02.27.06
Life is a Cabaret….
Saturday a few friends and I went to see Cabaret. It was a great show. I had forgotten how dark it ended though.
What really struck me, and struck me hard, was the movement from tolerance to intolerance. Here we saw a very tolerant German culture (at least at the Kit Kat Klub). Homosexuality was accepted, abortion was accepted. Tolerance was everywhere. Some could argue that it was a modern day Sodom. But changes were in the air. Very quickly the tolerance faded. As the Nazis rose in power, religious hated also arose. In the play this occured in a few short months. In real life, I’m sure it was a slow building.
The funny thing is the different viewpoints presented. The German Nazi talking about the Jewish merchant…. HE IS NOT A GERMAN, HE IS A JEW!!! While the Jewish merchant says…I am a German, we are all Germans.
Is there lessons here for the U.S.? After 9/11, we “profile” possible terrorist. We have to be careful to NOT become so intolerant of others, that we go down the same path. It is too easy to say, “they are not REAL Americans”. Let us remember what happened in our own country during World War II with the Japanese Americans being relocated to camps.
The struggle between tolerance and security is a difficult one, but we need to remember who we are. And what has made this country great. And that is our acceptance of vastly different cultures. America is not so much a “Melting Pot” and it is a Stew. Understanding is difficult to come by, but it is the glue that holds us together.
Each of us has the responsibility to stand up for everyone’s rights. We also have the responsibility to protect ourselves, our familes and each other.
Tolerance is the key. We not ever completely agree with each other, but we can tolerate the differing viewpoints.
I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it.
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