Response to "Can You Learn Anything From a Void"
Article: http://www.tnr.com/book/review/druggist-auschwitz-reluctant-accomplice?page=1,0

In the Nuremberg Trials, “just following orders” was not considered to be a lawful justification of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. It is impossible for many of us today to imagine what kind of situation a person would have to be in in order to heartlessly murder millions of people. As a society, we often focus on Hitler as the focal point of that evil. However, we have to understand that there were a huge number of people who were committed to carrying out Hitler’s orders. But what could possess someone to do something so atrocious? Already the political climate in Germany was dreadful. They were trapped in a cycle of debt resulting from World War I that contributed to global economic depression. It actually is no surprise, then, that the German people clung to this charismatic man who promised them that he could reclaim the glory Germany once enjoyed. It is what followed that is horrifying. People obeyed Hitler’s orders for a number of reasons, the most sickening being pure, sadistic enjoyment in the murdering of people who were once their neighbors. Others, like Konrad Jarausch, did see the harm in what they were doing, but continued for their own safety. Macbeth in the play of the same name is by no means the monster that Hitler was; however, neither is he an innocent bystander whose destiny was dictated by his stars. As the play progresses, more and more people are killed so that Macbeth may be king; only a few of these are actually done personally by Macbeth. Macbeth actually recruits murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. These murderers appear to have no pity for their unfortunate victims. Are they as at fault as Macbeth is in Banquo’s murder? It’s a hard question to answer. In all likelihood, had either the murderers in Macbeth or the Nazis under Hitler disobeyed their respective leaders, they probably would have been killed, lest they should share what they knew. However, there were (and have always been) people who disobeyed cruel leaders, who tried to save people despite the harm they might have caused themselves. These people followed their morals. In fact, hundreds of people in Poland alone are recognized for their efforts in saving the lives of their Jewish neighbors and strangers during the Holocaust. They risked their own lives and the lives of their families to do it. The unnecessary taking of an innocent human life is unforgivable. I believe that it does not matter if a person murders of their own volition or if they are ordered to do it; that person is still at fault for carrying out the murder. In Macbeth, Macbeth is wracked with fear before murdering Duncan. It is Lady Macbeth, really, who is responsible for commissioning the crime; without her, he would not have followed through. Still, it is his action. He could have said no. He did not have to kill Duncan, no matter how much he wanted to be king. The bottom line is, none of these people would have had to compromise their morals if they hadn’t killed someone, either at the behest of another person or of their own volition.