Adolf Hitler, Soccer Coach?
Published November 18, 2009 @ 08:00AM PT
If I told you that one in 20 British schoolchildren think Adolf Hitler was a German soccer coach, would you be a.) appalled, or b.) skeptical?
The results of a survey of 2,000 children in the UK revealed that while most students aged 9-15 recognized Hitler's rightful role as one of history's most nefarious mass-murdering war-mongers, 13.5% of them thought he discovered gravity and 7% thought he was Germany's national soccer coach. It gets better: 15% said that Auschwitz was a WWII-era theme park, and 6% though the Holocaust was a celebration of the end of the war.
The survey, however, was multiple choice, which really begs the question: Are the pre-teens a.) really that dense, or b.) smart-asses?
Rather than kvetching to the media about the "shocking" results, perhaps a more jackass-proof survey is in order. (I was certainly one at that age, and I'm sure you were too.)
To close on a more serious note, though, over at the other end of the British Commonwealth, Canadian politicians commemorated Ontario's Holocaust Education Week with commanding rhetoric. From Premier Dalton McGuinty:
"The Holocaust serves as an enduring reminder of our obligation - as a society and as individuals - to be vigilant against all forms of hatred and intolerance, and to embrace inclusiveness and diversity."
Well said.
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Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.
