[The Typing Baker] A Society Worshipping the 'Dead Weak'... Hidden Hatred and Discrimination

"People love dead Jews. They do not love living Jews as much."

Every year, millions of tourists gather at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. This is because the story of the Jewish writer who hid in a secret annex for two years to escape the Nazis has gained worldwide popularity. However, a somewhat paradoxical situation occurred at the exhibition site. When an employee tried to wear a 'Yarmulke,' a hat symbolizing Jews, the caretakers stopped him.

The author explains that hiding Jewish identity was the very secret to Anne Frank's success. If Anne Frank's diary had explicitly revealed the reality of the mass murder of six million Jews, it would not have received global love. What attracted the public's interest was that the protagonist, a young girl, died. Moreover, it conveyed universal lessons such as the 'human inner self' even in the face of crisis. The current reality is that only pleasant stories are recorded and left behind instead of horrific tragedies.

The author questions the way European societies, including Germany, have remembered the Holocaust. They have concealed the reality of the Holocaust while continuing hatred toward the victims by consuming their deaths. This directly contradicts the existing perception that Germany has acknowledged the Holocaust as it was and has continuously apologized and reflected toward the victims. In fact, stories about 'living Jews' are not remembered in history. Most often, it is Jewish stories or art with universal messages that are circulated. Few people remember that Hannah Arendt and Chagall, who gained popular recognition, were of Jewish origin.

This principle of hatred operates throughout our society. People recall large-scale disasters or crimes as painful memories for a long time, but they have no interest in what kind of lives the victims' families and survivors lead. Victims are even trapped in the stereotype that they must live as victims forever. The same applies to the socially abused vulnerable groups for a long time. Women, people with disabilities, and homosexuals who have lived as minorities in our society may appear to live ordinary lives on the surface, but they are excluded from society because they cannot reveal their true selves. The moment they expose the stark reality of discrimination, many people will feel uncomfortable thinking that 'someone is discriminating against others.'

The author says that humility is necessary to stop concealed hatred. This is because wrong mourning begins with a sense of superiority and relief toward victims and the vulnerable. Without realizing that hatred and discrimination continue, it is impossible to change our society even a little. The author says, “Our world is a broken world. There are several ways to rebuild a broken world, and among them are humility, empathy, and the unwavering recognition that no one is superior to another.”

People Love Dead Jews | Deirara Hon | 364 pages | 18,500 KRW