This was the name of a skit/song Sarah Silverman performed in "Jesus is Magic" - it was one of the few funny skits in the movie. It tackles issues of race/ethnicity and as the title indicates - what on earth would cause a Jew to drive a German automobile? I hadn't put much thought into this question until recently - a religious conversion forces one to confront his/her ethical responsibility in the world - or at least it should. So as a Jew who drives a Volkswagen what does that mean for me and how does it relate to my ethical responsibility? I wasn't exactly sure and I'm still not, but I'm gaining a better understanding of what it all means.
A little history:
VW is Europe's largest auto maker. It was founded in 1933 by Ferdinand Porsche - yes THAT Porsche after being approached by Adolph Hitler to create a "people's car" (volks = people, wagen = car). Porsche was a fan of Frederick Winslow Taylor and his principles of "scientific management." He also admired Henry Ford, and thusly Porsche was heavily influenced by Ford's anti-semitic theories in his "The International Jew" - a best-seller in the Weimar Republic and formative to Hitler's "Mein Kampf."
Porsche quickly gravitated to theories of increased productivity - and he was willing to achieve these goals at all costs. His first directive on labor as head of the German Automobile Industry Federation was: "Foreign workers will be treated so as to exploit them to the greatest possible extent, with a minimum of outlay." As Hitler gained power, Porsche rediscovered an old-hat cost and labor saving technique: Slavery.
The first mass-production VW plant opened in 1938 and Hitler personally laid the cornerstone of the factory. Porsche was a model Nazi party businessman and was awarded the regime's highest distinctions. He was hailed as an example to follow, extolled in documentaries, in the media, and at party meetings.
In 1945, 90% of VW's workforce was non-German. No one knows how many slave-laborers were used to manufacture VWs under the Nazi regime, but the estimates run as high as one-hundred thousand. They manufactured cars, transports, plane parts, etc. for the Nazi war machine. The life-expectancy of a slave-laborer under the Nazis was 3 and 1/2 months. Isn't it ironic that the victims of fascist regimes generally help perpetuate their industries?
But while VW may have the dubious distinction of being Hitler's brain-child, as a company they are not alone. BMW and Mercedes each participated in and profited from the Holocaust. I.G. Farben (the pharmaceutical and chemical giant) had 35,000 slave-laborers at Auschwitz - of those over 25,000 died. IBM supplied counting machines to tally prisoners, their personal effects, and their deaths. Many insurance companies sold life-insurance policies to European Jews then demanded a death certificate in order for the claim to be paid - the insurance companies knew full-and-well that no death certificates were issued for people killed in the camps. To provide a certificate of death was to acknowledge the life of the person. Swiss banks hid and protected the assets of German nationals who stole said assets from Jewish families.
All of these companies (and many more) have been sued, more often successfully than not. That said they are not yet absolved of their guilt. Personally I will never own a Ford, BMW, or Mercedes. I will never own another VW. Unfortunately I cannot run out and trade it in right away, but when I am in a financial position to do so, I will.
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7 comments:
This piece is so informative, David. Thanks!! Bits of history I've learned equip me to infer many of the implications, but I had no prior knowledge of specific names, works of literature -- as associated with individuals -- and industrial legacies born out of the era. Don't stop writing. -------t
I knew much of this, but some of it was new information -- the stuff about Porsche, for example. It's funny because I was just having this conversation with someone the other day. I want a Passat, or a BMW, BAD! But I just can't allow myself to purchase the Nazi car of choice. Then again, I don't fault people who do. One might argue that today's Germany is not Nazi Germany, and considering the extent to which Germany (as opposed to Poland, for example) has tried to make reparations for its role in the Holocaust, perhaps we can cut the new generation -- one that seems to be taking responsibility for the sins of its fathers -- a little slack.
Let me get this straight. You are condemning VW owners because of the compainies ties to Hitler? That is in the past and it has been made VERY clear the VAG has no ties to Nazi Germany. Now, if you want to go pointing fingers, try looking at your own country. Bush's grandfather supported the Nazis directly! Look it up! To me, driving a Volkswagen is a symbol of freedom for "the people". The Volkswagen is possibly the only good thing that came out of all the madness of Hitler's reign. Yes, it came at a great cost. Take a look around your own backyard. You don't think the condoned illegal importation of human cargo(Mexicans) to America isn't slave labor? We never learn from the past because we learn the past.
I look at it like this.
I drive a 1974 Volkswagen Beetle
It was made in Wolfsburg, Germany
The Factory was built by Jews who were enslaved by the Nazi's
So I drive a vehicle built in a factory that was built by my ancestors. I think I'm making their pain and suffering mean something more through this. That maybe their torture was for more then making vehicles for the Nazi regime.
I also like the fact that the same car that Hitler envisioned as a savior to the German people and the German army went on to be used as *the* car of the hippie movement. Something to do with karma I'm sure. That and God has a sense of humor :)
Oh yeah...to Monica....BMW is Bavarian Motor Works...I doubt Bavaria was even apart of German during World War II....just a thought.
I respect the fact that you are "standing-up" to those who violated your people. But we have to let things go, seriously. My people too were almost all wiped out the face of this earth by the Spaniards & English. But do I hold the people & not lavish myself with the best of products, accountable? Nah. Pride is good but forgiveness & self-love is much better. So I will forgive the Brits & Love myself with my new Bentley Continental, LoL.
Good question. I discovered at the age of 43 that I have Jewish blood on the maternal line (Sephardi to be precise) and was asking the same question about the ethics of purchasing a VW. Interesting to note but just when did the break between VW's Nazis past and it's present activity come about. VW, if you know your history, was slated for demolition because of it's military contracts (Kubelvagen,Schimmvagen etc).It was really only saved by Colonel Hirst REME of the British Army who reorganised the factory in order to get Germany back on it's feet with an initial batch of 20,000 Beetles for the British occupation force. The Nazis only produced a couple of hundred Beetles, mainly used for high ranking officials. One VW Beetle happened to be in the facility being repaired when it was commandeered by Hirst to be used as the base model for series production. Hirst and the REME were with VW for a few years before it was handed over back to the German Government. Question is, is VW associated with the Nazis pre 1945 or the British Army post 1945?
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/details-of-porsche-s-nazi-ties-spoil-centennial-bash-1.6324
It looks like Volkswagen completely claims they were not affiliated in heart and mind with the Nazi's. Porsche seems to be slightly shady on the whole thing, apparently not giving complete answers but "under political pressure" *is* mentioned in the article.
Personally, I don't think either has Nazi beliefs or ties...it's not good for business if such things ever got out.
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