The following article is not meant to offend anyone. It's meant to be read slowly. It's meant for the reader to take in observations made and truly reflect on their upcoming decision on Nov. 8. I'm not going to talk about incorrect facts stated by Donald Trump or any of Hillary Clinton's leaked emails if that's what you want to read about or are expecting. I don't care about personal opinions, so please don't waste my time with insulting comments. As previously mentioned, this is just food for thought.
I went on a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin with two friends. It's impossible to even begin to explain, let alone imagine, the monstrosities that happened there. The area is in ruins due to bombings with only a handful of remaining monuments, walls and "buildings." You can see the living conditions that the prisoners had to endure. You hear so many more stories than you do in school and you would never even be able to come up with such ideas without hearing about them. Yet, one still cannot comprehend or imagine what life was like; at least I couldn't.
Something that our tour guide said to our group stuck with me. It was along the lines of history repeating itself. It was more or less a statement about how quickly we have forgotten what happened from 1933 until 1945. Specifically, the use of concentration camps by the Nazis escalated in use during 1939 through 1942. Their use occurred only approximately 70 years ago, yet there are still things occurring today that demonstrate that we have not learned from the past. In terms of the United States, there are policemen who abuse their power and there is a man running for president who detests people different from him and "Americans."
The Holocaust started off because Adolf Hitler said that he wanted people different from him out of Germany. It was after World War I, and German nationalism and pride were higher than ever. Obviously, many of the people supported his ideas because he emphasized the importance of the "perfect race" — referring to the Germans that he considered part of the "Aryan race." This is precisely what Trump is doing by emphasizing his hatred toward people different from him, specifically Hispanics. Nazis — and others — followed Hitler with such a passion that they implemented inhumane rules and acted out with such hate that they turned people into animals. The amount of torture enforced by the Nazis and Gestapo demonstrate what can happen when authorities abuse their power. We see it daily on the news, which is what caused the saying and hashtag "Black Lives Matter." Who says that the authorities who act so cruelly toward people with darker skin will not support him the way the Nazis supported Hitler?
Those who were authoritative figures in the camps were specifically chosen. Who says that Trump won't choose specific people with the same beliefs? The amount of videos that I've seen of Trump supporters stating their arguments has proven that there are people like this who do exist. They may not be acting out by controlling concentration camps, but they do support Trump with hatred of others in their hearts. Hitler never visited a single concentration camp. He never told the Nazis how to treat the prisoners. He left all of the "creativity" to his right-hand man, Heinrich Himmler. What if Trump finds a right-hand man willing to do the same?
"The wall" that Trump plans on creating reminds me of the "great walls" that surrounded every Jew, homosexual, gypsy, opposing politician and many others from 1933 until 1945. The leadership of one "passionate" man managed the murder of up to 20 million people. Anyone can try to ignore or argue the similarities, but they are there. For Heaven's sake, he is running with the slogan "Make America Great Again." That was Hitler's way of life for Germany during his dictatorship. Forget politics. Forget facts. Think and reflect on the past, and vote for someone who won't treat people as if they are animals. The possibility of a man like this coming into power (again) petrifies me. I am a Latina, and I will be one of the people who suffers. Therefore, I ask and beg everyone and anyone who reads this to reflect on the past. Think of The Holocaust and what can possibly happen if the wrong man rises to power. Forget your political party or personal beliefs. In this case, we need to think of what's best for the people. Don't focus on making America great again. Focus on protecting human rights and on making the world a better place. After all, isn't that what we should focus on when choosing a leader?
Just some food for thought.
