Today the Daily Northwestern allowed Holocaust-denier Arthur Butz to write an opinion piece. If you click through you’ll see that I posted a short response.
This afternoon I received this email:
I was checking out the postings concerning Prof Butz and the “Holocaust”.
Derek, I’m asking this next question with the most inquisitive, forthright honesty I can. I don’t mean this sarcastically or maliciously. I’m honestly amazed. You seem intelligent. Do you REALLY believe in this Holocaust stuff? I mean, do you sincerely believe that 1) people were gassed and 2) 6 million jews died?
I just can’t imagine, it boggles my mind that people believe things like this in this day and age.
I’m just asking. I just want to know. Do you REALLY believe, seriously, sincerely?
Here is what I wrote back:
My wife is from China. Over 20 million people died there under Mao, including her grandfather, and Mao wasn’t even efficient enough to operate death camps. Japan killed over 100,000 people in the rape of Nanjing. Genocide happened and there’s plenty of evidence. The real question is not whether Germany carried out the Holocaust, but why we continue to look the other way in the face of other genocides, both in the present (Sudan) and the past (Turkey and the Armenians in 1915-17).
6 million is easy to believe.
Where do people like this come from?