Rev -
Fair enough. But I'm a big believer in free speech, and the concept of "better out than in", as they say (albeit in a different context altogether). Some people don't believe that the holocaust happened, others do but perhaps not to the extent that is told, and they do have a right to articulate their views. The term "denial" implies saying that something which is true, is not true. But everyone has a different opinion, and in their minds (please not the distinction : in their minds) they're not denying anything, as far as they're concerned they're saying what they think is true. You see when you deny people the right to say what's on their minds, in other words when you restrict their expression of thought, which is a basic human need, it shows up in other ways. It's best to let everyone say their piece, that way you'll have an awareness of what people think, and then you have the opportunity to counter their views with your own. I've never liked the term "holocaust denial", it sounds like 1984. Do I believe that the holocaust happened? I don't know, probably, most likely yes. But even if I believed that it didn't, I'd have every right to say so. You can't educate people if you don't know what they already think. You have to objectively separate your emotions about a subject from the right to express any view. Anyway we're straying off the topic, if you want to get into this further I'll be happy to, if you want. For now let's just talk about culture.
Fair enough. But I'm a big believer in free speech, and the concept of "better out than in", as they say (albeit in a different context altogether). Some people don't believe that the holocaust happened, others do but perhaps not to the extent that is told, and they do have a right to articulate their views. The term "denial" implies saying that something which is true, is not true. But everyone has a different opinion, and in their minds (please not the distinction : in their minds) they're not denying anything, as far as they're concerned they're saying what they think is true. You see when you deny people the right to say what's on their minds, in other words when you restrict their expression of thought, which is a basic human need, it shows up in other ways. It's best to let everyone say their piece, that way you'll have an awareness of what people think, and then you have the opportunity to counter their views with your own. I've never liked the term "holocaust denial", it sounds like 1984. Do I believe that the holocaust happened? I don't know, probably, most likely yes. But even if I believed that it didn't, I'd have every right to say so. You can't educate people if you don't know what they already think. You have to objectively separate your emotions about a subject from the right to express any view. Anyway we're straying off the topic, if you want to get into this further I'll be happy to, if you want. For now let's just talk about culture.
