Op/Ed: Zionsville school board candidate's Nazi comments 'reveal sheer ignorance.'
Last week, Matt Keefer, candidate for Zionsville school board, said, “All Nazis weren’t bad” in a since-deleted social media post. As a descendant of individuals who perished in the Holocaust, scholar of social studies education and trainer of teachers in the state of Indiana, I feel compelled to respond to the comments made by Keefer. This great country entitles you to your opinion, but it does not entitle you to public office.
There are entire fields of scholarship dedicated to study of the Holocaust, yet Keefer does not appear to regard any experts in those fields. Thewhich include recommendations like, “The Holocaust took place because individuals, groups, and nations made decisions to act or not act,” and “Avoid simple answers to complex questions.” It is not our place to vindicate members of the Nazi Party, nor is a Facebook wall an appropriate forum to discuss the complexities of human nature.
antisemitic groups hung a banner over a Los Angeles highway stating, “Kanye was right about the Jews,” in reference to antisemitic remarks made by the rapper. These comments build momentum for discrimination against minority groups, empowering and validating the most bigoted in our society. There is no clarification or explanation that would acquit the Nazis of crimes against humanity in the past, present or future. And there is no excuse for public leaders or those who wish to be public leaders to so casually make exceptions for Nazis.