Response to a column that compared Bernie Sanders to Hitler has been pouring in. Hilltop Views will be posting your letters.

Hilltop Views welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters may be edited for space, grammar and clarity. Letters will be published at our discretion. Anonymous letters will not be printed or run in our online edition.

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Sanders more of a Hitler than Trump?

I am not trying to start a discussion (it has already started), but I do think it would be good for some to read this.

If we compare plainly the statements of their campaigns (Hitler and Sanders), yes, we can see the similarities. Plus, they both ran as part of socialist parties (true). But it is necessary to understand that the Nationalist Party of Germany (the Nazi) was a completely different type of socialism than the one of Sanders.

Hitler came to power using the Nazi party as a tool. He did believe that Germany needed to change some things in order to grow better, and he started building up a carrer after this goals. The problem arises once we know he distorted (even more) the ideals and principles of the Nazi party to the ones of his own. He had incredible charisma, and his public speech skills were “on point,” but he used them to shift the direction and meaning of the mission of the Nazi party, and the minds of those that believed in those ideals.

The Nazi socialism emerged as a way of drawing away workers from the Russian Communist uprising. Originally it was against big business, bourgeoisie, and capitalist rhetoric. Then it shifted to the exact opposite: pro business, bourgeoisie, and capitalist rhetoric. Even though they shifted into a private system, even the private corporations were ruled by the government and its interests. The ways of the Nazi were finally capitalistically driven (the country was ran as a big corporation as well).

Many of the U.S. citizens would find this a complete fallacy, since they are taught that capitalism and socialism cannot be part of the same thing, and also that socialism is bad. The truth is that the so-called “Americans” —referring solely to U.S. citizens instead of all the people from the American continent — have been taught this because of their opposition to the U.S.S.R. But Russian socialism was completely different from German socialism. And both are completely different from other types of socialism.

Socialism simply means that there is supposed to be an emphasis on the social policies of a country, so the people that cannot compete from a monetary perspective have an inclusion to the system. It is helping the ones in society that need help. In the U.S.S.R, the ones that needed help were the “oppressed workers.” In Germany it also started like that, but then it shifted to help the Aryan society to build a better, stronger Germany. In the U.S., socialism pretends to help the ones that have no actual help from the government: the middle class.

The U.S. has three clear divisions: upper class, middle class and lower class. The upper class does not really need help — they control the businesses and they have the money to run the country. The lower class is starting to receive help from programs like Medicare and others. But the middle class (most of the population) has almost no help and not enough money. What Bernie Sanders wants to do is to help the people that need help — yes, the same core principle as the U.S.S.R. and the Nazi — but he promotes a way of socialism that compares to France, England, Sweden, Canada, etc., not to those of totalitarian regimes.

Socialism is not bad by nature. Socialism is among for a better society. Socialism is looking forward to help the ones in need. Very deep in the Catholic doctrines, one can see that socialism is the way of the church: help the neighbor. This message comes from Jesus’ teachings, and it is the core of every Christian stream (no matter if Catholic or Protestant). It is true that the division of the Church was originated because of this point: the Catholic Church “forgot” of the real message of social welfare and made the Protestant separate from the Catholic. But now (and from a while ago) the Catholic Church is turning back to social welfare and its original mission: help the people in need.

So then, is Bernie the new Hitler? No! Sanders and Hitler have socialism in common, yes, but these are two completely different types of socialism. One believed in the necessity of “purifying” the nation from those who did not deserve to be a part of it. The other believes in the necessity of including those who cannot actively participate. The means of each of their campaigns are completely different.

Speaking of means, it is a better comparison to put Hitler and Trump together. Why? Trump is not a socialist! Right? Actually, if we analyze their means to get to power and achieve their goals, they are pretty much the same, and both of them stand from the same point: make their country better (which is actually a very socialist idea). Both speeches a based on racism and both promote mass deportation. One blamed the Jews for Germany’s problem, the other blames the immigrants (illegal, mostly). Both built their campaigns in hate speech to a certain group of people, and both want to divide their country from the rest and be less inclusive. Both preach to make their countries better. But see the costs?

I know that Hitler actually killed a lot of people, and Trump has basically only said mean things (“dog who barks does not bite” says the saying”), and we should not compare this two — or any other candidate really — with someone like Hitler. But just as a side note: see all cases where the U.S. government strikes governments in other countries and imposed (or helped impose) a new government that finished killing hundredths of people. Well, those governments had the same type of speech as Trump (much more socialist on their ways, though).

In the end, no extremist view will ever be the right answer. We have to learn to see the points of others and understand where are those ideas coming from. We all have a certain version of the truth, since there is no real, unique truth. Let’s try to include more than exclude. Let’s try to be good instead of bad. Let’s try to serve others instead of put others to our service.

Have a good day and Namaste, my little fellows.

— Manuel Dalano Pizarro

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Dear Hilltop Views,

While I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I believe that the article, “Trump the next Hitler? Nein, it’s Sanders,” is extremely insensitive and offensive. I am very disappointed that Hilltop Views has published this article. Bernie Sanders, a Jewish man who’s family died in concentration camps, should not be compared to Hitler. I am personally not Jewish, but I am very offended by this article. I can only imagine how offended and hurt the St. Edward’s Jewish community feels about this article. I believe that this article should be removed from the Hilltop Views website. In addition, I think the public deserves an apology from either the author of this article or Hilltop Views. I understand that everyone has different political views and opinions. However, this article radically compares a Jewish man to Hitler with little credible evidence. An online post like that is something I expect to read on someone’s Facebook profile, not in the school’s newspaper. I hope that you will consider my request and hopefully take action. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Alicia Torres

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I’m writing to ask that the university put you guys on publication probation for being such remarkable idiots.

Your asinine article, hinting income inequality prevention is merely a prelude to systemic genocide, was in short, a very bad idea.

You’ve embarrassed yourselves (though this is a common occurrence, as each publication has numerous typos and mismanaged space, but I mean this one really takes first prize), you’ve embarrassed the reputation of the school and its administrators, and most of all, you’ve betrayed the student body that I suppose you pretend to try and represent.

If we cannot prevail in placing you guys on probation, can you at least rename the paper “Derptop Views?” Because seriously, you guys are a derping embarrassment.

A student who knows how to read, and spell,

Ben Notelovitz