Little Eichmanns
Encyclopedia
Little Eichmanns is a phrase used to describe the complicity of those who participate in destructive and immoral systems in a way that, although on an individual scale may seem indirect, when taken collectively would have an effect comparable to Nazi official Adolf Eichmann
's role in The Holocaust
. Anarcho-primitivist
John Zerzan
used the phrase in his essay Whose Unabomber? in 1995. The phrase gained prominence in American political culture four years after the September 11th attacks, when an essay written by Ward Churchill
shortly after the attacks received renewed media scrutiny. In the essay, "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens
", Churchill reiterated the phrase to describe technocrats working at the World Trade Center
. The Ward Churchill September 11 attacks essay controversy ensued.
The use of "Eichmann" as an archetype stems from Hannah Arendt
's notion of the banality of evil
. Arendt wrote in her 1963 book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on The Banality of Evil
that aside from a desire for improving his career, Eichmann showed no trace of anti-Semitism
or psychological damage. She called him the embodiment of the "banality of evil
" as he appeared at his trial to have an ordinary and common personality and displayed neither guilt nor hatred. She suggested that this most strikingly discredits the idea that the Nazi criminals were manifestly psychopathic and fundamentally different from ordinary people.
Lewis Mumford
collectively refers to people willing to placidly carry out the extreme goals of megamachines as "Eichmanns".
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
's role in The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. Anarcho-primitivist
Anarcho-primitivism
Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization. According to anarcho-primitivism, the shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural subsistence gave rise to social stratification, coercion, and alienation...
John Zerzan
John Zerzan
John Zerzan is an American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author. His works criticize agricultural civilization as inherently oppressive, and advocate drawing upon the ways of life of prehistoric humans as an inspiration for what a free society should look like...
used the phrase in his essay Whose Unabomber? in 1995. The phrase gained prominence in American political culture four years after the September 11th attacks, when an essay written by Ward Churchill
Ward Churchill
Ward LeRoy Churchill is an author and political activist. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1990 to 2007. The primary focus of his work is on the historical treatment of political dissenters and Native Americans by the United States government...
shortly after the attacks received renewed media scrutiny. In the essay, "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens
On the Justice of Roosting Chickens
On the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections on the Consequences of U.S. Imperial Arrogance and Criminality is a 2003 book written by Ward Churchill and published by AK Press. The "Roosting Chickens" of the title comes from a 1963 Malcolm X speech about the John F...
", Churchill reiterated the phrase to describe technocrats working at the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. The Ward Churchill September 11 attacks essay controversy ensued.
The use of "Eichmann" as an archetype stems from Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
's notion of the banality of evil
Banality of Evil
Banality of evil is a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt and incorporated in the title of her 1963 work Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. It describes the thesis that the great evils in history generally, and the Holocaust in particular, were not executed by fanatics or...
. Arendt wrote in her 1963 book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on The Banality of Evil
Eichmann in Jerusalem
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil is a book written by political theorist Hannah Arendt, originally published in 1963...
that aside from a desire for improving his career, Eichmann showed no trace of anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
or psychological damage. She called him the embodiment of the "banality of evil
Banality of Evil
Banality of evil is a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt and incorporated in the title of her 1963 work Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. It describes the thesis that the great evils in history generally, and the Holocaust in particular, were not executed by fanatics or...
" as he appeared at his trial to have an ordinary and common personality and displayed neither guilt nor hatred. She suggested that this most strikingly discredits the idea that the Nazi criminals were manifestly psychopathic and fundamentally different from ordinary people.
Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford was an American historian, philosopher of technology, and influential literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a writer...
collectively refers to people willing to placidly carry out the extreme goals of megamachines as "Eichmanns".
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External links
- The Wonderful Musician Anne SextonAnne SextonAnne Sexton was an American poet, known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967...
's use of the phrase in poetry (1970 use of the phrase) - Whose Unabomber? by John Zerzan (1995 use of the phrase)
- Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens by Ward Churchill (2001 use of the phrase)