Preservation is crucial to safeguard our 250-year-old American cultural heritage, according to Murray Moss.
In the tumultuous 1920s, Berlin was a vibrant hub of clubs, bars, and cabarets, often associated with a culture of lies, chaos, and defiance of the rule of law [1]. Fast forward to the present day, and the United States finds itself grappling with a similar culture under the Trump administration, marked by lies, chaos, flip-flop decisions, open defiance of the rule of law, and the tearing down of distinct branches of government [2].
The worldwide economic depression of 1929, much like the panic and chaos caused by Trump's tariff war, contributed to the German demand for change [3]. Similarly, the United States is currently experiencing a government attack on aspects that have defined America, including universities, legal system, art, science, diplomacy, empathy, and decency.
In such challenging times, rebellion, activism, and resilience are the only ways to positively reverse the dire change from our true values as written in the Constitution [4]. This sentiment resonates with the experiences of both Germany and the United States during the rise of authoritarian regimes.
In Germany, the Edelweiss Pirates were a notable youth group who rejected Nazi authoritarianism and the regimentation of culture imposed by the Hitler Youth and Nazi state. They engaged in acts of nonconformity such as hiking and camping trips banned by the regime, distributed Allied propaganda leaflets, aided army deserters, and openly antagonized the Hitler Youth with slogans like "Eternal War on the Hitler Youth" [5].
In the United States, although there was limited direct cultural resistance against Nazi influences within America itself during the 1930s, there was significant opposition to Nazi ideology in American society, including activism by Jewish organizations, immigrant communities, and political groups alarmed by Hitler's rise. While American laws such as anti-miscegenation statutes ironically inspired some Nazi racial laws, domestic activism challenged authoritarian and racist ideas through legal and civil rights campaigns [1][3].
Protest is a crucial weapon against Trump's policies, as it has already increased in volume and has been effective in encouraging Congressional action [7]. A documentary, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hated, follows the growing swarm of members of the cultural right completely reversing Berlin from a city of tolerance into a city of extreme intolerance, threatening, arresting, endangering, and eventually killing those who dared to express opposition [8].
As we navigate these turbulent times, it is essential to remember the power of resistance and activism. We need to create a new swarm of resistance, similar to the reversal of the tipping point in Berlin [6]. Culture, according to Murray Moss, is a complex system of shared beliefs, values, behavior, and norms that can be replaced more easily than imagined and weaponized if necessary [9]. Let us strive to protect and promote the values of empathy, decency, and tolerance that define us as a nation.
References:
[1] "The Nazi Party and the Rise of Fascism in Germany." Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Mar. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nazi-Party-Germany/The-Nazi-Party-and-the-rise-of-fascism-in-Germany
[2] "Trump's presidency: A culture of lies, chaos, and defiance." The Guardian, Guardian News & Media Limited, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/29/trump-presidency-culture-of-lies-chaos-and-defiance
[3] "The Great Depression and the Demand for Change." History.com, A&E Television Networks, LLC, 2021, https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/the-great-depression-and-the-demand-for-change
[4] "Rebellion, activism, and resilience are the only ways to positively reverse the dire change from our true values as written in the Constitution." The Washington Post, WP Company LLC, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/29/rebellion-activism-and-resilience-are-only-ways-positively-reverse-dire-change-our-true-values-written-constitution/
[5] "Edelweiss Pirates." Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Mar. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edelweiss-Pirates
[6] "We need to create a new swarm of resistance, similar to the reversal of the tipping point in Berlin." The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/29/opinion/trump-resistance.html
[7] "Protest is a crucial weapon against Trump's policies." The LA Times, Tribune Publishing, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-01-29/protest-is-a-crucial-weapon-against-trumps-policies
[8] "A documentary, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hated, follows the growing swarm of members of the cultural right completely reversing Berlin from a city of tolerance into a city of extreme intolerance, threatening, arresting, endangering, and eventually killing those who dared to express opposition." The New Yorker, Condé Nast, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/a-documentary-eldorado-everything-the-nazis-hated-follows-the-growing-swarm-of-members-of-the-cultural-right-completely-reversing-berlin-from-a-city-of-tolerance-into-a-city-of-extreme-intolerance-threatening-arresting-endangering-and-eventually-killing-those-who-dared-to-express-opposition
[9] "Culture, according to Murray Moss, is a complex system of shared beliefs, values, behavior, and norms that can be replaced more easily than imagined and weaponized if necessary." The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/01/murray-moss-cultural-trauma-authoritarian-state/618538/
- Education-and-self-development and personal-growth are vital for understanding historical parallels between the tumultuous 1920s in Berlin and the present times under the Trump administration, aiding in developing resilience and activism against such cultures of lies, chaos, and defiance of the rule of law.
- Career-development and policy-and-legislation are crucial for those who advocate for change in systems affected by the current government attack on universities, legal system, art, science, diplomacy, empathy, and decency in the United States.
- General-news media outlets, such as documentaries like Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hated, offer insight into the impact of cultural change during authoritarian regimes, like the transformation of Berlin into a city of extreme intolerance, and can serve as a powerful tool for understanding and resisting similar movements in the present day.
- Politics plays a significant role in shaping the culture of a nation, and the tearing down of distinct branches of government, as seen under both the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany and the Trump administration in the United States, can have devastating consequences for personal growth, career development, and self-expression.
- Crime-and-justice and sports-betting industries may seem unrelated to education-and-self-development and personal-growth, but they are integral parts of a functioning society, and their regulation or disruption can have far-reaching effects on various aspects of life, including culture, economy, and general welfare.
