Art Quote by Rebecca Makkai
““On my mental instant replay, I realized that obliquely comparing his family to the Nazis was maybe not my finest moment. He was quiet a second, and then he said, 'Did you know that Hitler anted to be an artist, but since he couldn't get into art school, he turned into a Nazi?' 'Yes, I remember that.' 'Just imagine if he got into art school, the whole world would be different.' I said, 'It just shows that people should be allowed to be who they are. If they can't, then they turn into nasty, sad people.' He started to laugh. 'What if you went to the art gallery, and the guy was like, "Here you see a beautiful Monet, and here on your left is an early Hitler." Wouldn't that be weird?' I couldn't think of any subtle way to turn it back around again. He said, 'You would go to the gift shop and buy Hitler postcards, and you'd go, "Oh, look at this beautiful Hitler. I'm going to hang it in my room!" And people would wear Hitler t-shirts.' 'Yes,' I said. 'That would have been better.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast with Rebecca Makkai, 2023
Comparing a person to Nazis oversimplifies complex causes; personal frustration can lead to inappropriate analogies.
In simple terms: Bad analogies hide real issues.
Avoid harmful comparisons.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal conflict
- public discourse
- teaching tolerance
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we discuss sensitive topics without resorting to extreme analogies?
- What alternatives help convey frustration constructively?
Simplistic comparisons can backfire and offend.