Story Archive

Missing the Implications

“‘If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.’ —Adolf Hitler.” That misattributed paraphrase of Joseph Goebbels ran as someone’s senior quote for the yearbook of Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wisc. After it came out, a parent objected. Deciding which quotes could and could not be run had been a problem, a district spokeswoman said, so a decision was made: from now on, there would be no senior quotes in yearbooks. Local rabbi Moishe Steigmann suggested the publication was a teaching opportunity, saying “Part of the responsibility of the school is ... building levels of tolerance and understanding.” (AC/Green Bay Press-Gazette) ...Like understanding that when people talk about the “Big Lie,” it’s usually to warn against Nazi tactics, not endorse them?