In spite of Russian trolls and slanted algorithms, some food for thought can be harvested from Facebook. 

Three recent posts gave me pause for consideration.

“If a person wonders what they would have been doing if they had lived in Hitler’s Pre-World War II Germany in 1938, they’re probably doing it now,” one Facebook post stated.

I can’t argue. Today’s headlines are increasingly overwhelming. I want to look away and believe that totalitarianism can’t happen here, as many Germans surely did.

Some might say that the U.S. today can’t be compared to 1938 Germany, but similarities are hard to ignore. The following tidbits are courtesy of Wikipedia.

Before his election in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by promoting German nationalism, antisemitism, and anti-communism. His oratory was charismatic; his propaganda campaign, which included playing on Christians’ fears of “being swamped by an influx of Eastern European Jews,” was effective.

After Hitler’s election in 1933, Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference, and military spending was given priority over unemployment relief.

Members of the national military, as well as civil servants, were required to pledge an oath of loyalty to Hitler himself, instead of to Germany’s constitution.

In a move that transformed Hitler’s government into a “de facto legal dictatorship,” basic rights were suspended and people could be detained without trial. 

Hitler gained full control over the legislative and executive branches of government, and he and his allies began to suppress the remaining opposition. Elections became a sham, as non-voters and those who attempted to vote against Hitler were threatened with reprisal. Political opponents were rounded up, arrested and shot, but many German citizens excused Hitler, believing that he was restoring order.

Hitler told a British correspondent in 1934 that German citizens laughed when he told them he intended to remain in power, but he got the last laugh when he eliminated the last legal remedy by which he could be removed from office.

Hindsight revealed the estimated 6 million Jews and millions of journalists, professors, dissenters, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others whom Hitler and his cohorts murdered, but the average German didn’t wake up until trouble was at their doorstep. By then, silence behooved them, if they were to live.

“Totalitarianism doesn’t arrive with a warning label, [but] grows when silence feels safer than truth,” states a quote on Facebook attributed to blogger Ella Hicks.

The concept is familiar.

In a good marriage, wisdom sometimes dictates holding one’s tongue for the sake of preserving the relationship.

But in a bad marriage, one partner must remain silent – to tiptoe as if walking on eggshells – to avoid detonating the wrath of the other. Such fear-motivated silence is not golden, no matter what virtuous spin is put on it. 

The dynamic represents a relationship rotten at its core. Fear-induced silence allows totalitarians to flourish while producing guilt, self-loathing and shame in those who remain silent.

As of late, I’ve found myself walking on eggshells, trying hard to claim virtue by telling myself that, by remaining silent, I’m keeping discord out of the local community. 

Perhaps. 

But it’s possible that my silence is also contributing in some small way to the death of our democracy. Sad that it’s come to this.

Which brings me to the third Facebook post I read that made me stop and think. The question was asked, and I paraphrase, why people repeatedly post controversial material on Facebook. Do they suppose that people can’t do their own research and formulate their own opinions? The writer wondered.

I gave that post and the question some serious thought.

In this age of news bombardment and information overload, it’s almost impossible for any one person to do enough research to learn every facet of every topic pertinent to our national interest. With Facebook, I can learn what other people are reading or thinking about, and, in so doing, maybe broaden my own horizons. 

Facebook and various online news sources give me freedom to sift, sort and digest, and I’m under no obligation to agree. Sometimes, in turn, I like to share what I learn. 

A person can take it or leave it, but, in sharing, my obligation is fulfilled.

Sheila Harris is a long-time Barry County resident and a sales executive and investigative reporter for the Cassville Democrat with a particular interest in environmental and human-interest topics. She may be reached at [email protected].