Halx

I was reading the link posted in this thread: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=86086

...and a quote from the page spurred a little something in me.

"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business"
- Henry Ford, Founder Ford Motor Co


You may read that quote and be inspired by it's valiant representation of the pride of American industry, but don't be fooled. It's actually a sly anti-semitic jab.

Henry Ford funded the publication of an anti-semitic tabloid in the early 1900's. He was very outspoken about his views, obviously.

Jews were identified mostly as moneylenders and middlemen for merchandise. The culture at the time looked down upon anyone who did not produce goods, nor provide a needed service.

*The More You Know*

If anyone has any more details that they'd like to share about Henry Ford, or the culture that I am speaking of, feel free...

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Coppertop

Don't forget the medal he was awarded by Hitler. Highest honor the third reich could bestow on a non-citizen.

Halx

Whew.. forgot about that one. Thank you!

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superiorrain

He was so out spoken that he even wrote a book on the Jews, called the International Jew - that is at least what this web site says, and it seems to contain the whole book, way too much to read in such a short period but here is alink to it, so you can all go check it out. Think this website maybe slightly anti-semitic, in fact i think it is.

Interesting fact about the medal, never knew about that one.

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Slavakion

Now why the fuck didn't any of my history texts say something about this? (rhetorical question) I was always taught that Henry was such an admirable businessman for paying employees well, and inventing the assembly line (or something like that. I hate history >_<).

pig

Well, hey - that sucks donkey balls.

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Grasshopper Green

Wow, I didn't know any of this...the things they leave out of history books, eh?

I have a lot less respect for Henry Ford now.

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jhkayakr

Damn, and I have a Ford truck

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Arroe

if you are so worried about that, I wouldn't buy any German products either, because most were owned or under control by Nazis once, such as Volkswagon and I believe Mercedes.

pig

Shit, if I consider that type of logic down South in relation to slavery / racism...I can't fucking buy anything

Seriously, I would like to be able to sort of try to maybe rationalize this shit with some sort of socio-normative crappola, but a medal from adolf??? i'm kind of assuming he accepted it....but shit - i mean, that's fucking committment. next you'll be telling me that edison got the idea for the light bulb from his dog...

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canuckguy

I've been to his museum in detroit and its lovely btw. not sure that helps. did not know that much about him, went for all the excellent displays. kinda crazy, did not know that he was like that.

Blackthorn

I'm not conding his views so don't shoot me for saying this but remember the era in which Henry Ford lived. His views were not all that uncommon nor as socially distasteful as they are today. I recall reading that Henry Ford was close friends with Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. The three would often spend time at each others homes and as the story goes they all shared similar views.

Interesting photo below. This is left to right: President Herbert Hoover, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone at Edison's 82nd birthday. Ft. Myers, Florida, February 11, 1929.

Harve the ol kidder looks like he's giving the big goose-a-mundo to the young Tommy Edison.

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jorgelito

I don't think Ford ever did go to Germany to pick up his medal. I can't remember where I saw that so caveat emptor.

While it would be silly to boycott Ford now (I mean Henry's dead), it would still be illuminating to mention it in historical texts. There are too many holocaust deniers and anti-semitism still persisting today. Lots of folks don't understand/know what the fuss is about: don't/can't see the institutionalized anti-semitism in our society. Through education, hopefully we can slowly change things. Same goes for other groups as well: blacks, women etc.

Coppertop

German diplomats award Henry Ford, center, with their nation's highest decoration for foreigners, the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, in July 1938. (AP Photo)

ngdawg

Actually, Edison didn't have the idea for the lightbulb at all-he-or, rather, his staff and some say a very productive, imaginative black man whose name escapes me at the moment-perfected it and Edison, being an astute businessman, quickly applied for and received the patent. It's been said Edison was a tireless, astute thief of ideas.....

ratbastid

Yep, Ford was a Grade-A facist. I mean, one of the guy's most famous quotes is, "You can have it in any color you like, as long as it's black." Straight out of the Moussolini playbook. Edison was a jerk and an exploitative businessman, but he wasn't in the same category of evil as Ford, by a long shot.

The GOOD GUY inventers never got squat. Tesla died broke and alone, with hundreds of unexploited patents to his name--most of which are still awaiting practical application. Farnsworth has his name on a sign in Rigby, Idaho ("Birthplace of Television", it says), and that's about it.

Goes to show: inventiveness alone is only half the game. The other half is about sales and business prowess. You can fake (or buy, or steal) inventiveness, you can't fake business acumen. Gates bought Microsoft's first product, the operating system DrDOS. Everything after that was business.

Carno

What is the point of bringing up all of the bad aspects of a dead person's life? He's been dead for a long time. What is dragging his name through the dirt going to do?

Is everyone going to stop buying Ford cars because the founder of Ford Motor Company was an asshole? So we all know that Henry Ford was a moron... so what?

liquidlight

Some people are to be praised for their ideals, others for their accomplishments, and hey, nobody is perfect; though I do have to admit that some screwups are a lot bigger than others.

Do I agree with these positions that Henry Ford held? No, but that doesn't mean that I would disagree with everything he ever thought and did, all of us are made up of a great amalgamation of parts, and unless you know somebody I don't, there are parts in everybody that aren't necessarily very wholesome or desireable. Have a little compassion, a little understanding, and be careful who you judge, someday it might be your turn to get scrutinized.

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NotMVH

I would say Henry Ford is an inspiration to me, he triumphed dispite his ignorance and lack of inteligence. He was made a fool of by a jewish woman who took advantage of him for her own gain. She campaigned for a peace ship which Henry Ford agreed to finance, dispite any political backing or planning Henry Ford launched a cruiseline ship at the cost of millions of dollars to Europe in an attempt to bring our buys home. It obviously failed and he grew ill on the voyage and returned immediatly upon arriving but it was a major, personal embarrasment for him although the american public considered him a kind hearted fool.

This jewish women (who's name escapes me) used her relationship with Henry Ford to extort hundred of thousands of dollars from him to pay for her lavish lifestyle while she worked towards the peace ship, buying herself houses and furcoats on the side. Being ignorant he blamed that episode of his life on this woman and her being jewish it began his antisemitic veiws towards the jewish people. Regretable but true his daily detroit paper did publish heavily antisemitic material.

Halx

Hey, I'm not saying to stop buying Ford on that premise. Hell, I wont buy Ford 'cause they simply make shitty cars.

Despite my view that life is all about perspective, my perspective is that Henry Ford was a false hero.

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Gatorade Frost

Yes, he was anti-semitic but he did provide millions with cheap access to vehicles.

viejo gringo

Ford and Edison were next door neighbors down in Florida..
I think it was around Vieness-----was there some time ago..

NotMVH

I agree, I don't think he is heroic. He did acheive great success though and was a large part of the industrial revolution. His ingenuity and inovation lead to the modern factory assembly plants. He did do much hands on work when he took it upon himself to produce a cheap automobile, his goal was not to cater to the elitist class but creat affordable vehicles for farmers. He certainly was a capitalist and began building cars because he figured he would make $50 but the social results of a automobile for the majority has had incredible results in changing the way we live.

Carno

Well, I don't really know anything about Ford except that he built cars. Maybe I'm too young, but I never viewed him as a hero or anything.. To me he was simply a founder of a company. Finding out that he supported the Nazis has no affect on me. Lots of people supported the Nazis.

And on an unrelated note, I just finished watching the movie 'King Arthur,' and I thought it sucked.

Tarl Cabot

So far we've ruled out Fords and German cars. Nobody has mentioned Japanese cars yet.

Oh, if you want to talk about anti-semites, don't forget Jesse Jackson (Hymietown) and Louis Farrakhan.

Pacifier

more trivia:
Ford gave Hitler 50 000 Reichmark every Year as a birthday gift.
Ford produced 78000 trucks and 14000 tracked vehicles for the wehrmacht
Ford factories were spared by the allied bombers till 1944
Ford used slave labor workers which they lended for 4 Reichsmark from the SS

The Order of the German Eagle was also awarded to Bennito Musselini.

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jorgelito

Hey Coppertop,

Great picture and find. Man do I feel stoopid, but I least I prefaced it with a warning.
Do you know if he was awarded the medal in Germany or if they came to America to give it to him? There's a certain history I need to go see and give him an earful of......

Pacifier, where did you get your "trivia"? Do you have a source - I am particularly interested in the sparing of Ford factories by Allied bombers until 1944. There's another professor I need to go see......

Thanks guys.

Pacifier

keep in mind that the people whe were responsible are mostly dead already. Modern day Ford has nmothing to do with Herny Ford originally anti-semitic views. The modern day Mercedes company has no connections to the Nazis.

__________________
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein

Pacifier

only in german:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford

the english wikipedia doesn't mention this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford

__________________
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein

jorgelito

Hey thanks Pacifier:

I find that very interesting that the "same source site" has different versions. I wonder why that is? Actually, I'm a little disturbed...

I'm going to try and see if "google" can translate it. You wouldn't happen to know of any other source for this would you?

Thanks.

jorgelito

This is interesting - I used the "google" translator and got this:

enry Ford (* 30. July 1863 in Wayne County, Michigan USA; † 7 April 1947 in Dearborn) was the founder of the car manufacturer Ford engine company. It perfected consistently the assembly-line technology in the automotive manufacture, which however already anticipated Ransom Eli Olds 1902 in simplified form in its automobile company old mobile. Its concept of the modern manufacturing of vehicles, revolutionized not only the industrielle production, but had also strong influence on the modern culture (Fordism). Henry Ford was also the publisher of anti-Semitic writings like the book the international Jew - a world problem, a summary of articles, which 1920 to 1922 in its house Postille, which Dearborn Independent were published. Ford withdrew the book later publicly with large regret, yet revisionists offer still today this anti-Semitic treatise for sale in the InterNet. Table of contents [ indicatorhide ] 1 life 2 Fords' of engine 2,1 the model T (also Tin Lizzy called) 2,2 the model A and afterwards 3 The Dearborn Independent 4 Henry Fords and the national socialism 5 the Ford donation 6 the last days 7 Web on the left of [ work on ] lives Henry Fords was born William and Mary Fords, that had immigrated from the county Cork to Ireland in Wayne County, a town in the proximity of Dearborn, west of Detroit, on the flourishing farm of its parents. Henry was the oldest of altogether six children. It could visit only village schools, then Ford received only a small education. As a child it was very interested in mechanical details and spent at the age of twelve years much time in his werkraum, which it had furnished. With fifteen years he had already built his first combustion engine. In the year 1879 it left its at home and pulled into close Detroit, in order to begin its training there as a machinist. He worked first at F. Flower & Bros., at Detroit Dry dock CO after his training found to Fords a job later at the Westinghouse company, where he worked on petrol engines. After its marriage with Clara Bryant it improved its financial situation with its own sawmill. 1891 were adjusted, designated Fords as an engineer with the Edison Illuminating company after the founder and director Thomas Alva Edison. With this world-famous inventor it was still in a friendly manner connected in later years. After its transport to the chief engineer 1893 it had now sufficient time and money, in order to dedicate itself to its personal experiments with combustion engines. Its experiments culminated 1896 in the completion of a propelled vehicle, to the Quadricycle. After this success Ford Edison Illuminating left and created with further investor 1899 Detroit automobiles company. While Ford left its vehicles running to this time against the other manufacturers to drive, in order to demonstrate the superiority of its models. He achieved a victory against Alexander Winton, a well-known running driver, in his Quadricycle on 10 October 1901. Detroit automobiles company was nevertheless short time late bankruptcy. [ work on ] Fords' of engine Ford manufacturing; 1923 increases Ford manufacturing; created 1923 Henry Fords 1903 with eleven further investors and 28,000 US dollar cash investment the Fords engine company. With an exhibition Ford drove a new speed record in a again-developed car, when it put the distance back of a mile on the ice of the pc. Clair lake within 39.4 seconds. Convinced of this success the well-known running driver Barney Oldfield took the car with crosswise by the country and made the mark Ford a term in the USA this new automodel by Oldfield 999, after the then fastest running locomotive, was baptized. Henry Ford was also one of the first backers for the Indianapolis-500-Rennen. [ work on ] the model T (also Tin Lizzy called) 1908 brought Fords' of engine its model to T on the market. In the period of 1909 to 1913 Ford with changed model Ts participated in different running and won 1909 (although disqualifiziert later) also Coast ton Coast running (running from coast to coast) crosswise by the USA. A further record was set up 1911 on the fair in Detroit, when the driver franc Kulick obtained a new Bestzeit for the distance of a mile. to participate 1913 tried Fords with a converted model T in the Indianapolis 500-Rennen, however not certified with the reason, the car would have only around further 1,000 Pound to be made heavier, before it can itself qualify. Ford left a running and stepped out short time later completely of the running business. As reason for its door it called its discontent with the regulations in racing, as well as the increased need at time for its flourishing business with the model T. Fords T (1909) do not increase Ford T (1909) for the public work were running 1913 any longer necessarily - the model T was famous and pervasive on of Americas roads. In this year Ford introduced the assembly-lines in his factories, which permitted it an enormous production increase. 1918 were each second car in America a model T. the Design model of the T, glowing represented and defended from Henry Ford, to 1927 were already maintained, when the popularity of the Design had already diminished. Up to this time over 15 million vehicles had been manufactured. This was a record, which should the next 45 years existence have. (Henry Ford is often after-said, he said that each customer could get a Ford in the color of its choice - so long the color was black. There is no voucher that he expressed these words ever, yet was for the simplification of the mass production black the only color, in that the model T available was.) Henry Ford had a special attitude to its persons employed. They had a 8-Stunden working day and got already 1913 a substantial salary of 5 US dollar per day during the point production model of the T around 1918 increased this amount even still to 6 dollar. Such wages was up to then unique for workers. Ford offered also a new system to his workers for the profit-sharing. On the other hand Ford federations of trade unions rejected within his factories rigoros. In order to forestall trade union activities, Ford Harry Bennett adjusted, which became officially the director/conductor of the customer service. Bennett used different intimidation tactics, in order to destroy itself organizing trade unions. A sit-down strike of the United car Workers trade union led finally 1941 to collective bargaining in some Ford works, however it came to a full unionized organization only starting from 1945, after Henry Fords and Harry Bennett had left the enterprise. On 1 January 1919 Henry Ford handed the presidency to the Ford over engine company to its son Edsel Ford, kept however nevertheless a strong influence on the line of the enterprise. While Edsel had the presidency, only few decisions were made, which were not abgesegnet before by Henry, and which became few different made by Henry Ford often retrogressive. During this time Edsel and Henry redeemed the shares, which had been up to then still in the hand of other investors. They had to borrow themselves for the buy-back a quantity money, became thereby in addition, exclusive owners of the enterprise. This was the at the beginning of one period of the fall for the enterprise, since short time was met later the country by the postwar recession. First and the zehnmillionste Ford; 1924 increases first and the zehnmillionste Ford; 1924 in the center of the 1920er the sales figures model of the T began to fall. This was to be due partly to the rising spreading of consumer credits, which offered other companies, so that the consumers their cars could buy. In addition the models of the competition had usually further new functions and Designs, which were not to the model T at the disposal. Despite that urge of Edsel, the chairman of the enterprise, Henry Ford refused strictly adding the model T new characteristics or introducing financial programmes for consumers (first at the prices down and affordable to keep, the latter because it believed that these were bad for the economy). [ works on ] the model A and afterwards the away-breaking sales figures for the model T convinced Henry Ford finally 1926, what some time had already endorsed Edsel: It had a new model ago. Henry Ford contributed its specialized knowledge to the project above all in things technology, development of the drive, chassis and other technical necessities, and left it to its son to develop a new body. Edsel succeeded to become generally accepted it also over the objections of its father against a hydraulic brake system and a sliding SHIFT transmission. The result was a very successful Ford Model A, which was presented in December 1927 and until already 1931 more than 4 million time was produced. Henry Ford has long time a special interest in plastics from agricultural products, particularly from soy beans. On Soja based plastics were used in Ford automobiles during the 1930er for autohorns, colors and so on. This project culminated on 13 December 1942 in the fact that Ford let an automobile, which consisted nearly completely of plastic patent. It weighed 30% less than an average car the same size, and it was after-said to it that it could withstand ten times stronger impacts, than it knew a body from steel. On 26 May 1943 Edsel Ford died and left thereby an open place in the presidency of the enterprise. Henry Ford endorsed that the place should be taken over by Harry Bennett. The widow of Edsel, Eleanor Ford, that had inherited the shares of its verstobenen man, wanted that its son Henry Ford II took over the place. The point of issue decided, when Henry transferred the place in the age of 79 years. The enterprise approached hard time - within the next two years the company lost 10 million dollar per month. President Roosevelt even considered a national loan for the Fords engine company, so that war-important production could be continued. [ work on ] The Dearborn Independent after Henry Ford from the business from Fords' of engine had withdrawn itself to a large extent, dedicated it much time of the publication of a newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, which he had bought 1919. The newspaper ran still about eight years, in which it published among other things the anti-Semitic work, which admits minutes of the ways of Zion under the name became, in the USA. This writing so far of almost all historical researchers falsification were called. The American Jewish Historical Society describes the ideas Fords during this period as a "anti-immigrant, anti-laboratory, anti- liquor and anti- semitic" (against immigrants, against workers, against alcohol and against Jews). German expenditure of the writing published by Henry Ford in addition published Ford under its name several anti-Jewish articles in the Independent, those increase German expenditure of the writing published by Henry Ford into the early 1920er in four volumes under the title the international Jew - a world problem (English original: The were published internationally Jew, the World's Foremost problem). The articles condemned clearly Pogrome and force against Jews, stated on the other hand however that many of these incidents of Jews themselves would be to be answered for. The articles had been written to Fords' personal secretary of many years, Ernest dear old by different authors, among them also. No article had been written by Fords themselves, but since he was a publisher, the publication needed its tacit agreement. Ford closed the Dearborn Independent in December 1927 and recalled later the international Jew and minutes. On 7 January 1942 Henry Ford wrote an open letter down to the anti- Defamation League and prangerte therein the hate against Jews and expressed its hope that anti-Jewish agitation would always stop. It is partly accepted that Ford this letter neither written nor signed, and the sincerity of its apology in question placed. Its works still used by some groupings, usually finds one it on anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi web pages. [ it works on ] Henry Ford and the national socialism it gives some references on the fact that Adolf Hitler got financial support of Henry Ford, after this had occurred the policy. This can be retraced partly by the statements of Kurt loading corner, envoy of Germany in America in the 1920ern, and Winifred wagner, daughter-in-law of Richard wagner. These had expressed that they had requested funds of Fords, in order to support thereby the National Socialist movement in Germany. An investigation of the American congress of 1933 could prove however no support. A picture of Henry Ford hung in Munich headquarters of the NSDAP. Further the Ford works AG as birthday gift to Hitler's private account with the banking house stone transferred annually 50,000 RM. The Fords engine company was involved in the structure of the German armed forces before the Second World War. 1938 were taken for example a manufacturing work in Berlin in enterprise, whose only task was it to manufacture LKWs for the armed forces. Ford produced altogether 78,000 trucks and 14,000 tracked vehicles for the armed forces. Before the invasion of the German armed forces in the Sudetenland, it received an express supply from Fords from 1.000 trucks. The Ford works were exempted to at the end of of 1944 from allied bombardment and damaged then also only few. Use the Ford works also forced laborers were inserted, whom one lent for 4 realm Marks per day of the SS. In July 1938 Ford was distinguished with the large cross of the German eagle medal. Ford was the first American, who this honor assign became. It was at this time the highest honour for the sake of honor, which assigned Nazi Germany at foreigners. Somewhat in former times in the same year Benito Mussolini had been already distinguished with the large cross. The medal was assigned "in acknowledgment of the pioneer work [ Ford ], around cars for the masses to make available". The honor accompanied of a personal congratulation message Adolf Hitler (Detroit News, 31 July 1938). [ work on ] the Ford donation Henry Ford created 1936 with its son Edsel the Ford donation in the US Federal State Michigan, with a comprehensive Charter, in order to promote the public interest of humans. The first only locally laid out donation grew considerably and to 1950 its focus also national and internationally had extended. [ work on ] the aging Henry Fords handed and went the last days over after end of the Second World War on 21 September 1945 the presidency to its grandchild into the retirement. He deceased to his messuage in Dearborn at the age of 83 years in fair Lane, and on the Ford cemetery in Detroit was buried


Pacifier, how does this translation compare with your reading of the text?

Pacifier

the different language versions of wikipedia are not the "same source", the articles are not translations (some are but not all). Germans write their own wikipedia (just like the Spanish, Dutch etc...) so german articles about german history are generally better than the english version cause german know a bit more about german history than non-germans.

I tried to find a source on the wikipedia talk page, but there was none. But those trivia is also not disputed (nomally every bit of information that is a tiny bit unclear is quickly a subject of a discussion)

Googl found some more german sources, Ford was able to produce Trucks very soon after the end of the war. So the factories were not destroyed. In Colonge for example the Bombers only attacked the slave wokers camp (officially due to an error)

__________________
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein

Pacifier

The translation is not too bad. I only checked the Nazi part of it though.
Realm Marks for Reichsmark is quite funny

__________________
"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein

jorgelito

This is so weird, it's like I'm off on a tangent. I find this so fascinating.

I recently read that a small contingent of business owners/leaders/corporations in the Alsace region vehemently voiced opposition to war in Germany and France right before WWI. There was a lot of business, FDI, being done in that location so those people had a stake or a lot to lose if war broke out. So, my professor contends that FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is a big factor in creating stability through interdependence and free trade. The idea is that war would be too "costly" because countries have so much invested in each other.

So I find it very interesting that Ford had factories and that they were spared during the war. My interest in more sources is so I can present it to my professor.

I still think it is weird that US sources left that out. It sort of bothers me (a little). Thanks for explaining how Wikipedia gets its info.

ratbastid

Well, it's Wikipedia. It's user-contributed encylopedia information. I'd be surprised if the different language entries contained ANY of the same information. Certainly a German-speaking contributor is going to have a different take on this than an English-speaking contributor.

Edit: D'oh! Thought the bottom of Page 1 was the bottom of the thread. Glad you got your wikipedia confusion sorted.

smcgavis

Yes, but some of the current lawsuits get a little tricky. Isn't there one being initiated regarding a company which used slaves before the Civil War?

There are also some being started in regard to art and land which the Nazis stole from the rightful owners. It's hard not to support that.

What does everyone think about the lawsuits against companies that used slave labor during WWII?

Personally, I disagree with the US Government's position that it gave immunity to those countries/companies, therefore the victims (some of whom are still alive) are out of luck.

omega2K4

I guess its true that you do learn something everyday. I didn't know Henry Ford was anti-semitic.

I guess I own 2 "formerly facist affiliated" cars, a Lincoln LS (Ford) and a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG. Both of which are excellent cars. I can only say a few things about the Germans is that they have good-looking women and some of the best luxury and performance cars, and that's pretty much all I know about Germany. Sad I know, considering my ancestors are German.

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P-Naughty

They also forget to mention that Martin Luther, the person held so high in America and abroad for starting protestantism, was also an anti-semite. He was a quite vocal one at that. In 1543 he publiushed a book called On the Jews and Their Lies. It's full of stuff like this:

PS - Sources if the Holocaust is a book I'm using in my Holocaust class right now. It's a document reader of sorts filled with documents and excerts from documents that supported antisemitic views. It covers everything from the New Testament to the modern responses.

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FlunkedFlank

Well, Hitler's mental state was probably brought about by <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2842819.stm">his affliction with syphilis</a>. So there's that, too.

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TexanAvenger

Eh... I could go either way on that idea. He mass produced cars, made them easier for people to obtain. So, in that sense, he did something really important, even heroic. But, as this points out, his personal beliefs blew harder than a hurricane forming in the mid-Atlantic. In that respect he coudn't possibly be considered a hero. A pioneer maybe, but not a hero.

But you have to keep in mind too that nobody's perfect. We all have our own strange hangups and issues, Ford's was apparently bigotry. While I couldn't possibly condone his beliefs or actions, I don't believe I'm in any position to condemn him either. He was a man, like any other. We screw up. Apparently he screwed up in the moral department.

As for the whole hero thing, I personally never held him to the standard of being a hero. To me he has always been a pioneer, fulfilling a function that somebody else would have had he not. I never expected him to be perfect, and while I'm surprised at the extent of this, I know I'm only surprised because everything I've ever been told about him has been focused on his work, not him as a person.