If you compare any other massacre to it, you start trivialising it.
It feels though as if we trivialized other massacres because they will never hold up to a standard we consider to be beyond comparison.
You are right that comparing such events, as in “this event is less significant because less people died” trivialises the immense human suffering involved in the Holocaust. But that has to go both ways, and comparing the Holocaust to these modern events also trivialises the impact of these current events. Each of these events, indeed each of these deaths is a singular atrocity, a tragedy beyond belief.
I think we can agree that it doesn’t have to be “a” holocaust to be awful and that comparsion to the holocaust doesn’t help.
Though I don’t understand how you both argue that “[comparsion] gives a special voice to victims of such crimes everywhere” and “[comparsion] also trivialises the impact of these current events”. Or don’t you think it “gives a special voice” anymore and changed your opinion since posting that comment?
It feels though as if we trivialized other massacres because they will never hold up to a standard we consider to be beyond comparison.
You are right that comparing such events, as in “this event is less significant because less people died” trivialises the immense human suffering involved in the Holocaust. But that has to go both ways, and comparing the Holocaust to these modern events also trivialises the impact of these current events. Each of these events, indeed each of these deaths is a singular atrocity, a tragedy beyond belief.
I think we can agree that it doesn’t have to be “a” holocaust to be awful and that comparsion to the holocaust doesn’t help.
Though I don’t understand how you both argue that “[comparsion] gives a special voice to victims of such crimes everywhere” and “[comparsion] also trivialises the impact of these current events”. Or don’t you think it “gives a special voice” anymore and changed your opinion since posting that comment?