Hans and Sophie Scholl
with Cristoph Probst
of The White RoseA friend and writer, Jim Forest recommended, a while back, a movie he had just seen, “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days.”. She was a member of group of German students called The White Rose who wrote and circulated anti-Nazi leaflets in 1942–3. She, her brother and other members of the group was captured by Nazi soldiers and quickly executed. Jim became interested in a member of The White Rose resistance group, Alexander Schmorell, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. He wrote an article about Alexander Schmorell and the White Rose for In Communion site, the magazine of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship that he edits. You can find the article, Alexander Schmorell and the White Rose on the Featured Article web page.
Our local resistance community Breaking the Silence regularly passes out flyers condemning the teaching of war and killing at Marquette University, a Jesuit Catholic University. We have no fear for our lives, not even of being arrested, unless we pass out flyers on University property and refuse to leave when asked. For the most part we are ignored by the university and student body. A few MU students used to be part of our movement but now students pass by and when offered a flyer about the contrast of the Gospel values with Military values usually say “No Thank You” and walk on.
I make the above comparison not to compare Nazi Germany with Marquette University. There is no comparison between the two. But I wanted to show the two extremes of dealing with a message you do not want to hear. Both messages are to resist killing and militarism, At one extreme, in Nazi Germany, you met death for such a message on a flyer; on the other extreme we are just ignored for our message to Teach War No More.
As I was leaving an event last night someone asked me if I was still marching around Marquette, referring to our resistance to the military training on campus. The question caught me off guard but I found myself saying: “Sure, what else can I do.”
The students in the White Rose community risked their lives to get out their message to stop the killing; the least we can do is to march and pass out flyers at Marquette. The message of the White Rose resistance community as the message of Breaking the Silence, so far, had no success. But what else can we do?
Comments
Dave Kruschke — 19 February 2011, 22:38
Some of the above thoughts beg a question: “What are motivators that might get 1000 students or more to march from the Federal Building to Marquette U?
1st, perhaps, would be direct threats to survival.
2nd, might be the threat of being drafted into the military.
3rd, maybe, would be threats to jobs and pay.
4th but not necessary last, might be moral issues and moral contradictions.
The first item of the above list might have been big with the Egyptians.
The second item above might have carried much weight during the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The third item above probably carries weight with the people currently protesting in Madison.
Not having the first three motivators mentioned above might explain some of the difficulty of getting marchers for protesting ROTC at Marquette U. And during the beginning of WW2, one or more of these same motivators were absent for many Germans.
“What else can we do” is a good question…
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