| Writing - Division II Throughout history, humans constantly demonstrate having difficulty learning from their mistakes. The phrase "history repeats itself' is all too often thrown around in reference to this fact. The truth of this statement is slightly harder to judge. While it seems similar events appear all throughout the past, whether these events are identical to their predecessors is harder to determine. Prejudice and racism have existed for as long as humans have known how to disagree with another group, simply because of perceived differences. However, when prejudice escalates into genocide, the methods used to go through those stages vary slightly from one another. While one genocide might be similar to the next, no two events are ever exact replicas of each other, as evidenced by the Holocaust in comparison to the modem day genocide in Darfur. However, almost every genocide goes through the same eight stages, as described by Gregory H. Stanton. The first few fall under the category of prejudice. Stage one is Classification. In Germany during the Holocaust, this was done simply by pointing fingers and labeling someone as a "Jew," as though being Jewish meant that person was in a particular race, not a follower of a specific religion. Also included were "Roma," gypsies, those of Slavic descent, or those with political views that differed from the Nazis', though Jews were still the main target. In today's genocide in Darfur, this step is shown by the distinction between "Arab Muslims," nomadic herders in Darfur, and "African Muslims," the country's natives, comprised mainly of black farmers who live in villages ("September Briefing"). In comparing Darfur to the Holocaust, the next step, Symbolization, is only found in one and not the other, demonstrating that history very rarely repeats itself exactly. Symbolization, often hatefully, is the association of a label or symbol with a group that is looked down upon. In the Holocaust, Jews were identified with the Star of David. Yet in Darfur, no such distinctions are made (Martinez). Skin color seems to be more than enough. In the third stage, Dehumanization, a group is belittled or classified as less than human. Propaganda flourishes. Quite often, the government supports this stage. In Germany, "Nazi anti-Semitic legislation and propaganda against 'Non-Aryans' was a thinly disguised attack against anyone who had Jewish parents or grandparents. Jews felt increasingly isolated from the rest of German society" ("Nazification"); it was the norm to mock someone who was or was related to someone who was Jewish. Conversely, the Sudanese government denied the African Muslims free speech, the ability to go out in public, and other rights considered "human rights" in democratic countries around the world (Martinez). Fourthly, another government-sponsored stage is Organization-when army units or militia specifically intended to aid in the mass murder of the target group are trained. Hitler used the SS to dominate Germany and eventually most of Europe. In Sudan, the governmentsponsored group is the Janjaweed. As a loose translation, it can mean "devil on horseback" ("September Briefing"). After this stage, prejudice escalates much further, and it is hard to go back. Genocide is quite often inevitable. Polarization, stage five, takes the Dehumanization stage a step farther. Laws are enacted, driving the target group away from others in the area. Hitler enforced the Nuremberg Lawslaws that stated anyone was Jewish if they had three Jewish grandparents, regardless of what religion they themselves were, as well as prohibited "interracial" marriages between Aryans and non-Aryans (Grobman). Conversely, the Sudanese government made Arabic the native tongue of their country. Citizens must learn to speak it, at risk of being "persecuted for being nonArab" (Martinez). Once again, similarities between the genocide in Darfur and the Holocaust arise. However, they are only similar, as the Sudanese government has not enacted laws quite as strict as the Nuremberg Laws yet. The final stage before actual genocide is Preparation. Target groups are marked, such as with the Star of David in Germany. Often times, anyone belonging to the race that is the focus of the genocide will flee to another region or country, rather than be alienated in his or her own. Those that stay are removed from society, by order of the government. The German version of this was ghettos, then later, concentration camps. On the other hand, Darfuris must flee to UN displacement camps, as their own villages are being bombed or raided by the government ("September Briefing"). Lastly comes genocide itself, or "Extermination," as Stanton puts it. Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group" (Dictionary.com). This was clearly demonstrated during the Holocaust; Hitler's "Final Solution" wiped out entire families or communities overnight ("The Holocaust"). In Darfur, most families who make it to displacement camps do not run the risk of being murdered all at once by random selection as they would in concentration camps. However, the simple task of going out of the protection of the camp to get firewood puts the men at risk of being killed and the women at risk of being raped (Martinez). In addition, disease and starvation have killed hundreds of thousands ("September Briefing"). While not as systematic as the Holocaust, the death toll in Darfur still has an enormous impact on the world around it. There is still one more stage after the genocide: Denial. Governments refuse to admit mistakes in action or perception. Those who committed the crimes deny the charges held against them. Those who were instrumental in the Holocaust hid any evidence that linked them to the genocide that occurred, even if it was common knowledge that they were at fault. Even today, there are those who reject the idea of the Holocaust, write it off as something that was made up. Though today's genocide in Darfur has not ended, even now the Sudanese government does not admit that the violence in Darfur is wrong, or if it even exists. Peace agreements have been signed, but they have not changed anything as of yet ("September Briefing"). "Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes" (Wiesel 34). This statement easily describes how the victims of the Holocaust felt. While the modem victims of the Darfuri genocide share the identical sentiment, it is possible that they have similar feelings. Whether or not history will repeat itself is still to be determined. In most events, there is a parallel in the past, but it is rare to find an event that is an exact replication of one that has already come to pass. The genocide in Darfur is very similar to the Holocaust-both had to do with the slaughter of hundreds of thousands based on prejudice, both were ignored by some faction, both destroyed millions of lives, both were government sponsored-but they still have their differences. The genocide in Darfur is far less organized than the Holocaust. The victims of the Holocaust were relocated to concentration camps, not UN-funded displacement camps. The Holocaust affected all the Jews in the entire continent of Europe; the current genocide in Darfur is affecting the African Muslims of only a region in western Sudan. Regardless, like all genocides, both shocked the world. Similar but not the same, volunteers stepped up in both instances to fight the injustice they felt was, and is, being wrongly inflicted on the victims. Works Cited "Genocide." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Nov. 2007. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ genocide>. Grobman, Gary. "The First Steps Leading to the 'Final Solution. ", The Holocaust--A Guide for Teachers. 1990. remember.org. 25 Nov 2007 <http://remember.org/guide/ F acts.root.solution.html>. "The Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 25 Oct 2007. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 23 Nov 2007 <http://www.ushmm.org/w1c/ article. php?lang=en&Moduleld= 10005143>. Martinez, Carolina. "The Process of Genocide in Darfur." Darfur Anti-Genocide. 27 Mar 2007. Darfur Anti-Genocide. 23 Nov 2007 <http://students.hightechhigh.org/~aburtsonl hum_essay _ martinez.html>. "The Nazification of Germany." A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust. 2005. Florida Center for Instructional Technology. 21 Nov 2007 <http://fcit.usf.edulHolocaust/timeline/ nazifica.htm> . "September Briefing Paper: The Genocide In Darfur." SaveDarfur. 2007. Save Darfur. 23 Nov 2007 <http://www.savedarfur . org/newsroom/policypapersl september _ briefingyaper _the _genocide_in _ darfur/>. Stanton, Gregory. "Eight Stages of Genocide." Darfur Peace & Development. 13 Mar 2006. Darfur Peace & Development Organization. 23 Nov 2007 <http://www.dpado.org/ reports.php?/ID=397>. Wiesel, Elie. Night. 2nd ed. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. |