A few days ago, I started a new show called “The Man In The High Castle.” I had heard about this show from a friend and have been waiting to give it a chance but when I finally did, I watched both seasons in three days time. Mind you, there are 10 episodes in each season, and season three is in production for a premiere later this year. It is a show based on a book written in 1962. The series is an alternative history series produced by Amazon and can be found on Amazon Prime.
The premise of the show is a world in which the Axis power in World War II won the war and ultimately controls the world. The end of the war has divided the United States territory into Nazi German territory and the Japanese empire. It is quite a concept to behold, considering where we are today, but it opens up several great story lines as it brings the perspective of a very different world than the one that we know today.
I know I’m not alone when I say, but I get emotionally invested in TV way too much, and this series was no different. It led me through several emotions of empathy, as all good shows do. I experienced the same kind of emotions when (Spoiler alert) Anna Bates was raped on Downton Abbey, when Joel and Julia were having marital issues on Parenthood, and again when the outsider woman on the movie of The Help struggled to have children and fears losing her husband because of it. All of these scenes depicted real emotions that take place when such tragedies/ events take place in life.
Needless to say, the second season finale of this show did the same thing for me. It completely wrecked me. It shouldn't be surprising that in a show within this context, the practices of the Nazis are taking place to be normal. One of those practices is extermination of anyone born with a defect. Without spoiling too many important details, it is discovered that an individual within the Reich (an individual with significant standing in rank) is impacted by the symptoms of a terminal illness. In the world of the Reich, such symptoms call for extermination. Again, I don't want to disclose details or spoil anything within the show, so instead I'll attempt to give the highlights; just imagine a grown human being that is being told that because of something beyond their control, by law, they have to be put to death.
It's incomprehensible to think of exterminating someone because of an illness, yet America, in this very day in age, thinks like this without a second thought. We call it abortion. Wherever you may fall on the subject of abortion, no one can argue that there is any sense in the mentality of Nazi Germany. It's senseless. Maybe you're reading this and you are coming from a different perspective or feel that the choice of the woman has more to do with the woman and her own health. The fact remains the same, that innocent life is being taken. Now whether or not the creators of this show meant to point out such a truth, I do not know. But intentional or not, it becomes clear that exposing the mentality of extermination in Nazi Germany is not very far from exposing our lack of value for human life in today's culture, as it is the woman's choice that is given priority. This grave misconception is why the #MarchForLife took place Friday and it's why it is so important. As far as the show, once again we see that art speaks, and this time it spoke quite eloquently, possibly without even trying.
