In the fourth chapter of Book Two: And the Thing Became, Leon Trout weighs the casualties of war with regard to depopulation. Trout recounts, "Even at the end of protracted wars, there still seemed to be plenty of people around. Babies were always so plentiful that serious efforts to reduce the population by means of violence were doomed to failure" (Pg. 233). This sentiment carries the reader toward an idea that most morally sound persons would likely deem unpalatable, that that the great sum of lives claimed to war is relatively insignificant within the context of global population. This portion of the story directs my thoughts, specifically, toward Holocaust denial. There are a great many persons who assert that the Holocaust never took place and thereupon deny the deaths of approximately six million Jews, a figure which they often christen 'exaggerated' and 'unfeasible'. It remains rather jarring to me that because our wars have yet to leave us in a lowly state of population, one that resembles the setting of Mad Max (1979) and features small nomadic groups, there remain those who challenge the plausibility of casualties of the Holocaust's magnitude.
Additional information:
http://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/holocaust-denial-and-distortion
That's a really good comparison. I guess I didn't really think anything of that when I read it, but now that you mention it I can see it.
ReplyDeleteSame here, I agree with Alana, this post helped me a get a deeper view and understanding of the situation in the book compared to real life.
ReplyDeleteInteresting connection, Utah. I can't wrap my head around Holocaust deniers, but this connection makes sense.
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