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Auschwitz Museum condemns Ohio congressman who compared vaccine cards to the Holocaust

auschwitz memorial, warren davidson, vaccine mandates

The Auschwitz Museum responds to Davidson's tweet.

U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Ohio, sparked considerable outrage on Wednesday when he compared proof of vaccination cards to the Gesundheitspass, a health pass that Nazis demanded people carry during Hitler’s reign of terror.

His tweet was a response to Washington, D.C.’s new mandate that anyone 12 and older will need to show proof of at least one vaccine shot before entering restaurants and other indoor venues.

Davidson tweeted an image of a Gesundheitspass along with the caption, “This has been done before" as a response to a tweet about the mandate from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. He then took things a step further by doubling down on his tweet with an explanation.

"Let's recall that the Nazis dehumanized Jewish people before segregating them, segregated them before imprisoning them, imprisoned them before enslaving them, and enslaved them before massacring them," Davidson tweeted. "Dehumanizing and segregation are underway - and wrong."


By invoking the Holocaust, Davidson broke the first rule of politics, never compare anything or anyone to the atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazis. The only logical comparison that can be drawn between the Nazis and Washington, D.C. is that they both required people to present official documents with information about their health.

The city of Washington, D.C. is trying to keep people healthy by preventing the spread of a deadly disease. The Nazis were running a campaign of racial purity that would lead to the deaths of millions of people. The two aren’t remotely alike.

Davidson’s statement wasn’t just ridiculous, it was dangerous as well. It trivialized the unspeakable suffering that was caused by Hitler. When we downplay the seriousness of such an event, we embolden those who wish to see it happen again.

It also falsely turns those who are unvaccinated into victims when they are the people who are much more likely to cause the spread of the disease and put others’ health at risk. Davidson’s tweet is also playing up the idea that the unvaccinated are somehow righteous martyrs and victims of an authoritarian state. When people get a feeling of self-righteousness over their decisions, they are much less likely to change their minds.

Let's face it, people who incorrectly believe they are standing up to people as bad as Nazis feel pretty good about themselves.

Davidson’s tweet was criticized by the Auschwitz Museum in Poland for “exploiting the tragedy.”

Auschwitz was the site of the Nazi’s most notorious concentration camp where more than 1.1 million people were exterminated.

Davidson’s tweet was also condemned by Yad Vashem, which said he denigrated the “memory of victims and survivors.” Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered and honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors.

On Thursday, Davidson did something rather shocking in today’s political climate, he apologized for his tweet. It wasn’t a full-throated mea culpa, however, as he clung to the idea that there was some association between both health passes.

He started it with a quote from Mark Twain, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

"I had hoped to point that out," Davidson wrote. "Bad things happen when governments dehumanize people. Sometimes, there is a next step - to systematically segregate them. Unfortunately, any reference to how the Nazis actually did that prevents a focus on anything other than the Holocaust. I appreciate my Jewish friends who have explained their perspectives and feel horrible that I have offended anyone. My sincere apologies."

Davidson may have apologized for his comparison, but he doesn't seem to understand the deeper error of his ways. We need politicians who represent large factions of unvaccinated people to speak to them honestly about the benefits of vaccination and the good it does for public health. Instead, he chooses to play to their self-righteous victimhood, which only exacerbates the pandemic and makes it necessary for governments to mandate vaccine passes in the first place.

Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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