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| Henry Ford awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle |
"The main source of the sickness of the German national body is charged to be the influence of the Jews, and although this was apparent to acute minds years ago, it is now said to have gone so far as to be apparent to the least observing". (Ford, 1920)
Imagine reading that in your local newspaper. Imagine walking into a local car dealership and walking out with a pamphlet that said just that. Would you be offended? What if the person who printed it was Bill Gates, do you think people would listen?
In 1920 Henry Ford did just that. One of the richest men in the country and a person who's innovations changed the world, he held anti-Semitic beliefs that Adolf Hitler admired! Mr. Ford was even awarded a German medal in 1938.
Try to put yourself in the shoes of the average American. Here was a titan of business, the man who made it possible for you to get in a car and drive to a town a couple hours away. That was unthinkable just a few years before. Now he is telling you that a certain group of people are bad. Are you absolutely sure you would think he was crazy?
Before you say that you would never condone such a thing, take a few minutes to watch this 5 minute clip. Though admittedly heavily edited, it will give you a good idea of just how influential Henry Ford was. If you want to watch the full documentary click here.
Have we learned our lesson?
