[The Second Take]The Auschwitz Camp Fence Did Not Collapse

The Camp Commandant Consumed by Horror and Disgust
Did Not Participate in Killings Driven by Fanatical Hatred
Many Still Exclude the Socially Vulnerable Today

Rudolf Hess was the head of the Auschwitz concentration camp. From 1940, he massacred Jews, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and others. The number reached 2.6 million. Hundreds were killed at once using Zyklon B gas. Hess, sentenced to death, recalled in his written confession, "I felt a sense of relief." "When involved in shootings, thinking of women and children overwhelmed me with horror and disgust. Now I no longer had to witness the bloody scenes. It brought me peace of mind."

The family mansion of Rudolf Hess in the movie 'John of Interest'

Jonathan Glazer's film John of Interest sheds light on Hess's (Christian Friedel) residence beyond the camp fence. His family lives comfortably in a house with a swimming pool and employs a housekeeper. They spend happy times gardening or bathing in the Zolla River (the river forming the eastern boundary of Auschwitz). However, Hess's expression is never bright. The specific reason is revealed in his confession.

"Massacres often came to mind at home. Each time, I wanted to run away. I could not immerse myself in the cozy atmosphere of the family. I was not happy. I was dissatisfied with myself. There was nothing joyful or good. Yet everyone at Auschwitz believed the camp chief was enjoying himself."

According to various historical studies, camp soldiers did not participate in killings out of fanatical hatred. They imprisoned Jews and exploited their labor under orders from above, driving them to death. Philosopher Hannah Arendt, who covered the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, viewed this as "treating humans not as beings with personalities but as simple objects thrown into a manufacturing process." She emphasized, "The mental structure that feels no conscience regardless of what happens to the objects was formed through totalitarian rule."

Actual Rudolf Hess Family Residence

This implies that the perpetrators themselves became like parts of a machine, unable to think or judge independently. In that sense, the camp can be said to condense elements of totalitarianism that erased individual personality and turned people into components supporting a consistent worldview system. Arendt’s most notable feature of totalitarianism was a systematic plan to transform human nature itself to demonstrate that anything was possible. Although Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union collapsed, the attempt did not disappear. Many still exclude socially vulnerable groups such as refugees rather than reflecting on the problem and exchanging opinions.

The moment speech and thought are not allowed, the "banality of evil" is reproduced. Arendt warned early on, "There is only a very thin line between taking away all rights from people and taking away life itself from them."