Henry Friedlander The Setting Analysis
The Setting by Henry Friedlander meticulously explores and analyzes the initiation of the Holocaust. The author focuses on victims of Nazi genocide. As most know, targets of the mass murder included Jews, but the mentally and physically disabled were actually the very first victims of Nazi Germany. Friedlander explains the growing interest in racial hygiene and the increasing desire to preserve only the “superior” populations, stating, “Large numbers of the professional classes embraced the racial ideology of radical Germanic nationalism. They sympathized with the movement that called for a strong leader to command a community based on racial purity and strength” (Friedlander, 196). The Nazis eradicated Jews, Gypsies, and the disabled based
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As we know, the Nazis were determined to maintain purity and coherence in their gene pool. People with illnesses or retardation did not fit in to the “biologically pure” standard and were thought of as “life unworthy of life.” Friedlander alludes to the exclusion, stating that it “was applied to the handicapped, that is, the physically malformed, mentally disturbed, and intellectually retarded (Friedlander, 199). Clients that seek out help from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) include those with ALS, cerebral palsy, dementia, and autism. Unfortunately, it is evident that these individuals would have seamlessly fallen into the label of “life unworthy of life,” as the authors describe, and they therefore would have been targets. Friedlander writes, “Hostile to their existence, institutions reduced services and sought to cut the costs of caring for mental and disabled patients. Excluded, incarcerated, sterilized, and neglected, the handicapped were viewed as expendable” (Friedlander, 202). While the Nazis believed that the disabled should be killed because they were a financial burden and “expendable” due to all of the assistance and attention they needed, SLPs take on quite the opposite view. These specialists work with individuals who suffer with communication disorders, providing their full attentiveness, care, and methodical therapy in order to help clients improve their speech and language
As we know, the Nazis were determined to maintain purity and coherence in their gene pool. People with illnesses or retardation did not fit in to the “biologically pure” standard and were thought of as “life unworthy of life.” Friedlander alludes to the exclusion, stating that it “was applied to the handicapped, that is, the physically malformed, mentally disturbed, and intellectually retarded (Friedlander, 199). Clients that seek out help from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) include those with ALS, cerebral palsy, dementia, and autism. Unfortunately, it is evident that these individuals would have seamlessly fallen into the label of “life unworthy of life,” as the authors describe, and they therefore would have been targets. Friedlander writes, “Hostile to their existence, institutions reduced services and sought to cut the costs of caring for mental and disabled patients. Excluded, incarcerated, sterilized, and neglected, the handicapped were viewed as expendable” (Friedlander, 202). While the Nazis believed that the disabled should be killed because they were a financial burden and “expendable” due to all of the assistance and attention they needed, SLPs take on quite the opposite view. These specialists work with individuals who suffer with communication disorders, providing their full attentiveness, care, and methodical therapy in order to help clients improve their speech and language