MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to story titled 'Abhorrent: Resident upset local auction house selling Nazi memorabilia' published December 5.
I fully support Megan Pottage’s statement: “No ethical business should profit off of the Holocaust.”
The auction house’s decision to sell Nazi memorabilia is deeply troubling, and the response from the business owner demonstrates an alarming lack of sensitivity. These do not belong in private collections where their context and purpose can be distorted or lost.
While one might argue that stamps or other neutral historical artifacts could be less contentious, the inclusion of items glorifying the swastika crosses a line that should not be ignored. Such symbols, intrinsically tied to hate and genocide, should never be displayed at a public auction.
The claim that buyers might acquire these items to preserve history rather than glorify it is disingenuous at best. If the intent is genuinely to preserve historical lessons, the appropriate course of action is clear: these artifacts should be donated to museums or educational institutions. There, they can be curated with the necessary historical context to ensure their meaning and lessons are properly conveyed.
It is worth noting that even platforms like eBay, known for their broad range of listings, prohibit the sale of Nazi-related items bearing swastikas produced after 1933. This policy underscores the broader recognition that these items, when sold without context or purpose, risk promoting hateful ideologies rather than educating against them.
Selling and displaying such items in a public auction house is not just unethical but also irresponsible. Businesses must take greater care in considering the social and moral implications of their actions, particularly when dealing with artifacts so deeply entwined with humanity’s darkest chapters.
Sincerely,
Monique Jaiko-Marchildon
