Sympathy for the ... Christians (was Books burnt in Germa...

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 16125

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "China Chick" <ChinaChick1616 at h...> wrote:
> Mein Kampf was a disturbing book, but it shows Hitler's stratigical 
genius.  However it also shows his weakness: power.  Want of power in 
the true evil behind all things
 
> 
>   > And if you'll grant that there *are* such
>   > things as radically evil books (Mein Kampf, for instance), 
would it not be
>   > appropriate to take a radical stand against them?
>   > 
> 
>   _Mein Kampf_, while being disturbing at best, is an important 
historical 
>   document. I think it should be read just to ensure that we know 
how to deal 
>   with the next madman that comes along.

You could read the DSM-IV to gain the same knowledge: and unlike Mein 
Kampf, the DSM's ability to inspire sickos is quite limited.

On its strictly literary merits, Mein Kampf is too crude to be taken 
seriously - it is only the fact that its author achieved a certain 
notoriety in the political realm that keeps this singularly 
incoherent collection of babblings in print at all. 

I would not advocate MK's formal censorship, but I would remind folks 
of how Virgil remonstrated with Dante in Circle Eight, when the 
latter was gawking a bit too attentively on the billingsgate of some 
of the great celebrity sinners of 13th century Florence: "The wish to 
hear such baseness is degrading."  (Of course, that same stricture 
could be applied to much daytime TV as well............)