Auschwitz

After learning so much about Auschwitz I was very interested in the meaning of it. The text says that Auschwitz was a test of human survival and that it proves that no matter how harsh conditions are that life will go on. People still found a way to survive. I think that Auschwitz can be compared to the Stanford prison experiment we saw earlier this year. In the prison experiment, they separated them into 2 groups one with prisoners and one as guards. The guards were given power over the prisoners and would not pay for any of the crimes that they committed. Whereas in the death camp, they were separated into German guards and Jewish prisoners. I don't think the German guards were inherently evil, I think most of them disagreed with how brutal the conditions were at the start. But as shown with the prison experiment, when diffusion of responsibility and direct orders come in, humans can commit acts we never thought that we would commit. In Auschwitz, the guards were given direct power and were completely isolated from society so they were free to do as they pleased. I think that when the guards were given power over the people they easily abused it because it made them feel more superior. I think in almost any situation if you put a person in power over another person, the person in power will eventually abuse it. Auschwitz is just a intricate prison experiment where humans true natures come out. Its primal to the core as it drives humans to their absolute limits. Its both terrifying and cruel but at the same time speaks louder than any experiment.