this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2023
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"Help" is a inflammatory hyperbole. IBM had good financial relations with Nazi Germany, and its tech was heavily used in many bureaucratic endeavors, just like in many other nations. This included holding a census, organizing many of the fairly recently federalized infrastructure systems such as railway, telephones, etc. Remember, Germany was only merged a couple decades before from a mix of dozens of highly individual states with history going back almost a thousand years. So it was a lot of work to do in short time, and Germany was never before and never since(!) as centralized as it was under Nazi rule.
As far as I am aware, there is no evidence that IBM as a company was even aware of, much less actively and intentionally "helped" the Holocaust. With that logic, everyone that did any business with Germany in the 1930s "helped the Holocaust". I think a more nuanced view is beneficial for all. Don't dilute the blame from those that truly deserve it.
Hitler wasn't exactly quiet about his intentions. IBM collaborated with a man who made Jews wear "scarlet letters" and didn't have any outward objection about it.
We factually know that China is committing (at least cultural) genocide, possibly more such as forced sterilizations and relocations against Uighurs in Xinjiang, and we still deal and trade with them. Not only some big evil corporations, many individuals knowingly buy Chinese products all this. Because they are cheaper. Money talks now, money talked back then. Yes, everybody is to blame for their part in not speaking and acting against injustices of the world, but there are different levels of "helping" someone commit evil.
Back in the 30s and for decades after, many in the US could not share the same bathroom or attend schools/education based on the color of their skin, and many in the general populace were fine with it.
Exactly, they did. A corporation not being aware of what was happening, as Jews are leaving the country to save their lives? right...
The same can be said about corporations currently working Israel, the U.S, China, Russia, etc. These corporations are and were a significant part of the problem.
Pre-internet fog of war was on a whole different level; it's not like Anne Frank was positing tiktoks from inside Germany explaining what was happening.
Modern day corporations have no such excuse.
Maybe, though I'd imagine a company like IBM would be seeing it's Jewish employees fleeing the country or attempting to and have some idea of why.
Did anyone who paid any US tax help the government intern Japanese?
Taxpayers don't have a choice.
It's called not paying taxes.
Don't the US have a strong "sovereign self-made man" movement that unacknowledges taxes and federal law enforcement among other things?
Unless you're worth tens of millions or more the U.S. government does not fuck around if you owe them. Wages will be garnished, if that's not an option prosecution is.
They can leave(or could at the time), now you have to renounce citizenship.
Doh!
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