Good God, I see myself in the (age 17-24 ) Adolf Hitler!

[DerekG]

Note: I'm twenty-two.

Why couldn't it have been Thomas Merton, or Rev. King?

I've been devouring The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, and came upon a nasty surprise early on: I identify with the young Hitler (prior to his WWI experiences). Hell, if it weren't for my leftist Christian values, and gentle spirits, there might be cause for alarm. Consider the following:

--He had "none of the vices of youth": no sex, no alcohol, no smoking. Yep, I'm an ascetic (you can imagine where that left me in college).

--He had no work ethic, whatsoever. Uh huh, manual labor is my syphilis.

--He spent all of his time scouring literature and philosophy; brooding on perceived injustices, and conjuring up utopias (or dystopias, for that matter). Yeah, although I do harbor an aversion to Nietzsche.

--Adored, and lived off, his mother. Guilty.


You know what the worst part was? I found consolation in telling myself: "Well, at least he amounted to something."

Good Lord, why couldn't it have been William Sloane Coffin, or friggin' Gandhi?

Has anyone else had the disturbing experience of seeing one's mirror reflection in a young, up-and-coming despot?

[Bouncy Ball]

1. All that stuff could apply to a LOT of people

keep going. Get to the part where he started standing on tables in pubs and blaming all kinds of shit on the Jews. Do you do that?

[JVS]

2. If you don't live up to your potential and conquer Europe, we're all...

going to be very disappointed

[Kire]

3. Get this man a beer! Immediately!

[AlienGirl]

5. A beer and a cigarette...

[Kire]

7. I'll sleep with him.

I'm not gay, but it's for the good of the world.

[AlienGirl]

8. I'll be his art agent!

[AlienGirl]

4. Yes, he was human too...

Everyone is more alike than different.

Even Hitler.

[Robeson]

6. Read John Toland's "Adolf Hitler" for a total view.

Its not much different than what you've read with The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but I think Toland gets a little more into the psychological makeup.

[rawtribe]

9. Rent the movie

Max

http://imdb.com/title/tt0290210/

[DerekG]

10. Great movie, and yet...

That film expounded on Hitler's post-war years, when he was already beginning to fall off his rocker. John Cusack was quite good as the title character.

[rawtribe]

12. I liked

the idea that Nazi Germany was a performance art piece dreamed up by Hitler. As sick as the outcome was, the idea was interesting.

[AlienGirl]

11. Oh no! How did you get in there?!

[UncleSepp]

13. That's a mental picture I did NOT need

*mopping coffee off monitor*

I meant that in the most dirty minded way, of course.

[AlienGirl]

14. Glad to oblige!

I mean it in the most dirty-minded way possible too...but you already know I'm a sick freak. :-P

Tucker

[regnaD kciN]

15. Actually, that describes a lot of young people in that age group...

It's kind of like the pamphlets the government hands out on "how to tell if your child may be using drugs." The criteria they use (moodiness, disinterest in family events and wanting to spend all their time with their friends, sloppy about personal appearance, etc., etc.) are traits that apply to at least half of all teenagers, even those who've never been within 100 feet of a "controlled substance."

Now, as a leftist from the 60s and 70s, the fact that I could identify with Richard Nixon, based on what I read about him, was really upsetting...
:scared:

[jellybelly]

16. well, Hitler wasn't a big deal

...there are alot a racists in the world that, if given the chance and power, would do worse to the world then what Hitler did. He isn't an animal or 'evil. Hitler just did what alot of people wish they could do...