2008 Woodie Awards
Prince Proves Ignorance of Youth
Young prince's costume proves poor judgement and disgraces England
Frank Ram
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
When Britain's Prince Harry showed up a costume party wearing a Nazi uniform, he disgraced England and embarrassed the royal family. He has since apologized. But the fundamental problem is not Harry's poor judgment but the ignorance of today's youth.
Too many young people today don't understand that labeling anyone with the word Nazi is horrible. But wearing the actual swastika is a sign of pure ignorance. Can it be that Harry is not aware that just 60 years ago the Nazis killed millions of people, including his own countrymen?
Like many in his peer group, Harry is oblivious to everything that happened in the past. He probably asked himself, "What's the big deal?" about his costume.
His ignorance is reflected in many students at Citrus College. To prove my point, I asked 100 Citrus students the question: "What Happened at Auschwitz?"
Only 38 students could identify Auschwitz as a Nazi concentration camp. 15 said they had never heard of it, and 47 said they knew it had something to do with World War II but could not make the connection to Nazi Germany. This lack of knowledge is shocking and pathetic.
Too many people misunderstand the concept of the Nazi swastika. To the educated and informed it's a hate symbol, but many young people today use it as a sign of rebellion. To them its no big deal.
January marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camps. Yet after after the passage of six decades, the magnitude the Jewish Holocaust is becoming less important with each passing year. It is a major tragedy.
Walk into any high school and you will see the Nazi symbol on students' clothing. Most are not racist, just misinformed. The same goes for Prince Harry. He wasn't being racist. He just did not understand the message he was communicating.
Prince Charles in now requiring that his sons Harry and William, to visit Auschwitz, learn the facts about the holocaust, and study how the Nazis attacked Great Britain.
Today's youth have little to no concept of history, or how societies arrived at the point where they are today. This Ignorance is dangerous. Harry and all young people need to get informed. People wouldn't be making so many serious mistakes if they were familiar with the past.
Too many young people today don't understand that labeling anyone with the word Nazi is horrible. But wearing the actual swastika is a sign of pure ignorance. Can it be that Harry is not aware that just 60 years ago the Nazis killed millions of people, including his own countrymen?
Like many in his peer group, Harry is oblivious to everything that happened in the past. He probably asked himself, "What's the big deal?" about his costume.
His ignorance is reflected in many students at Citrus College. To prove my point, I asked 100 Citrus students the question: "What Happened at Auschwitz?"
Only 38 students could identify Auschwitz as a Nazi concentration camp. 15 said they had never heard of it, and 47 said they knew it had something to do with World War II but could not make the connection to Nazi Germany. This lack of knowledge is shocking and pathetic.
Too many people misunderstand the concept of the Nazi swastika. To the educated and informed it's a hate symbol, but many young people today use it as a sign of rebellion. To them its no big deal.
January marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camps. Yet after after the passage of six decades, the magnitude the Jewish Holocaust is becoming less important with each passing year. It is a major tragedy.
Walk into any high school and you will see the Nazi symbol on students' clothing. Most are not racist, just misinformed. The same goes for Prince Harry. He wasn't being racist. He just did not understand the message he was communicating.
Prince Charles in now requiring that his sons Harry and William, to visit Auschwitz, learn the facts about the holocaust, and study how the Nazis attacked Great Britain.
Today's youth have little to no concept of history, or how societies arrived at the point where they are today. This Ignorance is dangerous. Harry and all young people need to get informed. People wouldn't be making so many serious mistakes if they were familiar with the past.