Conclusion

All in all, I am glad that I chose this as my blog topic. I initially came into this assignment thinking I was going to completely bash the United States for its lack of assistance and acknowledgement of genocides around the world throughout time, but that only lasted for the first couple blogs. After thinking about the refugees I have met in my life, ranging from my basketball friend's father to the Bosnians in my high school dining hall, I realize that the United States has given so many people the opportunity for a new life. I realize that not everyone can be saved (even though I still think there should be more of an effort) and realized that intervention sometimes is difficult for fear of repercussions. I understand that it is impossible to take all refugees, for there is simply no space. I don't agree with all of the decisions the U.S. has made regarding genocide (in fact, I don't agree with many), but I commend it for the efforts it has made to give some people a chance at success, a chance at happiness, a chance at life. I have learned a lot through doing my blogs; this research and these experiences have only deepend my interest in genocides around the world and why so many countries are reluctant to help. Who knows, I may continue with this blog after class is over!

Bosnian Dining Hall Workers

After years of going to the dining hall at my high school, I never knew where the staff was from. I knew they were foreign; they all had the same strange accent but were very kind people. I overheard my friends talking one day about someone in the dining hall staff and I asked what she had said. I was very surprised when I heard that a majority of those kind people were refugees from Bosnia during the genocide. Apparently, one of the men was very open to talking about it, but I never got a chance to speak with him.

I know in this blog a lot of times I get angry at the United States for not doing much about genocide. I am still not happy, even with what happened in the Bosnian genocide, but to see people such as Enver living happily and appreciating everything he had gave me a little hope. I have so much respect for places like my high school that hire many refugees, and I am glad that some places and people make an effort to give them a lifestyle they were once familiar with.

My friend's father is also a refugee from Bosnia and I think that it's great that he was able to escape the violence and come to the United States where he was able to meet a woman who he could be happy and have a beautiful family.

One Survivor Remembers

In High School, I took a Germany and the Holocaust class. Actually, it's the class that got me interested in genocides around the world (and it's the reason I have this topic as a blog!) Once we got into the time where we began discussing the actual Holocaust, we watched an Oscar-winning documentary titled One Survivor Remembers. The documentary explores the life of Gerda Weissmann Klein from the beginning of the Holocaust, through her suffering in concentration camps and the loss of her family and friends, to her life today as she recalls the pain.

The documentary really opened my eyes to how little help the victims of the Holocaust received. Gerda suffered many years, experiencing malnutrition, dehydration, and living in conditions that were inhumane. In the end of the documentary, Gerda recalls the soldiers monitoring the death march the was forced to do left the remaining living women in an abandoned house. She remembers hearing the trucks of the soldiers coming down the road and finally feeling relief when she realized they were from the United States. A man held the door open for her as she talked to him, not having been treated like a woman (never mind a human) for years. In the end, she married the soldier that liberated her and the few women left that she was with.

Watching this documentary just made me think where is the United States in all of this? Maybe if the country got involved more, and earlier, people could have experienced what Gerda did, without the suffering and loss of family. So much death, so much pain, could have been prevented. I understand that we didn't want to get involved in the war in the first place, but I simply cannot imagine how many people would be alive even today had we intervened sooner.

Gerda went up with the director of the film when the Oscar was won. Wait until Gerda beings speaking ... this is honestly one of the most touching videos I have ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zn-fPM4KS0

I strongly recommend seeing this documentary; all 9 parts are on youtube as well.

Lost Boys of Sudan

When I was in High School, we had one of the Lost Boys of Sudan came and spoke to our entire school; unfortunately I can't remember all of the specifics. The Lost Boys of Sudan consisted of over 27,000 Dinka (the ethnic group that was being persecuted) boys that were orphaned/displaced and were rescued from the genocide that was taking place in Sudan. I cannot recall his name, but he spoke of his life and what the genocide was like over there. He had both students and teachers in the gym crying. People should never have to go through this kind of devastation, but as he said, he was one of the lucky ones that got away.

27,000 innocent young boys seems like an incredible amount of lives saved, and it is. But it is also important to know that about two million people were killed, and the problems in Darfur still aren't resolved. In my opinion, it is almost just as important to try to fix the problem going on over there and resolve it, instead of ONLY giving refuge to certain ones. I know the United States doesn't like to intervene a lot, but in order to save lives, the actual issue needs to be resolved and the fighting needs to stop. If this happens, we wouldn't have to worry about accepting too many refugees because they would just be able to stay in their homeland safely and securely. The United States needs to act, needs to intervene, or the peace will never be kept and genocides such as these will continue to happen.

Hotel Rwanda

Recently, I viewed the film "Hotel Rwanda" to gain a better sense of what happened regarding the genocide in Rwanda. The film is based on a true story of a man who sacrificed everything he had short of himself and his family to provide shelter to over one thousand Rwandan refugees, who in turn survived the genocide.

I am aware that this is only a film based on a true story, but the brutality of the event is blood curling and difficult to watch. The Tutsi had no protection for a very long time, and even when the UN decided to intervene, they didn't do too much to stop the killing. I watched a ten minute video about what the world was trying to do to 'stop' the genocide. Bill Clinton made a statement saying, "I want to assure the families that we are doing everything we possibly can to be on top of the situation to take all the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our citizens there." This statement enfuriates me, as earlier in the video, a man who was involved in the UN at the time said they had a plan that looked great on paper, but they never really planned to do anything with it. Troops were sent, but the quote from the movie from a man who was apart of the UN troops said, "We're here as the peacekeepers, not as the peacemakers," symbolizing they were not trying to actively stop the killings. Clinton blatantly lied to the American public, trying to make it seem as if we WERE doing everything we could when in reality, we were doing the bare minimum short of completely ignoring the situation all together. So sometimes the United States denies the occurrence of genocide, but once it is recognized, the public is lied to saying that the government was doing everything that it could.

What is the United States trying to do? Stay out of international issues, or just ignore it because it doesn't affect us? Did Clinton think by lying to the public that they could get away with doing the bare minimum? Well it worked.

Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC5j-gRemYk

Natural Disaster Help vs Genocide Help Continued

The United States has been known to give initial aid then stop before everything is taken care of. For example, even in New Orleans there are still many people without housing and the necessities to live. Not much else has happened after the first year of aid. The U.S. waited until the worst was over in Rwanda before it decided to send troops AFTER the genocide was over.

My accusations of the United States may be a bit harsh, but they need to be. The country doesn't do all it can to prevent genocide; it essentially turns a blind eye because it doesn't want to get involved (though it can be controlled). Even when the country itself isn't threatened, it still decides not to intervene. There may be other things of 'higher priority' for the government to worry about, but honestly, what can be of higher priority when thousands of innocent people are being murdered EACH DAY?

The St. Louis Ship 1939

In May of 1939, a German ship called the St. Louis left Europe with a little more than 900 Jewish refugees aboard (this is during the time of the Holocaust). It is important to realize that all the refugees on board had legitimate Visas necessary to enter the United States. The ship made a stop in Cuba, where only about twenty Jews were allowed to stay, then the ship departed for the U.S. With legal visas in hand, the hopeful Jewish refugees were denied entrance to the United States by Franklin Roosevelt.

So why were the refugees denied entrance to the United States? Legally, they should have been able to land and take refuge, but they were not allowed. The ship was sent back to Europe and the hopeful Jews were sent to concentration and labor camps. It is basically like we dangled freedom in front of their faces, then essentially denied them their last opportunity to live (since they were sent back to Europe). Sure, at the time the United States was neutral in World War II, but I don't think that is reason enough not to accept the Jews. Hitler's idea was to rid the Aryan race of anything he considered impure, and by accepting the Jews in the U.S., they wouldn't have been in Europe anymore, therefore not contributing to the problem.

The United States had the chance to save 900 lives, but it didn't even let the ship pull into the port. We may never know the true reason why they were denied entrance, but by denying, the country essentially crushed the hopes and dreams of some innocent Jewish people's lives.

The point is that victims of a genocide were knocking RIGHT AT the door of the United States; the country did not even have to go out of the way to help them, but still refused. There is something seriously wrong with this.