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Anti-Nazi demonstrations passionate but lacking dignity

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Also by Frank Hennick:

Anti-Nazi demonstrations passionate but lacking dignity (September 6, 2006)
Campus growth must preserve green space (September 11, 2006)
U.S. should emulate Hungarian rhetoric (September 25, 2006)
Campus spots make UW home (December 4, 2006)
Online feedback lacks accountablity (October 24, 2006)

by Frank Hennick

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

The Farmers' Market was forced to close early two Saturdays ago because of Nazis. Yes, Nazis. Of all possible obstacles that could have shut down this summer staple, a few dozen brown-shirted xenophobes playing dress-up succeeded. Needless to say, several hundred anti-Nazi protesters also showed up, and the delicious wares of the Market were replaced by a bizarre collection of bigots, bongo music and chanting crowds.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz implored citizens to ignore the hate spectacle and to turn their attention toward positive activities. Madison's Jewish Community Council did precisely this and held its annual picnic. Of course, it would have been ideal if all citizens could have done the same; after all, even neo-Nazis would have a hard time convincing themselves of their own importance if their shrill rhetoric fell upon an empty Capitol Loop.

While the mayor was right to advise such restraint, he was still asking too much of young Madisonians, who understandably recoil at the thought of skinheads. You cannot simply tell idealistic and passionate college students to remain indoors and keep their opinions to themselves while neo-Nazis command loudspeakers on the Capitol lawn. Madison, as we know, is a politically zealous city, and the mayor's efforts would have been better spent trying to ensure the dignity of the anti-Nazi demonstrations.

As it turned out, dignity was precisely what the demonstrations sorely needed. The whole spectacle had the look and feel of a "South Park" climax, though hardly anyone could claim to have "learned anything" on Saturday. Although the demonstrators had truth on their side, most did not seem interested in rallying around it. Too many of the protesters squandered the righteousness of their message with obscenities and thoughtless furor.

So, if not angry chants and bird-flipping, then what?

Instead of shouting down fools that we already agree to be ridiculous, why not demonstrate in a positive way? Why not rally in favor of tolerant, pertinent causes? National Socialism vanished as a legitimate threat more than 50 years ago, but the values it opposed (tolerance, open-mindedness, etc.) remain works in progress. Indeed, Saturday's demonstrations would have been a good deal more poignant and effective if participants had focused on these positive themes and refrained from unruly howling.

There is certainly no shortage of constructive issues to choose from. For instance, demonstrators could have campaigned in favor of public education reform, gay marriage, civil liberties or just plain human decency. They focused on none of these positive messages and allowed their words to degenerate into angry piffle.

We know that neo-Nazis are barbaric, backward and angry people. We accomplish absolutely nothing by telling them this — even if we yell it to them in large crowds. Such bigots will not change their minds, and these angry demonstrations probably confirm their ideas. As tempting and easy as it is to denounce hate groups with heated words or gestures, there are certainly more proactive ways to approach their events.

We can probably assume that most of the anti-Nazi demonstrators are better educated and have a better grasp on history than the 50 or so pseudo-Nazis who showed up. While it might be unrealistic to expect protesters to coordinate their efforts, it is not too much to expect that they behave rationally and in a way that credits the truth in their message.

Saturday's demonstrators had history, truth and rationality on their side, yet the protesters drowned much of this away in the din of their rage.

Frank Hennick (fahennick@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in history and international studies.

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Anonymous (September 6, 2006 @ 10:29am):

Next time there's a Nazi rally, here's what we do:

1. get a couple hundred pigeons and put then in cages.

2. One hour before the Nazi rally begins, star feeding the pigeons.

3. When all the Nazis give the Nazi salute in unison, turn the pigeons loose in their direction, accompanied by loud cannon booms and watch the poop come raining down on 'em. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!

Anonymous (September 6, 2006 @ 10:39am):

If a nazi holds a rally and no one pays attention, does the nazi make a sound?

Anonymous (September 6, 2006 @ 11:55am):

The thesis of this column -- a meager afterthought interred in the sixth paragraph -- seems to be a casual suggestion that ignorance and indifference be feigned in the face of evil because all other actions of recourse suffer the short term consequences of stubborn rejection.

This seems an odd posture for Mr. Hennick (assuming him to be the same scribe of Mendota Beacon infamy), insofar as the classic conservative/libertarian solution would be one hinged upon the proverbial marketplace of ideas. In short, the lesson of Skokie -- which seems to be the most precise on point analogy here -- is that inferior words of ill-conceived hate will surely fall victim to superior words of well-conceived acceptance.

Instead, however, this column veers almost 180 degrees from such a well-established rhetorical stance. Mr. Hennick seems caught up in the microscopic emotional context of a vile rally and, accordingly, thoroughly thrown from any sensible base of macroscopic political sense. The column seems scribed in the pathos-driven wake of raw sentiment and unedited in any logos-driven stage that might have occurred thereafter.

By natural extension, the policy advocated by Mr. Hennick is one of neo-isolationism. He crafts a false utopia by essentially raising his hands to his ears and humming so loud that no outside sound may perturb his ideal stream of thought.

Unfortunately, the logical evolution of neo-isolationism is the sort of appeasement that proves fodder for ugly conflict. One needn't reach for some far-fetched metaphor to craft this point -- it is the sad lesson of a war waged with actual Nazis sixty-someodd years ago.

The second commenter on this column employs the classic philosophical query of a tree fallen in the woods. What both he and Mr. Hennick seem to miss is that whether or not the tree makes any actual sound, the gravity-led descent of a large piece of lumber is bound to create a certain veritable impact on its surroundings.

(By the way, is this not the same Mr. Hennick who left the Badger Herald's opinion page rather abruptly in January 2004?)

-Victor Blake Marx

Anonymous (September 6, 2006 @ 12:23pm):

What if this is Planet Hell and the Nazis, damn their dirty little souls, are beloved by an evil god? Who would we be to judge? And ... why would a loving God permit such dandy evil jerks? Questions from a cheeseburger lover!