Well, I just updated my settings on Picasa so that my name shows up on the slideshow as opposed to a serial number. Sometimes it may be more appropriate to think of us as serial numbers, but I suppose I understand that some people want to know my name. It did take me a long time to figure how to edit my profile settings on Picasa...it was frustrating, but mostly because I know it should not have taken me as long as it did!
Now, on to some music. My last song (see previous post) was a little bit more dramatic and inspirational than some of my past tunes...so I will bring the violence big time with this one.
"Angel of Death" is one of Slayer's most popular tracks off of one of their most popular albums. The lyrics are brutal, and unfortunately, all based in fact. The song is about Nazi experimentations during the Holocaust, specifically those done under the auspices of one Josef Mengele. This man, who was more a butcher than a doctor, was nicknamed "the angel of death".
"Destroying, without mercy/ To benefit the Aryan Race" pretty well sums up what the Nazi doctors were doing to their helpless victims. "Frigid cold, cracks your limbs/ How long can you last in this frozen water burial?" They did terrible experiments where they would place people in freezing cold water to see how long they would survive. While this type of information can be useful to soldiers who work in and around water, and to rescue workers and doctors, their is no excuse for murdering people like the Nazis did.
"Injecting cells, dying eyes/ Feeding on the screams of the mutants he's creating" is yet another lyric founded in truth. Pathogens and other substances not naturally found in humans were injected into many people just to see how their bodies reacted.
So, I leave you with the parting lyric of "Millions laid out in their crowded tombs/ Sickening ways to achieve the Holocaust" to either convince you of this song's utility in teaching about Nazi atrocities, or just to ruin your day. Hopefully it does not ruin any moods out there, but it is a terrible topic and it should not be candy coated to avoid hurting feelings.
I'm not familiar with the song, but its interesting that a band would use the topic of the Holocaust for a song today. I agree with your statement, "it should not be candy coated to avoid hurting feelings." Teachers should be responsible to teach the truth (especially with history), and unfortunately sometimes the textbooks get it wrong. That being said teachers should also be careful not to push the envelope too much in order to keep their jobs.
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