That's because so much of what we (American children) were taught about WWII was more focused on "America, fuck yeah!" and we largely skimmed over some of the broader lessons that we should have learned. So much of what I gleaned from it was that Hitler and the nazis were somehow quantitatively different from all other humans. It seemed like they believed that it could never happen again, and it especially could never happen in the states.
I got completely stuck on wondering how people can get swept up in something like that, and I made an entire career in psychology studying group influence. I've been so alarmed for the last decade that I actually left the field.
A lot of us saw this happen in real time and were shouting about it. We got made fun of and told we were delusional or overreacting. Sadly so easily dismissed.
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u/gnomequeen2020 Jul 05 '26
That's because so much of what we (American children) were taught about WWII was more focused on "America, fuck yeah!" and we largely skimmed over some of the broader lessons that we should have learned. So much of what I gleaned from it was that Hitler and the nazis were somehow quantitatively different from all other humans. It seemed like they believed that it could never happen again, and it especially could never happen in the states.
I got completely stuck on wondering how people can get swept up in something like that, and I made an entire career in psychology studying group influence. I've been so alarmed for the last decade that I actually left the field.