank you for calling out the opportunists. They are the most dangerous because when they inevitably can't control the monsters they helped take power they have a sunk cost so they do nothing. Thank you for the courage to write this. @bastianallgeier Hats off to such a powerful and emphatic piece of writing! @bastianallgeier Thank you. Please don't delete it. One of the things that stood out for me: "He once told me how you did not need to fear anything back then. If someone committed a serious crime, they would be executed, so nobody would dare to." They promise: "All problems can be solved if we just dare to use enough violence. Crime exists because we are too soft." Who judges right and wrong based on what? Injustice doesn't exist because we are not cruel and brutal enough with each other. @bastianallgeier Mine was not a Nazi, he was just a little wannabe fascist. He believed that foreigners should "all be kicked out" and that if there's any problem—use violence. "They'll quickly stop if you just..." All that while being a Swiss citizen in Italy, naturalized, married to a former Italian immigrant then pampered by a Rumanian care taker. Hard worker? He retired at 50 living illegally on two state pensions. Former truck driver, fries & TV all day, voted Berlusconi in every election. @reichenstein That sort of thing has to make one wonder how many non-criminals were also executed, after false accusations and/or shoddy police work. It's amazing that people have happy thoughts about living in that sort of world.
@bastianallgeier Great post. It is distressing to see, and the parallels to Great Depression plus “after” are frightening. Willful ignorance is a powerful drug. Thank you for sharing!   @bastianallgeier amazing, fascinating read. Totally agree. My grandfather navigated a plane that dropped bombs on Nazis. What a weird time in history, huh. And we both turned out antifascists. Kudos to you, man. For writing this and for choosing the right side of history. @bastianallgeier Danke für den Text. Mein Opa ist kurz nach meiner Geburt gestorben, er hatte einen ähnlichen Werdegang und Überzeugungen. Ich hab schon oft überlegt, wie ich mich wohl mit ihm verstanden hätte. Packen wir’s an.  @bastianallgeier I'm just listening to The Rest Is History podcast series on the Nazis, and it is very clear that it could happen again, and it could happen here. @bastianallgeier The second, most recent, part starts here: [The Rest Is History] 404. The Nazis in Power: The Night of the Long Knives #theRestIsHistory @bastianallgeier The earlier series on Hitler's rise to power starts here: [The Rest Is History] 295: The Rise of the Nazis #theRestIsHistory @BackFromTheDud @bastianallgeier I mean but honestly there's still a long way to go. Terrifying echoes, the same direction, but even if Trump wins the next presidential election that puts us around 1932 on the Hitlerometer. @bencurthoys @bastianallgeier Listening to the same podcast series, and as someone with a Grandfather who flew heavy bombers over Germany with the RAAF, the worrying seeing the parallels as Nazis rise again... @caity @bastianallgeier My Grandfather was in a Lancaster Bomber. Can't remember his role; not pilot. Navigator, I think. @bastianallgeier @kithrup thank you for taking the time to put this top paper, and the risk to share it on a public forum @bastianallgeier I hope that you leave it up. It must have been very hard to write, but I appreciate it and find it very valuable.  @bastianallgeier @fuzztech This is an amazing post, and so badly needed right now. Thank you for sharing it. @bastianallgeier powerful story that took courage and, assuredly, a lot of emotion/inner struggle to write. I thank you for having the courage. @bastianallgeier @halfbyte thank you so much for sharing. I grew up in Chile in the 90s, we had a dictator in the 70s. When I was 12 I learned that my best friend (and his family) were a supporters of him, my friend told me anyone who commits a crime should be killed immediately, and that’s the only way to be safe. I’ll never forget that moment, before I thought we shared the same values, could never see him again the same way.  «My grandpa taught me that Nazis are fantastic storytellers. The new Nazis are on Tiktok and elsewhere on social media, telling great stories. Stories of safety, of simplicity, of order and justice. Stories of lives without crises. Adventure stories.»  @bastianallgeier This is a brilliant, brave piece of writing. Thank you for posting it. I've also recently been thinking a lot about my German grandparents. Their story is very different from your grandpa's (they were Jewish refugees from the Nazis, and very lucky to escape in the 30s) but learning about their lives led me to the same conclusions as you, and, also like you, to an anti-fascism I feel in my bones. I think this is a good article. There are still way too many people who think reasoning and educating both political and religious people on the far right will somehow change them. It won't. It never has. They have to be disgusted by what they see in their own community and decide themselves to get out.  @jbhughes @shekinahcancook @bastianallgeier I don't know if it was Ignatius Loyola who first said that, but I attended parochial school, and the priests and nuns certainly had no difficulty telling us that rubbish. Which, of course, quite cemented the habit of rebellion in me, at times to my detriment. A deeply poisonous culture. @jbhughes @shekinahcancook @bastianallgeier @thepoliticalcat This is bloody scary. And when pointed inward, the re-evaluation of one's tastes and beliefs is astonishing. Thank you for sharing.  Moving in the same way Schwarzenegger’s own history is. He made an impassioned video regarding his father who fought in the German army in the wake of Charlotte. His father was a broken man, filled with rage, guilt and shrapnel. The impossible cost of fascism is born not only by the targets of war. Little wonder the US military produced Don’t be a Sucker just after the war. @bastianallgeier This is well written and very important. Not only for Germany, but America too. @bastianallgeier Thank you for writing this. I've had the unforunate chance to experience something like that in my family and it's so hard to describe to people how messed up it is. “My grandpa taught me that Nazis are fantastic storytellers. The new Nazis are on Tiktok and elsewhere on social media, telling great stories.” I think the economy and clarity of conservative storytelling contributes enormously to cultivating conservatives. Conservatives think linearly. Their stories pit good guys against bad guys without the clutter and confusion of nuance. Thus Fox News. Thus Bill O’Reilly histories. Thus the Redemption. The list goes on.    @bastianallgeier god, he mustve been awful at holiday dinners. seriously though, condolances. @bastianallgeier seems rather harsh judging him as a young boy, who brain had not fully developed. He was still a child at 16. My grand dad was in the kkk, and he moved on from it in age and became a work member of society. Who wasn't racist  @ChickenPwny @bastianallgeier From the post: “The young, wild boy in the 1920s has all my empathy. The man, that my grandpa turned into, does not deserve any of that.” @jeff @bastianallgeier he was born in 1924 so he forgives the six year old thank Jesus. 16 is still a child and even into ones twenty still underdeveloped and impressionable I can see why his grandfather never discussed these things. @jeff @bastianallgeier he was looking to place blame and asking an old man for answers he didn't have. @ChickenPwny @bastianallgeier 16, while not quite fully developed, is old enough to have a basic sense of right and wrong. That’s borderline at best. And twenty-somethings? Let’s stop infantilizing actual adults. If one is a Nazi by the time they’re in their twenties — and remain so, as was the case here — that’s entirely on them. My empathy is for those whose lives were snuffed out, not the Nazis who did it. @bastianallgeier thank you for sharing. I'm not from Germany nor living there (yet), though the place I'm visiting this weekend has a protest organized against the AFD (whose local department thought it would be wise to take office directly next door to a Youth Pride space). I'm not sure about the details of the protest yet, but I'm considering going to it. The current political situation is scary, and I hope your post inspires people to at the very least not vote "strategically" anymore.  @bastianallgeier Thanks for writing this, as well as for your talk at border:none, it was nice to talk to you there! So many things sound familiar, so-so many. Only not in an “in the past” way, but “in the present”. Thank you for your courage in writing this. It is extremely timely as one can see similarities occurring all over the world. So many watch it happening again but sit back and think there’s nothing we can do about it, but there is - VOTE! Encourage those who are complacent to vote. Vote out the enablers and those who for selfish reasons want to stay in power. We have the power to do it but must have the will. I admire your bravery, Bastian. @bastianallgeier Here's a story I have wanted to share for a long time, but never got around to. For some reason your post (which is amazing, and I hope you decide to keep it up) prompted me to write it down: https://imgur.com/a/vJ0JnYa  @bastianallgeier @bastianallgeier thank you very much for such a personal text! @Chuck_ORourke @bastianallgeier Well, except for the Nazis. Not gonna bless them.  @bastianallgeier "You cannot argue with someone who's living in a different universe. It took a long time for me to understand that." I've recently realized this about my zionist relatives cheering on genocide right now.  @bastianallgeier “We can only keep the Nazis in check as long as they don't find step stones to get back to power. Once the pendulum swings too far in their direction it's going to be over and it's currently not looking good.” Thank you for this brave and apt call to action. @bastianallgeier thank you for sharing this. i want everyone I know to read it. thank you. @bastianallgeier "The young, wild boy in the 1920s has all my empathy. The man, that my grandpa turned into, does not deserve any of that." Thank you for your words and your clear voice. @bastianallgeier Yes thank you for republishing this. It wasn't that long ago in terms of historical timescales. My Berliner grandpa was a baker and worked throughout the period. My mom was the baby of the family and had two much older brothers who were Nazis. She idealized the younger of the two. A true believer, he enlisted and vanished in Ukraine. The older of the two did other skullduggery, survived, and re-invented himself in the DDR. I'm glad I never knew those guys. @bastianallgeier This is remarkably beautiful and thoughtful. Thank you very much for sharing it.  @bastianallgeier It took me some time to read it truly. Thank you for sharing. I grew up in germany but I am the first generation. I never had this kind of confrontation in my family. I believe it to be very important to share and remember. And to never forget. @bastianallgeier same for me. Just that there were no heroic stories at all, just 10 years of not mentioning @bastianallgeier I hope that there will be never a time that you will need to take down that post.  @bastianallgeier Good article. Families are complicated and we can't change our heritage, only ourselves. I think a lot of the MAGA grandkids are going to have similar stories.   @bastianallgeier I wonder how he reconciled the fact that, for some, the "serious crime" was just existing. Thanks for posting. It does enlighten me about a few things that never made sense to me.  I think this is an important story. But it should have the context that the poison of Naziism is potent, and anyone can be affected in the right manner. Your grandfather's formative years were in a time where security was granted at the point of a sword, and he learned that particular lesson. We grew up with the lessons of history. I pity your grandfather, and his poisoned soul. And I fear that children in countries like ours may yet live in such a hellish utopia. "Then there are the opportunists. Those who think that they can keep the monsters in check. They think they can abuse them as vehicles to stay in power or get in power. They are the worst of all those groups." This is why it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when people claiming to fight them, buy them campaign ads.... @bastianallgeier My grandfather was an alcoholic, and abusive as a parent. My father-in-law is a narcissist and also abusive (but my oldest son of 8 currently loves him). I’m not anywhere close to claiming these are the same, but… I can sort of understand how it might feel to grow up and learn what kind of person your grandpa is. I’m sorry for how much it must have hurt. @bastianallgeier Thanks! Especially for the mustering the strength to writing and publishing it! Bonnhoeffers Theory of Stupidity is coming up a lot lately when reading stories like yours.  @bastianallgeier I appreciate this article, which is written with great sense and sensitivity. I hope you will keep it posted. Every part of it is important.  @bastianallgeier Please leave the article up. I would like to share it with my family and urge them to share it with others. It is extremely rare for those of us who are not German to understand the personal family aspects of the #Nazi era. You have given us a lot to think about. Thank you for sharing. @bastianallgeier thank you for posting this. There are Nazis in my family as well but also some good people https://jarche.com/2021/10/all-for-nothing/  @bastianallgeier My grandmother’s family had recently returned to Germany when the war began. They were on the edges, ethnically German, but suspicious enough as outsiders that my slightly darker skinned great-uncle was called Jew, and my bright red-headed grandmother was called gypsy by children their age. Grandma told me that when she was young, she wished she looked like the hitler youth so she would be accepted. Her parents would not let her join because they were against Naziism. @bastianallgeier The family was split up as war started, my grandmother at age 8 going to live and work on the farm of strangers for 3 years. Several of the older family members were sent to work as translators in labor camps. Grandma told me about being shot at by an allied plane in the countryside. And later, hiding in the basement of their apartment building as bombs destroyed the city around them. I grew up feeling there are not clear-cut “good guys.” War is always terrible. @bastianallgeier One relative—my great-aunt’s husband—fought as a Nazi and was captured and taken to a Siberian prison camp until after the war. Growing up in the US, although I always heard the strong message from my grandparents and parents that the Nazis were wrong, I also heard my great aunt grumbling about how the Jews caused all the family’s troubles. And one of that great-aunt’s sons—now deceased—grew up and became a neo-Nazi. @bastianallgeier Something really heartbreaking is that in my grandma’s old age, she was swallowed by conservatism. What I remember of her when I was young—her stories that everyone was equal, welcome, and loved. That truth and help could come from anyone, no matter how different we seem. …That person disappeared. Instead she would go on and on about immigrants and racial minority groups abusing this country and its services. (Truly ironic for a first generation immigrant) @bastianallgeier She was whole-heartedly pro-Zionist at the end, convinced that ANYTHING showing Palestinian suffering was propaganda. What I learned from my family is people are not static. We have to work at being pro-justice, anti-racist, anti-war. Our ideas can be shaped and changed for the better or worse throughout the course of our whole life. I’m glad I learned what was good when I was young. I am still grieving that grandma couldn’t hold onto that when she was old. @bastianallgeier Thank you for this post. I have also a challenge to cope with a nazi in my family. Unlike your grandfather he is a delusional man with no influence whatsoever and had no nazi past obviously, but every time he starts to talk to me it hurts me deeply. @bastianallgeier "those who admire the monsters" is incredible, thank you for writing this @bastianallgeier Thank you for writing this. I had such a grandfather and also a grandmother (his wife), who was forever proud of the fact that she was the leader of the local BDM chapter. They met at a Nazi Rally in Munich. Neither of them ever let go of their fascist mindset and it taught me a lot about how fascists are made. They would both be proudly voting AfD. What’s happening in Germany right now scares me because I knew Nazis firsthand. @bastianallgeier great write up and an important insight that too often gets missed. @bastianallgeier @nilsmielke What a great (sadly) piece 👏 My (Scottish, calm, gentle) grandfather never spoke about his time in the war except to say "never trust the Germans, they'll do it again". As I grew I became friends with many Germans, worked in Cologne, visited Belsen, and I thought nah - he was wrong, they have a more balanced view of history than we do, even making jokes to me about the war! Germans doing jokes, amazing 😀 But the last couple of years, I'm less sure. Stay strong 💪 @bastianallgeier thank you for writing this, I admire your courage and share your concerns with regards to the shift to the right, along with populism here in the UK. It is very scary to see how, for some, the lessons of the past have been sanitised to the extent that it has lost all horror. As we learnt with the Brexit nonsense, there is a vein of far right thought in some that just needs the right person to tap into - waiting for them to agree with the unsaid.   @bastianallgeier I toured Dachau one morning, and then the BMW museum/showplace that afternoon. And suddenly realized that all these nice, fresh-faced ppl were the grandchildren of the ppl who ran the BMW slave labor satellite camp I had seen in photos that morning. But can't blame these thirty-somethings for what went before.  @bastianallgeier Important, well-written, and--unfortunately--timely, not just in your country but all over the world. Thank you for writing it, even though I wish (as I expect do you) there was no need. @bastianallgeier This is one of the most powerful personal pieces I've read in quite a while. Thank you for writing it, and thank you for posting it. I know it's a vulnerable thing. |
@bastianallgeier Thank you for writing this.