Everyone at some point in their lives has committed at least one act that can be considered violent or another. Whether it was a physical fight with a friend, or former friend, or just pent up frustration taken out on a younger sibling, or even just anger expressed literally, through your door. Regardless, it was probably a somewhat minor act of aggression, as a greater majority of people don't subscribe to a overly violent lifestyle, especially when discussed to the level of killing other humans. In fact, most that would consider themselves "peaceful" or "non-violent" or even just "normal" do not consider themselves capable of mass violence or even of killing another human. However, throughout history, there have been several instances of not only killing but mass killing and even genocidal acts committed by these self-appointed "normal" people. No matter how hard it is to admit, everyone, even the most passive and peaceful of us are capable of these atrocities under the right circumstances. These circumstances include the common overwhelming hate of a people, the spread of very influential propaganda promoting mass violence, and others. It is the duty of this blog to prove the involvement of "normal" people in mass violence.
The most obvious historical example of the non-violent becoming mass killers lies in the most deadly war in recent times, the Nazi execution of six million Jews during World War II. The numbers of normal, hard working Germans that were recruited into the anti-semite movement are staggering. Whether it was a pre-war anti-semitism that was set in the minds of these Germans or just the genius propaganda that was issued by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, still the fact remains that these were regular, working class, non-violent citizens of Germany, that in the face of war, combined to ruthlessly take the lives of millions of Jews. There were lawyers, doctors, carpenters, businessmen and any other profession in Germany that before the war simply went about their business peacefully, but under the rule of Hitler turned into raving Jew killers.
There is much debate as to why these seemingly normal people could have the capacity to be so ruthless. Some say it is due solely to the great propaganda of the Nazi party, rallying the country around the cause of exterminating the Jewish people of Europe. Others claim it to be a deep-seated hatred of these somewhat more successful outsiders that led to people chasing them out. Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that just as many of the perpetrators that participated in the genocide of WWII could be considered evil or somewhat insane, there are just as many normal, ordinary German perpetrators.
This can be seen in other cases of mass killing also. In Rwanda, many recruited to the task of destroying the Tutsi "cockroaches" were simple, Hutu Rwandans. Somehow they also got caught up in the killing. The historical evidence is undoubtedly present. The greater question that rests in this issue is why they did it. Why so many ordinary people, just like you and me, subscribed to the unjust murdering of hundreds, thousands, millions. And even scarier; do we have the same potential. Faced with the same situation would the rest of us commit the same despicable crimes. Maybe it is yet to be seen.