The most famous forms of Holocaust denial and revisionism tend to focus on Jews, casting doubt, for example, on how many were exterminated in the camps. But denying the impact the Nazis had on the other groups they targeted, including queer and trans people, disabled people and Romani people, is still Holocaust denial. Maybe someone should tell J.K. Rowling.

  • ToastedPlanet
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    9 months ago

    society as a whole and the power we give to racist stereotypical tropes in the first place

    Ignoring racist stereotypes in fiction isn’t the solution. We should want to do better.

    On a separate note, do you not think it’s a stretch to lump her in with holocaust deniers this quickly?

    No. Holocaust denial is holocaust denial. It’s never too early to call it out.

    Isn’t it a little too soon to categorize her lack of understanding that the concept of trans or books being burned occurred under nazis versus those who deny millions were murdered in general?

    No. Valuable research was lost that could have benefited millions of people. Not to mention trans people were killed by the Nazis. The fact millions of Jews were killed does not diminish the harm in denying that other groups were targeted by the Nazis.

    If anything, doesn’t that water-down the category of Holocaust Deniers?

    Although Jews were the group who had the most causalities, the Holocaust affected many different groups of people. Denying any part of the Holocaust is harmful and calling that out in no way diminishes the seriousness of Holocaust denial.

    https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/mosaic-of-victims-an-overview

    https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Holocaust-Facts-and-Figures

    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-research-reveals-how-the-nazis-targeted-transgender-people-180982931/

    • lennybird@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I appreciate the sources and acknowledge everyone from Jews to Communists to Gypsies, LGBTQ, to the Handicapped and so forth were ostracized, discriminated upon, and murdered by the Nazis. What I note does not detract from that; merely to say that someone not recognizing what is frankly not a mainstream fact about the Holocaust does not make them a holocaust denier; it may make them holocaust illiterate. So I mean it’s good to be proactive with this stuff but it’s also important to give people the chance to take a step back and give people a way out instead of compelling them to become what you repeatedly label them as. Reading too much into a single tweet when there – to my knowledge – hasn’t been a response or clarification from Rowling – is jumping the gun. I admire the confidence in your convictions but I don’t agree with your conclusions.

      • ToastedPlanet
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        9 months ago

        Despite your argument’s insistence to the contrary nowhere in my argument do I accuse Rowling of being anything. Whether or not Rowling is ignorant is irrelevant. Her actions are what matter. When presented with new information about the Holocaust her response was not to become more informed, but to deny the information. That is Holocaust denial and it is harmful. edit: typos