No one should be held responsible for the past actions of family members. If someone’s grandfather was a Nazi, that shouldn’t reflect on the younger generation, unless they also hold the same beliefs. They didn’t choose to be related to a murderer. It’s not their fault and they shouldn’t be blamed. They also should not feel guilty, although I probably would. Again, something their ancestor did, maybe even before they were born, should not affect them like that. Even though it would be nice to think that people shouldn’t judge others based on their family, I don’t think it’s possible for humans as a whole to just ignore that. It’s a part of human nature to judge people before even getting to know them, and beside race, religion, appearance, etc. family is an easy thing to judge on. It would be easy to think someone will turn out just like their father or mother, even though you know it isn’t right to think like that.
If ones family has an awful past, or one that they are ashamed of, then the future generation should hear about it and come to terms with it. Many of the people in the article said it was a very hard burden to carry, and for some it took years or rehab to be able to finally confront it. It is hard and parents may want to protect their children. In the article, one person said that their family called them a traitor. The children have the right to know about what their family history, and if it comes out the wrong way, that could be much much worse. The future generations should not be blamed for their ancestors mistakes, so they have nothing to fear but the truth.
I don't think that it is right to punish someone because someone in their family did something. People should understand that we are different people, and shouldn't be judged by what other people do, but what we do! Just because someone's grandfather was a Nazi, doesn't mean that the child should be hated all around the world. He/she is a whole new person, who could have amazing features and great values. Sure, when people look at someone that has a bad history, they will obviously form an opinion, but when you start talking to them, you should judge them on their personality, and not on their past. Children should have a right to learn about their history, but shouldn't be criticized or blamed for it. The truth is the truth, and people change.
Punishing someone because of their ancestry is obviously wrong, and in a case like this is extremely ironic. Punishing people for their descent- Jewish, Romany, or otherwise- is exactly what made the Nazis awful, and by punishing their descendants for their deeds people sink to their level. It is important to come to terms with the past though. Anyone who has the means to do so, whether they have a personal connection or not, should endeavor to repair the damage done by the past and create a better future.
I think it is unfair how people are punished because of what they're earlier family members. They did not influence they're relatives to do what they did. It is wrong to punish later generations of Nazi members befcause they had nothing to do with the Nazi practice. Especially since the Nazi member of the family was most likely punished before hand. But I do not blame people who react violently against people related to Nazi's. The Nazi's created a horrible event in history that people will never forget. Then again, it is wrong to hurt people related to Nazi's. It was not their desicion to start the Holocaust, it was they're family member. I do feel it is wrong to hold a grudge against the Nazi's but punishing innocent peopole because of their doing is super wrong.
I do not think that people should be punished for the mistakes that their ancestors made It is not a 12 year olds fault the 60 years ago a grandfather he never knew should be punished for the crimes that his grandpa committed it was not the Childs fault I think that once siomeone figures out that someone in their family was responsible for the deaths of thousands that It is alot to deal with and that they should not be terrorized for it they should realize it wad wrong and that is all.
There is nothing you can do about the past but forgetting it is disrespect the people your past generations hurt. Instead of pretending that nothing happened and your family is perfect you should seek out forgiveness and show to the people that they are unlike your ancestors in wanting to hurt them. Guilt is not a feeling that should be inside of you, it should be more like sorrow and showing that you know what has happened and recognize what pain has been caused. Definitely not ignoring the past because again that shows a sense of dishonoring in a way that it does not matter what sadness your ancestors have caused.
I personally think that punishing someone for what their ancestors have done decades ago is very wrong. Why should someone get punished for someone else's fault? For example, if your friend does something wrong while you're with him/her, and you get held responsible, that won't be fair. If the person is held accountable for their early family member's actions, then they should be punished. If the person inherits the same traits and does very similar tihngs to their early family members, they should be punished. But punishing them is very wrong, especially when they have no fault at all in anything.
I believe that absolutely no one should be held accountable for what their past generation has committed in terms of crimes and other various felony's, regarding of course if they had sided with them. Violence should not be used against the people with unfortunate pasts, but it's as if no one wants to stand there and accept it. In no way or form was it their choice to be born into a family with a dreadful family history, but not much can be done about it. As they had said in the article, guilt may only be felt at this point, as well as attempting to perform good deedsand tasks, acting as apologies in a way.
No one should have too bear the weight of their ancestor's actions upon their shoulders. Everyone is their individual person. They have their own actions and opinions. One should not be blamed for their past's actions. Though they may regret those actions and events, they are in no relation to what happened. They couldnt have prevented it, nor could they have tried to stop it. It could be alot to deal with. I know I wouldnt have just let it go if i found out something teriible about my ancestors. My immediate reaction would be immediate remorse or regret. I would feel in some way responsible, even if I was not in any way. But then again I'm not saying that you should completely ignore it and act like it never happened. You should be able to acknowledge the fact that what happened cant be change. But you should know that you can do something better, and that what is the past shouldnt affect your future in that way.
I do not think anyone should have to feel ashamed because of their family. They should know what their family did was bad but should not feel shameful themselves because they can not help being born into a family with a bad past. I think people should just accept their family's history and use the knowledge as a way to prevent themselves from making the same mistakes
Just because someone's ancestor happens to be a Nazi, it shouldn't carry such great affect on the future generations. If the ancestor did such things, they shouldn't be blamed for them. If his ancestor chose to be a Nazi, he couldn't have stopped it anyways. It's something that happened in the past, and unless he wanted to continue the Nazi practices there's no reason to be blamed. He was simply finding out his ancestry and many do today. But if I were finding something like that, I would be pretty ashamed to have ancestry like that but what happened, happened and he couldn't have change it now. People change and can do better than the previous generations.
I think that one person should not have to carry the misdeeds of their ancestors into future generations (even if the misdeeds were so great that one would get beaten up for it years later.) That's Rainer Hoess's case here. He did not have any fault but was beaten up by the gardener only because the ordeal was THE Holocaust. Rainer Hoess shouldn't have to feel guilty at all. And I completely disagree with the statement he gave to the media. "Whether you're the grandfather or grandson - guilty is guilty." Hoess only feels this way because of the reaction he has gotten from the people he knows. Hoess says that his grandfather's deeds are just something to feel sad about because no one can change what has already happened. I agree with that. So, a person should never feel guilty when they are not at fault. Even Rainer Hoess.
Hmmm... lots of great points made, I'll take a turn to contribute. I can see why later generations may be looked at with the same guilt as their ancestors, the man who beat up Rainer Hoess obviously couldn't stand him. It makes sense! We tend to associate successive generations with previous generations, with whatever achievements or atrocities they may have caused. But no, as what everyone said, no one should be mistreated because of their ancestors, especially in something periodic like this. The Nazis could almost be described as simply a phase in the war, where everyone who was involved in that phase, may have just caught on with some of the bias/prejudice against Jews back then. Hoess's guilt and sadness is understandable - if I had an ancestor like that, it'd be hard to get him out of my mind too! Anyways, the Holocaust is something that's past, and history is history... look fowards in life :D
People should not be punished for what their ancestors or other family members have done. Especially in the case of people who haven’t even met or communicated with this family member or weren’t alive when the family member did whatever wrong thing they did, like most in the article, they had no influence on what their family member did. It is not the children’s fault, and they could not have changed their family member’s decision easily, if at all. If the family member doesn’t think that what their family member did was wrong, like torturing Jews, then that is one thing, but just being related to someone is another. Nobody can choose their parents or choose their grandparents, so they shouldn’t be to blame for what their relatives did. Also, people should stop living in the past. People should learn to forgive and forget. If people were to be discriminated for what their ancestors did, everybody in this world would be discriminated against.
I don't think that one should be judged by what their family has done in the past. You are a new individual, not a repeat of, say, your grandfather. The quote from the article "Paczynski asked Hoess to get up and walk across the room — then told him: "You look exactly like your grandfather." particularly stood out to me. Yes, Hoess looks similar to his grandfather, but look at all that he has done! He teaches children and students about how bad anti-semitism is, visited Aushwitz, and even donated his Nazi grandfather's belongings to a meuseam. I think that what he has done is the complete opposite of how his grandfather acted. It makes me sad to think that all these people have been affected in negative ways based on how only one of their relatives acted and on the bad decisions that only one person made. Initially I had hoped that eventually the effected individuals would be able to come to terms with their family's past and forgive themselves. But forgive themselves for what? They haven't done ANYTHING at all wrong! That goes to show how some of them may be confused about it, they might think that they are evil too, which is really entirely untrue (considering they did nothing). Therefore, I have edited my conclusion; I hope that those individuals will be able to come to terms with their family's past, and let go of it. Learn from it, but don't blame yourself.
I think that no one should be judged on what their parents or grandparents have done in the past. The judgements of others should not be weighed down upon you, just because you have a relation to them. It saddens me to realize how horrible it must be for those who have to live everyday knowing that their father or grandfather was a mass murder. I think that people should judge others on how they act, and not on how their predecessors act. People especially should not be judged if they don't even know the person. Say I had a great grandfather that was a murder. I probably would not have even known him so what is to say I would be like him. He would have no influence on me. Also, I think that people who had parents that committed horrible crimes might be somewhat bad. But, people can change and I feel that we shouldn't judge on what other people do, but on what we do.
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No one should be held responsible for the past actions of family members. If someone’s grandfather was a Nazi, that shouldn’t reflect on the younger generation, unless they also hold the same beliefs. They didn’t choose to be related to a murderer. It’s not their fault and they shouldn’t be blamed. They also should not feel guilty, although I probably would. Again, something their ancestor did, maybe even before they were born, should not affect them like that. Even though it would be nice to think that people shouldn’t judge others based on their family, I don’t think it’s possible for humans as a whole to just ignore that. It’s a part of human nature to judge people before even getting to know them, and beside race, religion, appearance, etc. family is an easy thing to judge on. It would be easy to think someone will turn out just like their father or mother, even though you know it isn’t right to think like that.
ReplyDeleteIf ones family has an awful past, or one that they are ashamed of, then the future generation should hear about it and come to terms with it. Many of the people in the article said it was a very hard burden to carry, and for some it took years or rehab to be able to finally confront it. It is hard and parents may want to protect their children. In the article, one person said that their family called them a traitor. The children have the right to know about what their family history, and if it comes out the wrong way, that could be much much worse. The future generations should not be blamed for their ancestors mistakes, so they have nothing to fear but the truth.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it is right to punish someone because someone in their family did something. People should understand that we are different people, and shouldn't be judged by what other people do, but what we do! Just because someone's grandfather was a Nazi, doesn't mean that the child should be hated all around the world. He/she is a whole new person, who could have amazing features and great values. Sure, when people look at someone that has a bad history, they will obviously form an opinion, but when you start talking to them, you should judge them on their personality, and not on their past. Children should have a right to learn about their history, but shouldn't be criticized or blamed for it. The truth is the truth, and people change.
ReplyDeletePunishing someone because of their ancestry is obviously wrong, and in a case like this is extremely ironic. Punishing people for their descent- Jewish, Romany, or otherwise- is exactly what made the Nazis awful, and by punishing their descendants for their deeds people sink to their level. It is important to come to terms with the past though. Anyone who has the means to do so, whether they have a personal connection or not, should endeavor to repair the damage done by the past and create a better future.
ReplyDeleteI think it is unfair how people are punished because of what they're earlier family members. They did not influence they're relatives to do what they did. It is wrong to punish later generations of Nazi members befcause they had nothing to do with the Nazi practice. Especially since the Nazi member of the family was most likely punished before hand. But I do not blame people who react violently against people related to Nazi's. The Nazi's created a horrible event in history that people will never forget. Then again, it is wrong to hurt people related to Nazi's. It was not their desicion to start the Holocaust, it was they're family member. I do feel it is wrong to hold a grudge against the Nazi's but punishing innocent peopole because of their doing is super wrong.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that people should be punished for the mistakes that their ancestors made It is not a 12 year olds fault the 60 years ago a grandfather he never knew should be punished for the crimes that his grandpa committed it was not the Childs fault I think that once siomeone figures out that someone in their family was responsible for the deaths of thousands that It is alot to deal with and that they should not be terrorized for it they should realize it wad wrong and that is all.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing you can do about the past but forgetting it is disrespect the people your past generations hurt. Instead of pretending that nothing happened and your family is perfect you should seek out forgiveness and show to the people that they are unlike your ancestors in wanting to hurt them. Guilt is not a feeling that should be inside of you, it should be more like sorrow and showing that you know what has happened and recognize what pain has been caused. Definitely not ignoring the past because again that shows a sense of dishonoring in a way that it does not matter what sadness your ancestors have caused.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that punishing someone for what their ancestors have done decades ago is very wrong. Why should someone get punished for someone else's fault? For example, if your friend does something wrong while you're with him/her, and you get held responsible, that won't be fair.
ReplyDeleteIf the person is held accountable for their early family member's actions, then they should be punished. If the person inherits the same traits and does very similar tihngs to their early family members, they should be punished. But punishing them is very wrong, especially when they have no fault at all in anything.
I believe that absolutely no one should be held accountable for what their past generation has committed in terms of crimes and other various felony's, regarding of course if they had sided with them. Violence should not be used against the people with unfortunate pasts, but it's as if no one wants to stand there and accept it. In no way or form was it their choice to be born into a family with a dreadful family history, but not much can be done about it. As they had said in the article, guilt may only be felt at this point, as well as attempting to perform good deedsand tasks, acting as apologies in a way.
ReplyDeleteNo one should have too bear the weight of their ancestor's actions upon their shoulders. Everyone is their individual person. They have their own actions and opinions. One should not be blamed for their past's actions. Though they may regret those actions and events, they are in no relation to what happened. They couldnt have prevented it, nor could they have tried to stop it. It could be alot to deal with. I know I wouldnt have just let it go if i found out something teriible about my ancestors. My immediate reaction would be immediate remorse or regret. I would feel in some way responsible, even if I was not in any way. But then again I'm not saying that you should completely ignore it and act like it never happened. You should be able to acknowledge the fact that what happened cant be change. But you should know that you can do something better, and that what is the past shouldnt affect your future in that way.
ReplyDeleteI do not think anyone should have to feel ashamed because of their family. They should know what their family did was bad but should not feel shameful themselves because they can not help being born into a family with a bad past. I think people should just accept their family's history and use the knowledge as a way to prevent themselves from making the same mistakes
ReplyDeleteJust because someone's ancestor happens to be a Nazi, it shouldn't carry such great affect on the future generations. If the ancestor did such things, they shouldn't be blamed for them. If his ancestor chose to be a Nazi, he couldn't have stopped it anyways. It's something that happened in the past, and unless he wanted to continue the Nazi practices there's no reason to be blamed. He was simply finding out his ancestry and many do today. But if I were finding something like that, I would be pretty ashamed to have ancestry like that but what happened, happened and he couldn't have change it now. People change and can do better than the previous generations.
ReplyDeleteI think that one person should not have to carry the misdeeds of their ancestors into future generations (even if the misdeeds were so great that one would get beaten up for it years later.) That's Rainer Hoess's case here. He did not have any fault but was beaten up by the gardener only because the ordeal was THE Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteRainer Hoess shouldn't have to feel guilty at all. And I completely disagree with the statement he gave to the media. "Whether you're the grandfather or grandson - guilty is guilty." Hoess only feels this way because of the reaction he has gotten from the people he knows. Hoess says that his grandfather's deeds are just something to feel sad about because no one can change what has already happened. I agree with that.
So, a person should never feel guilty when they are not at fault. Even Rainer Hoess.
Hmmm... lots of great points made, I'll take a turn to contribute. I can see why later generations may be looked at with the same guilt as their ancestors, the man who beat up Rainer Hoess obviously couldn't stand him. It makes sense! We tend to associate successive generations with previous generations, with whatever achievements or atrocities they may have caused. But no, as what everyone said, no one should be mistreated because of their ancestors, especially in something periodic like this. The Nazis could almost be described as simply a phase in the war, where everyone who was involved in that phase, may have just caught on with some of the bias/prejudice against Jews back then. Hoess's guilt and sadness is understandable - if I had an ancestor like that, it'd be hard to get him out of my mind too! Anyways, the Holocaust is something that's past, and history is history... look fowards in life :D
ReplyDeletePeople should not be punished for what their ancestors or other family members have done. Especially in the case of people who haven’t even met or communicated with this family member or weren’t alive when the family member did whatever wrong thing they did, like most in the article, they had no influence on what their family member did. It is not the children’s fault, and they could not have changed their family member’s decision easily, if at all. If the family member doesn’t think that what their family member did was wrong, like torturing Jews, then that is one thing, but just being related to someone is another. Nobody can choose their parents or choose their grandparents, so they shouldn’t be to blame for what their relatives did. Also, people should stop living in the past. People should learn to forgive and forget. If people were to be discriminated for what their ancestors did, everybody in this world would be discriminated against.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that one should be judged by what their family has done in the past. You are a new individual, not a repeat of, say, your grandfather. The quote from the article "Paczynski asked Hoess to get up and walk across the room — then told him: "You look exactly like your grandfather." particularly stood out to me. Yes, Hoess looks similar to his grandfather, but look at all that he has done! He teaches children and students about how bad anti-semitism is, visited Aushwitz, and even donated his Nazi grandfather's belongings to a meuseam. I think that what he has done is the complete opposite of how his grandfather acted. It makes me sad to think that all these people have been affected in negative ways based on how only one of their relatives acted and on the bad decisions that only one person made. Initially I had hoped that eventually the effected individuals would be able to come to terms with their family's past and forgive themselves. But forgive themselves for what? They haven't done ANYTHING at all wrong! That goes to show how some of them may be confused about it, they might think that they are evil too, which is really entirely untrue (considering they did nothing). Therefore, I have edited my conclusion; I hope that those individuals will be able to come to terms with their family's past, and let go of it. Learn from it, but don't blame yourself.
ReplyDeleteI think that no one should be judged on what their parents or grandparents have done in the past. The judgements of others should not be weighed down upon you, just because you have a relation to them. It saddens me to realize how horrible it must be for those who have to live everyday knowing that their father or grandfather was a mass murder. I think that people should judge others on how they act, and not on how their predecessors act. People especially should not be judged if they don't even know the person. Say I had a great grandfather that was a murder. I probably would not have even known him so what is to say I would be like him. He would have no influence on me. Also, I think that people who had parents that committed horrible crimes might be somewhat bad. But, people can change and I feel that we shouldn't judge on what other people do, but on what we do.
ReplyDelete