Can Arendt's "banality of evil" be exonerated - Can a crime be forgiven if there are large numbers of accomplices? Considering Genocide
In the past, our blog has discussed the Bosnian conflict and the Rwandan Genocide in the wake of the film "Ida, Where Art Thou?" about the Srebrenica massacre. which was inspired by the Bosnian conflict and the Rwandan Genocide.
Among them is one written about the Rwandan Genocide.When Neighbors Turn Murderers: Testimonies from the Rwandan Genocide, Perpetrators Edition.I had a thought when I read the following words from
While the victims suffered great physical and emotional trauma and had to remain silent after the genocide because they could not get up easily, the perpetrators tried to think positively about their future, reflect quickly, obtain forgiveness from their victims as soon as possible, and return to their former lives as soon as possible. And when they were asked why they continued to kill, they stated that it was because they had been "drowned by the radio broadcast (media)," "because they were ordered to," "because they were afraid of being left out," or "because the looting made their lives easier. Compared to the testimonies of survivors who experienced a living hell and were deprived of their relatives, property, and trust in society, the murderer's confession is so light. The author suggests that this may be because they have come to take their crimes lightly in order to stave off the destruction of their own hearts and to remain ordinary people.
Furthermore, the murderers say that they were "made to do it," unable to do anything about it because of the past history between the two parties, Hutu and Tutsi, and the current trends of the times, as well as the agendas of power-wielding politicians and former sovereign nations, and that they had no choice because they were made to do it. So I can't wait to be sorry and start over." It is clear that they are very selfish and that the survivors have become a secondary concern.
Kamogawa Shuppan, "When a Neighbor Turns into a Murderer: The Perpetrator Edition" by Jean Hatzfeld, translated by Eugene Hattori, p. 325
The translator's words were very impressive to me: "Compared to the testimonies of survivors who experienced a living hell and were deprived of their relatives, possessions, and trust in society, the confessions of murderers are so light. This is exactly how I felt while reading this book.
My impression throughout the book was what "forgiveness" means.
No matter how much the perpetrator apologizes, the deceased will never come back. The emotional scars and lives of the survivors will never be restored either.
However, the perpetrator asks forgiveness from the victim "for his future life.
Moreover, as the above words suggest, they ask their victims to "forgive" them in an attitude that can hardly be considered truly and sincerely repentant. They are then released with little or no judgment and go on with their lives as before.
This was quite mentally painful to read.
And the very best part is the sequel.When Neighbors Turn Murderers: Pathways to Reconciliation: Testimonies from the Rwandan Genocide.The following were the words of the perpetrator in
We murderers have not forgotten our catastrophic misdeeds at all. The lives we have taken are neatly laid out in memory. Those who say the opposite are proving themselves liars. In prison, we remembered and thought about those who died in the swamp. Especially those who had killed so many that they would now be killed themselves in retribution. The thought of dead bodies in the swamp always struck me with terror, worse than a bout of malaria. But later, when I was pardoned, the fear was gone. I felt cured of everything."
Kamogawa Shuppan, translated by Jean Hatzfeld and Eugene Hattori, When Neighbors Turn Murderers: The Road to Reconciliation: Testimonies from the Rwandan Genocide, p. 147.
When I read this testimony, I thought to myself, "This person had no sense of guilt for the murder itself, but only the fear that he would be arrested and executed.
in evidenceLegal."Once he was released, his fear went away and "I thought I was healed of everything," he quipped.
How much guilt does he feel for killing someone?
Many of the other perpetrators also speak as if they feel little remorse for killing the Tutsis while tormenting them in brutal ways. Most do not consider themselves responsible for their actions, saying that they "had no choice" or that they would have been killed themselves if they had disobeyed orders.
This is reminiscent of Arendt's concept of the banality of evil. I was just doing my "job" as a cog in society, not what I "wanted" to do. Moreover, too many people were involved in this massacre. Will all of them be judged as guilty? To what extent should they be punished as perpetrators of the massacre?
This question of "what to do with the large number of people involved in the massacre" is a very big question.
Too many people got involved in the killing as a "job". Everyone moved as a cog in the wheel of power.
If that happens, who will be responsible for it? Is it only the top management or upper management? What about the people who actually did the work? What will happen to those who provided logistical support? What about those who knew about the massacre but stood by and watched?
And here in Rwanda, what is even more horrifying is that many Tutsi men actually hold machetes and are involved in the killings, and women also participate in the looting. Once this happens, there is almost no one left who is not guilty.
These legal issues will also be considered by this book.
But what was most striking was the horror of those who had committed such evil, who could innocently say, "We must be given forgiveness," and "I want to live a new life.
Moreover, what is horrifying about the Rwandan genocide was the circumstance that the perpetrator and the victim had to live in the same place again. If the perpetrators were imprisoned somewhere far away or living as fugitives, they would still not be able to see themselves. But Rwanda does not tolerate such things. Rwanda had the following circumstances.
Nine years after the civil war ended with the victory of the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front: a Tutsi-centered rebel group), Hutus who had been imprisoned for murder were quickly released and returned to the regional city of Nyamata. The new government had to release more than 100,000 detained murderers (and those complicit in their murders) as soon as possible in order to stabilize the country and rebuild the economy. As a result, Tutsi survivors were reunited sooner than expected with the murderers who had slaughtered their families and acquaintances in Machete. The murderers repent their crimes and hope for a quicker reconciliation and reintegration, but there remains something unconvincing on the part of the survivors. ......
Kamogawa Shuppan, translated by Jean Hatzfeld and Eugene Hattori, When Neighbors Turn Murderers: The Road to Reconciliation: Testimonies of the Rwandan Genocide, p. 309.
So-called ordinary people, transformed into brutal killers, try to reconcile with the survivors after the genocide and become ordinary people again. Of course, this was not acceptable to the survivors. The memories of their slaughtered families and friends, as well as their own memories of running away in fear every day for dozens of days, did not allow them to do so. But survivors and perpetrators had to resume their lives and live together in the same place. For the sake of the country's reconstruction and stability, the new government led a half-assed reconciliation policy. After the genocide, the words "Tutsi" and "Hutu" were soon banned under the slogan "Rwanda is One. The people of Rwanda followed the strong leadership of the new government, rarely speaking to anyone about their own experiences of genocide, except during Remembrance Week in April. As a result, Rwanda achieved impressive economic growth in a little over 15 years, often referred to as the "African miracle. But are they satisfied? A few years ago, a Rwandan told us this.
He said, "In Rwanda, you can't go against the government. The old government ordered genocide, and the citizens complied. The new government wants us to forgive, so now we are obeying it. Rwanda is a country where you have to obey the government whether you want to or not."
This is also where Rwanda's current peril lies. The people's obedience to government pressure and authority. One of the root causes of the genocide seems to remain unresolved. It is a problem that seems to be no stranger to Japan today. ......
Kamogawa Shuppan, translated by Jean Hatzfeld and Eugene Hattori, The Road to Reconciliation: Testimonies of the Rwandan Genocide, p. 3.10
The crime of the massacre they committed was. pardoned" by the government.The following is a list of the most common problems with the
Victims.We must "forgive them" and live with them accordingly.
When I learned of this situation in Rwanda, I couldn't help but think about it.
I wonder if "evil cliche" is an exoneration...
If too many people get involved as cogs in the wheel of power, there is no way to judge them.
And with that as a good thing, he also dismisses his own guilt, saying, "I had to do it.
But what do you think? Frankly, I am not convinced. Were the perpetrators really working like gears? Did they not enjoy the slaughter? Why did they go out of their way to kill in a way that would increase suffering when they were not ordered to do so? After killing them, didn't they have a feast of drinking and singing? Was that "inevitable" too...?
Yes, there may have been some aspects that were "unavoidable.
But I can't help but be caught up. Are they not using the "banality of evil" as a cover to pretend that they were not guilty? Is not the lightness of the perpetrators' language proof of this?
That is what I thought.
If this is the case, I felt that it is important to once again consider the "banality of evil" itself.
This is why I am Hannah Arendt'sEichmann in Jerusalem--A Report on the Banality of Evil."I decided to read the
Arendt's "evil cliché" is well known, but until now I had never read Arendt's work. For some reason, I found myself distancing myself from her work.
But this may be a good opportunity.
In the next article, we will introduce Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem--A Report on the Banality of Evil". And after that, an even more surprising work, Bettina Stangneto'sEichmann before Jerusalem.We will also introduce you to
These two books are very important works as we consider the concept of "evil banality." I would like to read them carefully.
This is "Can Arendt's "banality of evil" be exonerated - Can crime be forgiven if you are a cog in the wheel of power? Thinking about Genocide".
*The Rwandan Genocide and the issue of "forgiveness" is discussed in this article.When Neighbors Turn Killers."The Trilogy and Reverian Lelangia'sThe Rwandan genocide: a memoir of a young man who witnessed the world's saddest spectacle.is very informative. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this work.
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