In 1919 W.E.B. Dubois asked: “What is the cause of the undoubted reaction and alarm that the citizens of democracy continually feel?” His answer to this question pointed to the fear minorities have, of being disrespected and not tolerated. As a Black Man in the USA at that time, who can blame him. The post-war treatment of legitimate war heroes like the Harlem Hell Fighters certainly pointed out how correct he was.
Yet in school we are taught in school that majority rules, and that is the way it should be. While DuBois points out the pitfalls of majority rule, minority rule is also dangerous.
The quintessential case is Hitler. The Nazi Party received a minority of the vote in Germany’s 1932 election: 33% of the vote. None the less it controlled the most seats in Germany’s Reichstag. Hitler, refused to coalesce with other parties and form a unity government, demanding to be named Chancellor. President Paul Von Hindenburg, who personally received more votes than Hitler in two rounds of voting, acquiesced to the minority and named Hitler Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
Many Jews discounted the danger of Hitler. On February 2, 1933, Der Israelit, a Jewish Newspaper in Germany printed the following editorial:
We do not subscribe to the view that Herr Hitler and his friends, now finally in possession of the power they have desired for so long, will enact the proposals circulating in the Angriff or the Völkischer Beobachter newspapers1; they will not suddenly divest German Jews of their consti- tutional rights, lock them away in race ghettos, or subject them to the avaricious and murderous impulses of the mob. They not only cannot do this because many other crucial factors hold their powers in check, ranging from the Reich president to some of the political parties affiliated with them, but they also clearly do not want to go this route, for when one acts as a European world power, the whole atmosphere is more conducive to ethical reflection upon one’s better self than to revisiting one’s earlier oppositional role: operating as a European world power means that one seeks an enduring place in the harmonious exchange of peoples of culture.
The Jews didn’t listen when Hitler told him who he was. What Hitler did was pick on a minority: One minority dictating over another. As in DuBois’ fear one group would be disrespected and not tolerated.
Today in America, a minority has taken control of our Congress. They call themselves the Freedom Caucus. In truth, several are White Christian Nationalists. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Boebart, Gosar freely admit this. Trump recently dined with White Nationalists, and DeSantis is promoting a White Nationalist curriculum in Florida schools.
At a recent gathering in New York City Gavin Wax, the New York Young Republicans President stated: ““We want to cross the Rubicon. We want total war. We must be prepared to do battle in every arena. In the media. In the courtroom. At the ballot box. And in the streets.”
Donald Trump Jr. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the audience applauded. Josh Hammer the opinion editor for Newsweek shared jokes with Jack Posobiec a Republican racist political operative.
And these Republicans are doing exactly what Hitler did, picking a minority, the Gays, the Blacks, and yes, the Jews, making them enemies of society by declaring they ae grooming our children to be transvestites, transexual, or just plain gay. Who can forget Marjorie Taylor Green stating Israel had attacked the United States with secret lasers resulting in California wildfires.
Rational people may dismiss this but recall how Jack Posobiec spread the lie that Hillary Clinton and other high-profile Democrats were imprisoning and torturing children as part of a pedophile ring in the basement of a pizzeria. That Pizza shop was then shot up by someone who did believe Posobiec using an AR-15
The dates, names, and locations of history change, but history repeats itself. Matthew Gaetz of Florida supported Trump for Speaker of the House. His colleagues have promised to impeach Biden. Trump has called for ending our Constitution and many Republicans support him and would vote to implant him as president.
Let us not make the same mistake German Jews made in1933 made. When someone tells who you they are, believe them, and act on your belief’s. DuBois was correct in 1919, and it is up to us, the majority, to not let our society be picked off one at a time like Hitler did, and today’s American White Christian Nationalists are attempting do right now.