How to respond to Holocaust denial?
Sep 23rd, 2008 by Tom White
I am passing this query on from a constituent of the Cohen Center:
What , if anything, could/ should one say, as a “lay person” , that is, a non-expert, if one is faced with Holocaust denial, either personally, face to face, or in texts or on the net? What is an appropriate response to denial that is simple and clear in interrupting the lies, if for no other reason than there needs to be an public objection registered in such a dialogue? And , is there a place , on the net, or otherwise, to refer folks for information?
Tom,
First, you must understand that a genocide denier is not one who denies out of ignorance of the facts. You will not somehow change their mind through your logic and evidence. Genocide deniers have an agenda. This is universally true, whether it is the Jewish Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, etc.
Thus, how you respond depends more on the situation than the form or content of denial. It is a waste of time to respond to genocide denial unless there is something meaningful at stake - for instance you must respond in legislative environments, but not in a small personal setting.
In those situations where you must respond, I have fouund it most effective to “chase” the denial arguments, but to quickly move to the psychological reasons for the denial. There are a number of important articles by Israel Charny regarding the psychology of denial of genocide. They are not lengthy and very well worth the read.
Finally, it does not take being an expert to respond to denial, most situations can be handled with basic logic.