Althouse: Not 35 million, 77 million.

November 29, 2005

Not 35 million, 77 million.

A death toll, reestimated. (Via No Speed Bumps.)

11 comments:

The Mechanical Eye said...: Breathtaking, if the figure really is more than twice ordinary estimates. Consider how much of the world is, politically and historically, terra incognita. There's still parts of 20th century history we don't have much concrete knowledge of.; 11/29/05, 10:14 PM
Ron said...: In this regard, this site is of some interest:

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstats.htm; 11/29/05, 10:41 PM
SippicanCottage said...: The tyrant can always find an excuse for his tyranny. The unjust will not listen to the reasoning of the innocent.; 11/30/05, 12:31 AM
KCFleming said...: I first read the estimate of 100 million killed by the regimes of Mao, Stalin, and Hitler in the book The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression by Stephane Courtois, Nicolas Werth, et al.

It was a startling discovery, much as I had recalled no such lessons learned about this history when I went to school. The number, whether 100 or 175 million, seems not to have pierced the public consciousness as yet, however. Absent the stories of personal horrors, Stalin was right to describe such magnitude as a mere statistic, not a tragedy at all.

Where are the movies about Mao killing 17 million, or now 35 million? Where's "Schindler's List" for the Russians or Chinese dead?; 11/30/05, 7:15 AM
Buck said...: dave said: Jeaneanne Garafolo, hero of the left and scourge of the right, has a dad who is an ardent Bush supporter.

I'll bet Thanksgiving was a real hoot at the Garafolo house (assuming young Jeaneanne went home and Garafolo is her maiden name)!

Pogo: You'll never see a movie such as you describe out of Hollywood, unless Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis decide to do it. I seriously doubt the movie industry's power structure actually believes the death figures attributed to Stalin and Mao.; 11/30/05, 8:08 AM
Troy said...: There is a movie about the Russian plight... "Reds" by Warren Beatty -- oh you mean the plight of those in the gulag?

177 million is the population of Brazil (approx.); 11/30/05, 8:15 AM
reader_iam said...: What's shocking to me is that the 35 million figure alone isn't shocking enough to get the attention of film-makers or pundits (or even our puhistory teachers, given that it doesn't seem to get all that much emphasis).

Then again, maybe it's not so shocking that no matter where the estimate ends up, it won't really matter to those with certain mindsets about what actually constitutes evil.

Word verification: uhuhnu.

Well, that sort of incapsulates my reaction! ;)

(Except that apparently I screwed up while entering it.); 11/30/05, 5:07 PM
vbspurs said...: Interesting note: Jeaneanne Garafolo, hero of the left and scourge of the right, has a dad who is an ardent Bush supporter. At least one smart person in that family.

Tell me I'm not the only person on Althouse that watched "Left of the Dial", that HBO special documentary on Air America?

Anyway, Garofalo pere made an appearance with his daughter, and he seemed as far-removed from her nose-ring, tattooed daughter as is possible. Short white sleeves, sensible trousers, loafers.

IOW, he was a regular joe.

P.S.: My dad is Left. I am Right. It's not just a Garofalo thing.

P.P.S.: The worst moment of that documentary, was when Randi Rhodes was told of the coast-to-coast redness of the map, as the 2 November day results were being read out on the networks.

"Who cares? It doesn't matter. No one lives there."

Yeah. Right.

Cheers,
Victoria; 12/1/05, 12:53 AM
vbspurs said...: Tell me I'm not the only person on Althouse that has read "The Little Black Book of Communism"?

The figure is closer to 100 million.

It's difficult to even say this, because by inference, people think you're somehow lessening the Nazi Holocaust as "only" a few million.

No, there is nothing comparable to the evil industrial aspect of the Nazi Holocaust.

But that doesn't mean you can't gasp in utter horror and dismay at what Communism wreaked either.

How anyone can align themselves to those people, is beyond me.

Cheers,
Victoria; 12/1/05, 12:56 AM
vbspurs said...: Interesting. I'm watching a documentary right now about the launch of Air America. They all go on about the BusHitler meme that has replaced cogency on the left.

Oh, I'm sorry Dave. That must be the one I mentioned. Left of the Dial on HBO -- which premiered a few months after the Nov. elections.

Cheers,
Victoria; 12/1/05, 12:57 AM
knox said...: ugh, I have come to dread scrolling down and seeing that headline. It's beyond mindboggling.; 12/1/05, 5:55 PM