Hans
Actually, his name is pronounced hans-yo-den
and does he look like a Hans?
Well, he has about one millimetre of shaved silver hair
and his silver handlebar, well... picture the monopoly guy, now picture him riding a motorcycle, now picture a pair of pronghorns like a texas oil magnate has
that's the 'stache Hans is packing
he has been to Delhi many times, and to Africa, and he is going to Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama is spending time now
I wish him the best of luck meeting him.
This is Hans' project: January to May 1945, Berlin. The conduct of German soldiers and officers. The choices they had: fight, flee, or take a pill (suinide cyacide)
Specifically, his father. his father had his leg blown off and was flown out to a military hospital. what was his father doing? was he brave?
Germany feels collective guilt, mea culpa, Hans says. The winners write the history books and the archival records are strongly taboo. It is a personal project to find out how his father acted and how he lost his leg in Berlin at the end of the European war. Perhaps he will publish his findings, perhaps not.
Did you read below about stock words? An example is apologist. Someone who tries to justify stuff. Hans is not an apologist. He would not do the inhuman things that took place. But there were reasons, and we can try and understand those reasons. That book Paris 1919 got popular. Fascism, ultra nationalism, phrenology, eugenics...plus they were doing this collectively, as a country, for their country.
Hans tells me all this and we have a conversation about Nuremburg and international law and human rights and American hypocrisy. If you are guessing (a common Indian construction, present tense plus gerund. Yes that is what a gerund is if you ever wondered, the -ing form of a verb) anyway, If you are guessing that I brought Professor C into the conversation, you know me pretty well. Hans wants to talk further, about my life and future.
I am ethnically Jewish but not observant nor do I believe in God. I don't support Israel much these days although it is a wonderful place. I've been called a selfhatingjew but that's not really accurate - I fudging love myself to death.
I am Jewish and my grandparents were born here in the '20s. My godmother, my parent's best friends, my godmother's mother, who my grandmother has lunch with, is a survivor.
And here is Hans, on his way to see the Dalai Lama, trying to find out about HIS FATHER THE NAZI. His father joined the party in 1932. He was a member of the SchutzStaffel.
Here is Hans, and here am I, in India, and he is telling me about his father the SS officer.
I cried a bit upstairs after I left him. (I mistyped 'after I felt him' which also makes sense)
...But a good cry, y'know? Because peace is real too, reconciliation and (i wanna say forgiveness, but i wasn't wronged and he didn't do anything wrong)
because Hans and I have no beef. (and not just because cows are sacred in India, yuk yuk)
the choices are long standing blood feud or really wanting peace and making it
Actually, his name is pronounced hans-yo-den
and does he look like a Hans?
Well, he has about one millimetre of shaved silver hair
and his silver handlebar, well... picture the monopoly guy, now picture him riding a motorcycle, now picture a pair of pronghorns like a texas oil magnate has
that's the 'stache Hans is packing
he has been to Delhi many times, and to Africa, and he is going to Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama is spending time now
I wish him the best of luck meeting him.
This is Hans' project: January to May 1945, Berlin. The conduct of German soldiers and officers. The choices they had: fight, flee, or take a pill (suinide cyacide)
Specifically, his father. his father had his leg blown off and was flown out to a military hospital. what was his father doing? was he brave?
Germany feels collective guilt, mea culpa, Hans says. The winners write the history books and the archival records are strongly taboo. It is a personal project to find out how his father acted and how he lost his leg in Berlin at the end of the European war. Perhaps he will publish his findings, perhaps not.
Did you read below about stock words? An example is apologist. Someone who tries to justify stuff. Hans is not an apologist. He would not do the inhuman things that took place. But there were reasons, and we can try and understand those reasons. That book Paris 1919 got popular. Fascism, ultra nationalism, phrenology, eugenics...plus they were doing this collectively, as a country, for their country.
Hans tells me all this and we have a conversation about Nuremburg and international law and human rights and American hypocrisy. If you are guessing (a common Indian construction, present tense plus gerund. Yes that is what a gerund is if you ever wondered, the -ing form of a verb) anyway, If you are guessing that I brought Professor C into the conversation, you know me pretty well. Hans wants to talk further, about my life and future.
I am ethnically Jewish but not observant nor do I believe in God. I don't support Israel much these days although it is a wonderful place. I've been called a selfhatingjew but that's not really accurate - I fudging love myself to death.
I am Jewish and my grandparents were born here in the '20s. My godmother, my parent's best friends, my godmother's mother, who my grandmother has lunch with, is a survivor.
And here is Hans, on his way to see the Dalai Lama, trying to find out about HIS FATHER THE NAZI. His father joined the party in 1932. He was a member of the SchutzStaffel.
Here is Hans, and here am I, in India, and he is telling me about his father the SS officer.
I cried a bit upstairs after I left him. (I mistyped 'after I felt him' which also makes sense)
...But a good cry, y'know? Because peace is real too, reconciliation and (i wanna say forgiveness, but i wasn't wronged and he didn't do anything wrong)
because Hans and I have no beef. (and not just because cows are sacred in India, yuk yuk)
the choices are long standing blood feud or really wanting peace and making it
posted by dob at 3:30 AM
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