Hitler quotes in high school yearbook (1 Viewer)

[Hooper31]

Story from a neighboring school district. I know the superintendent and principal quite well. The quotes are:

-- "If you want to shine like the sun, first you have to burn like it."

-- "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future."

-- "Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise.

LINK - note: If you want to read the article you have to close the pop window asking you login before it fully loads in your browser.

Some local outrage from parents. The community is very religious right wing. No bars. Many many churchs. Laws against public dancing. Laws against alcohol sales on Sundays. Strict lawn care rules enforced by the city. They will mow your lawn for you and mail you the bill.

The majority of responses so far don't come close to understanding the meaning. The three kids wanted to express their concern that youth in the community were being indoctrinated into the conservative religious ideology.

 

[The Big Guy]

While they may have had good intentions, the use of Hitler quotes is never going to end well. Looks like they will get that as a final lesson from school.

 

[cstu]

Here's a church group using a Hitler quote to promote its mission:

The billboard message, purchased by Life Savers Ministries to promote the church group, quoted the Nazi leader as saying, "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future." The billboard also included a biblical quote: "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Indoctrinate the kids and you own them for life.

 

[fatness]

It happened in Easton PA awhile back, supposedly accidentally.

"And in the last analysis, success is what matters,"

It happened in the Dartmouth Review, not accidentally.

“Therefore, I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator: By warding off the Jews, I am fighting for the Lord’s work.”

 

[Homer J Simpson]

I like that first one.

 

[Norman Paperman]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

 

[Otis]

Lol at laws against public dancing. Why on earth does anyone live in what sounds like an awful place.

 

[Otis]

Maybe they are using the quotes ironically?

 

[Ilov80s]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

I support the students expressing their opinions, but the yearbook is a school publication and has no guarantee of free speech. I completely understand wanting to edit the book and don't think removing quotes from Hitler is overstepping any boundaries. I don't think a school yearbook is the place to make controversial political/social statements.

 

[Otis]

Here's a church group using a Hitler quote to promote its mission:

The billboard message, purchased by Life Savers Ministries to promote the church group, quoted the Nazi leader as saying, "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future." The billboard also included a biblical quote: "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Indoctrinate the kids and you own them for life.

Yay religion!

 

[Kal El]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

 

[Sarnoff]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

I support the students expressing their opinions, but the yearbook is a school publication and has no guarantee of free speech. I completely understand wanting to edit the book and don't think removing quotes from Hitler is overstepping any boundaries. I don't think a school yearbook is the place to make controversial political/social statements.

Hitler didn't actually commit any crimes or break any laws.

 

[Quint]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

I support the students expressing their opinions, but the yearbook is a school publication and has no guarantee of free speech. I completely understand wanting to edit the book and don't think removing quotes from Hitler is overstepping any boundaries. I don't think a school yearbook is the place to make controversial political/social statements.

Hitler didn't actually commit any crimes or break any laws.

and, obviously, never played "Risk" as a kid.

 

[Norman Paperman]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

:noted:

 

[joffer]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly?.

It's not, it's massively different than teaching the child to think for him/her self and come to their own conclusions.

 

[fatness]

School yearbooks are one of the last opportunities for adults to nanny teenagers who are becoming adults.

When the teenagers become adults they'll complain about nannying in the world, and will try to nanny their children by restricting what goes in their high school yearbooks.

Same as it ever was.

 

[joffer]

I'm not understanding what's wrong with any of those quotes

 

[Todem]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

I support the students expressing their opinions, but the yearbook is a school publication and has no guarantee of free speech. I completely understand wanting to edit the book and don't think removing quotes from Hitler is overstepping any boundaries. I don't think a school yearbook is the place to make controversial political/social statements.

Hitler didn't actually commit any crimes or break any laws.

Quite possibly the worst and most despicable post I have ever read on these forums.

You can't be serious.

 

[Raider Nation]

Lol at laws against public dancing.

Does Kevin Bacon know about this?

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Some local outrage from parents. The community is very religious right wing. No bars. Many many churchs. Laws against public dancing. Laws against alcohol sales on Sundays.

Sounds like the kids should have been quoting from "Footloose".

 

[Raider Nation]

Wish I had made a Footloose joke first.

 

[timschochet]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

 

[jonessed]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Countdown to Tim backing down and changing sides in 3...2...1...

 

[timschochet]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I certainly don't. But even if some do, expressing ones opinion is not the same as indoctrination, so long as it is not stated as fact.

 

[timschochet]

Countdown to Tim backing down and changing sides in 3...2...1...

Not this time.

 

[jonessed]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I certainly don't. But even if some do, expressing ones opinion is not the same as indoctrination, so long as it is not stated as fact.

We are talking about a parent-child relationship here.

 

[timschochet]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I certainly don't. But even if some do, expressing ones opinion is not the same as indoctrination, so long as it is not stated as fact.

We are talking about a parent-child relationship here.

Yep, and I'm telling you that atheist and agnostic parents are likely to tell their children, "Think for yourself", while religious parents are likely to tell their children, "There is a God and here are the details", and likely to send their children to Sunday School in order to press those details home. One is indoctrination and one isn't, and it's not even comparable.

 

[jonessed]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I certainly don't. But even if some do, expressing ones opinion is not the same as indoctrination, so long as it is not stated as fact.

We are talking about a parent-child relationship here.

Yep, and I'm telling you that atheist and agnostic parents are likely to tell their children, "Think for yourself", while religious parents are likely to tell their children, "There is a God and here are the details", and likely to send their children to Sunday School in order to press those details home. One is indoctrination and one isn't, and it's not even comparable.

And you know this how?

 

[timschochet]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I certainly don't. But even if some do, expressing ones opinion is not the same as indoctrination, so long as it is not stated as fact.

We are talking about a parent-child relationship here.

Yep, and I'm telling you that atheist and agnostic parents are likely to tell their children, "Think for yourself", while religious parents are likely to tell their children, "There is a God and here are the details", and likely to send their children to Sunday School in order to press those details home. One is indoctrination and one isn't, and it's not even comparable.

And you know this how?

I don't know it. I believe it to be true.

 

[Ilov80s]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

I support the students expressing their opinions, but the yearbook is a school publication and has no guarantee of free speech. I completely understand wanting to edit the book and don't think removing quotes from Hitler is overstepping any boundaries. I don't think a school yearbook is the place to make controversial political/social statements.

Hitler didn't actually commit any crimes or break any laws.

Quite possibly the worst and most despicable post I have ever read on these forums.You can't be serious.

I think he was getting at the idea that Hitler was making the laws so he was often actually following German law. That is irrelevant to this topic.

 

[Kal El]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly?.

It's not, it's massively different than teaching the child to think for him/her self and come to their own conclusions.

You're still telling the child your beliefs, and children tend to parrot what they're taught by their parents.

 

[fatness]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly?.

It's not, it's massively different than teaching the child to think for him/her self and come to their own conclusions.

You're still telling the child your beliefs, and children tend to parrot what they're taught by their parents.

How would someone parrot "think for yourself and come to your own conclusion"?

 

[igbomb]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I certainly don't. But even if some do, expressing ones opinion is not the same as indoctrination, so long as it is not stated as fact.

We are talking about a parent-child relationship here.

Yep, and I'm telling you that atheist and agnostic parents are likely to tell their children, "Think for yourself", while religious parents are likely to tell their children, "There is a God and here are the details", and likely to send their children to Sunday School in order to press those details home. One is indoctrination and one isn't, and it's not even comparable.

Bull. I'll buy that from agnostics. Their whole position is grounded in the lack of certainty so I'll grant that they may pass that same uncertainty.

But atheists tend to feel rather confident in their approach. And, just like anything else that parents feel they know the truth around, will inevitably pass that along to their kids.

I don't know a lot of atheists that take a live and let live approach with their own children any more than the religious folks I know do.

 

[Kal El]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly?.

It's not, it's massively different than teaching the child to think for him/her self and come to their own conclusions.

You're still telling the child your beliefs, and children tend to parrot what they're taught by their parents.

How would someone parrot "think for yourself and come to your own conclusion"?

I don't have an answer for that. However, I was raised in a Christian home, but also taught to think for myself ( huge contradiction, amirite) but I came to the conclusion that despite the terrible things people are capable of, there is in fact a God who loves us.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Hitler thought it was funny to sign yearbooks "Those who knew me, knew me well; those who didn't can go to hell -- AH 1907"

 

[Otis]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly?.

It's not, it's massively different than teaching the child to think for him/her self and come to their own conclusions.

You're still telling the child your beliefs, and children tend to parrot what they're taught by their parents

How would someone parrot "think for yourself and come to your own conclusion"?

I don't have an answer for that. However, I was raised in a Christian home, but also taught to think for myself ( huge contradiction, amirite) but I came to the conclusion that despite the terrible things people are capable of, there is in fact a God who loves us.

This god who loves us, is the the same guy who let the two 12 year old girls stab their friend to within an inch if her life?

Man, he's got a funny way of showing it.

 

[Todem]

Good for the students. Shame on the school for even thinking about censoring future comments - absent foul language, or specific hate-speech, let the kids express themselves. Who are they hurting with these quotes?

I support the students expressing their opinions, but the yearbook is a school publication and has no guarantee of free speech. I completely understand wanting to edit the book and don't think removing quotes from Hitler is overstepping any boundaries. I don't think a school yearbook is the place to make controversial political/social statements.

Hitler didn't actually commit any crimes or break any laws.

Quite possibly the worst and most despicable post I have ever read on these forums.You can't be serious.

I think he was getting at the idea that Hitler was making the laws so he was often actually following German law. That is irrelevant to this topic.

Got it.

And yes this town is like Footloose.

 

[Kal El]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly?.

It's not, it's massively different than teaching the child to think for him/her self and come to their own conclusions.

You're still telling the child your beliefs, and children tend to parrot what they're taught by their parents

How would someone parrot "think for yourself and come to your own conclusion"?

I don't have an answer for that. However, I was raised in a Christian home, but also taught to think for myself ( huge contradiction, amirite) but I came to the conclusion that despite the terrible things people are capable of, there is in fact a God who loves us.

This god who loves us, is the the same guy who let the two 12 year old girls stab their friend to within an inch if her life?

Man, he's got a funny way of showing it.

He gave us free will. If He wanted mindless robots to worship Him, he could have had that. That means those that choose to worship Him did so on their own. Of course, that leaves the opposite choice open as well, and with it, very bad things can happen.

 

[Native]

I'm not understanding what's wrong with any of those quotes

Its the source not the words. Would you be ok if someone glorified Ariel Castro with a yearbook quote? Or the Boston Marathon bomber? Or Jeffrey Dahmer? Their words may be harmless but the abhorrent ideas they represent have no place in yearbooks.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Hooper --

Do you happen to know the students' motivation for doing this? For example, are these students neo-Nazis or was this just a graduation prank? (My inner ####### thinks it would actually be kind of funny to choose motivational quotes from historic villains as a way of mocking the genre, but I obviously don't know that that's what happened here).

 

[Norman Paperman]

We're talking about a few quotes from high school seniors that were published in a ####### yearbook. This isn't a NYT Op-Ed piece, this isn't a teacher trying to influence his students - its a line in a yearbook, that until this became "news" a couple of hundred people would have read, and even fewer would have known the source.

Who gives a ####? Do you remember what you wrote for your high school yearbook?

Of all the things in the world to worry about, this does not even rate.

 

[Norman Paperman]

I'm not understanding what's wrong with any of those quotes

Its the source not the words. Would you be ok if someone glorified Ariel Castro with a yearbook quote? Or the Boston Marathon bomber? Or Jeffrey Dahmer? Their words may be harmless but the abhorrent ideas they represent have no place in yearbooks.

When did yearbooks become so sacrosanct?

I'd much rather see someone who can think on their own, even if I disagree with their ideas.

What are the abhorrent ideas that these quotes represent? Seems to me there is a certain truth to the statements, no matter the source...

 

[mr roboto]

This thread sucks.

 

[Hooper31]

Hooper --

Do you happen to know the students' motivation for doing this? For example, are these students neo-Nazis or was this just a graduation prank? (My inner ####### thinks it would actually be kind of funny to choose motivational quotes from historic villains as a way of mocking the genre, but I obviously don't know that that's what happened here).

I don't. Given the reputation of the town I'm guessing the quotes were a jab at the town's christian center.

 

[Hooper31]

This thread sucks.

One of the moms of the students agrees. Here's her response in the comments at the bottom of the article linked above.

Parents have a right to be "offended". My issue is this; Who runs to the news crews when they see something in a school yearbook?!? Who does that?!? It's NOT news worthy. And for you to say that the youth lack knowledge? My son is one of those students and I can GUARANTEE you, he does NOT lack knowledge. Just because words were said by one of the most hated individual to ever walk this earth, doesn't mean those same words can't be used in a different context to mean something GOOD.

 

[Native]

I'm not understanding what's wrong with any of those quotes

Its the source not the words. Would you be ok if someone glorified Ariel Castro with a yearbook quote? Or the Boston Marathon bomber? Or Jeffrey Dahmer? Their words may be harmless but the abhorrent ideas they represent have no place in yearbooks.

When did yearbooks become so sacrosanct?

I'd much rather see someone who can think on their own, even if I disagree with their ideas.

What are the abhorrent ideas that these quotes represent? Seems to me there is a certain truth to the statements, no matter the source...

Let me get this straight- you have no issue with a high school student quoting Ariel Castro for his yearbook quote so long as the quote itself has merit?

 

[Norman Paperman]

I'm not understanding what's wrong with any of those quotes

Its the source not the words. Would you be ok if someone glorified Ariel Castro with a yearbook quote? Or the Boston Marathon bomber? Or Jeffrey Dahmer? Their words may be harmless but the abhorrent ideas they represent have no place in yearbooks.

When did yearbooks become so sacrosanct?

I'd much rather see someone who can think on their own, even if I disagree with their ideas.

What are the abhorrent ideas that these quotes represent? Seems to me there is a certain truth to the statements, no matter the source...

Let me get this straight- you have no issue with a high school student quoting Ariel Castro for his yearbook quote so long as the quote itself has merit?

I generally don't have any problem with any quote, unless it was hate speech directed at specific individuals or groups.

You could quote idi amin, Pope Benedict, who ever you hated the most, and it will have zero impact on my life.

 

[[icon]]

On the whole "indoctrination" issue, how is raising a child to follow Christ any different than telling yoir child here's no God and raising them accordingly? For the record, I think the idea of using quotes by a person who has to make the Top 10 all-time Worst People list is an exceedingly bad one.

We had a whole thread about this in the past, but I believe the vast majority of atheist parents do NOT tell their children that there is no god. The majority of us tell our kids that we don't believe in the existence of God, but that it's up for them to decide for themselves. That's what independent thinking is supposed to be about. We don't indoctrinate.

Given the disdain for religion by atheists around here I find it very hard to believe they go through great efforts to hide it from their children.

I browbeat the bible beaters pretty badly in here and I'm certainly agnostic... however that is mostly on-forum shtick. I was raised catholic, went to catholic schools, etc... but my folks (atheist) gave me the opportunity to decide for myself once I was old enough to do so. Same with my little (13yo) brother.

I grew disenfranchised with religion after studying it fairly in depth and parted ways with the church during High School. My brother did the same but his wife (whom he met in college) is hyper religious so he's been sucked back in. Given their two young kids I don't fault him, as church is a great tool for instilling moral fiber into children at a young age.

If/When I have kids, they will have every right to decide for themselves.

 

[Native]

I'm not understanding what's wrong with any of those quotes

Its the source not the words. Would you be ok if someone glorified Ariel Castro with a yearbook quote? Or the Boston Marathon bomber? Or Jeffrey Dahmer? Their words may be harmless but the abhorrent ideas they represent have no place in yearbooks.

When did yearbooks become so sacrosanct?

I'd much rather see someone who can think on their own, even if I disagree with their ideas.

What are the abhorrent ideas that these quotes represent? Seems to me there is a certain truth to the statements, no matter the source...

Let me get this straight- you have no issue with a high school student quoting Ariel Castro for his yearbook quote so long as the quote itself has merit?

I generally don't have any problem with any quote, unless it was hate speech directed at specific individuals or groups.You could quote idi amin, Pope Benedict, who ever you hated the most, and it will have zero impact on my life.

How about specifically? The Columbine gunmen? Is that cool?