Hacker News Reader

Comment by realce | Hacker News Reader

https://intellectualtakeout.org/2015/10/nazi-germany-was-hig...

>Germany had the world’s finest elementary school system, the highest literacy rate and the best universities; by 1913 more books were published annually in Germany than in any country in the world.

Believing that authoritarianism stems from lack of education is a flawed ideology.

View on HN

IIRC, the lead up to WW2 was incredible poverty, and debt to France and others following WW1. So it was easier to just go to war than pay back the debt.

That’s not what I said. It’s frustration with a system that’s set up to work against you.

Is that not a fair assessment of the US political climate?

Sorry, I didn't mean to nitpick. I totally agree with you about the frustration, but I also wanted to highlight how authoritarian governments aren't simply the outcome of general social stupidity or a lack of education. IMO that's somewhat of an elitist or champagne-socialist scapegoat and simplification. A notable point would also be that the USSR had an authoritarian government while also maintaining a near 100% literacy rate and an exceptional regard for education.

Apologies if I misrepresented your statement.

> while also maintaining a near 100% literacy rate

And totally honest official statistics!

On the other hand, the marked lack of reading comprehension demonstrated in this thread can’t be explained by coincidence alone.

At least one of us can attempt a civil conversation.

Hijacking a conversation to push your own agenda isn’t civil.

That's an oddly paranoid statement. My agenda is what - to promote an admiration of Nazi Germany and the USSR's literacy rates?

You’re mad because you thought someone said conservatives are dumb.

lol that's amazingly incorrect

Also I think it’s flawed to assume all authoritarian movements are the same. Also I don’t think the literacy measurement in your article is the one we’re talking about here. Also “best universities” isn’t a good indicator for the literacy of the overall populace. Also I don’t think anyone claims Hitler came to power because Germans were dumb.

Pretty much. People thinking "another Hitler can't happen in this day and age" have no idea.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com