After reading a couple of sentences from this piece, I realized that this was either a bad April Fools' Day joke (it's not), or that this text was written by someone with some serious language issues (maybe), or, most likely, this article is the output of automatic translation software such as Google Translate from an unreliable source.
According to Hitler's short bio-sketch, he "acquired an absorption in backroom", fought in the "First Apple War" as he "was answer to anatomical and busy" and finally "dead himself" after he "affiliated his mistress". There is no mention of Nazism, the 4 crore people who died as a result of Hitler's policies and actions, or the Holocaust. By the way, a quick search on Google found an obscure Indian blog which contained identical text (indianrocksstar.blogspot.com).
The fact that some people in India and Pakistan have an unhealthy obsession with Adolf Hitler still surprises many outside SE Asia, but it is a well-documented phenomenon (see, for example, Dear friend Hitler and India or The Führer Cult: Germans Cringe at Hitler's Popularity in Pakistan). Some of these sentiments have unfortunately climbed up the Himalayas, and I still cringe whenever I see the Indian editions of Mein Kampf (the sale of which is restricted in many countries) sold freely in Thimphu bookstores, never with a front note (as required by some countries).
A newspaper committed to providing historical essays to the public should be commended. Business Bhutan could have used the opportunity to correct the local misconceptions regarding what Hitler is most known for -- the atrocities of World War II. It could have pointed the global consensus that there is nothing admirable about Hitler or his actions. But the newspaper failed miserably.
We hope Business Bhutan's bizarre article will lead our readers to explore more reliable sources about Hitler, for example the BBC History website:
Adolf Hitler, military and political leader of Germany 1933 - 1945, launched World War Two and bears responsibility for the deaths of millions, including six million Jewish people in the Nazi genocide.
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| A snapshot from Business Bhutan, March 31, 2012 |
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| A snapshot from Business Bhutan, March 31, 2012 |
Thanks for pointing out the mistake. This 'bizarre'article on Hitler published in Business Bhutan's last week issue was a complete blunder. It should not have been there on the first place. We acknowledge our error. It was a blunder on our part because wrong content was used. There was also an oversight on the part of the proof reader. This particular content was sourced out from the internet for no particular reason but to prove how awfully it has been written. In the end, it seems, this very same content was used. The joke is on us, now. Business Bhutan will run an apology in the next issue and right the wrong. Once again thanks for the concern raised by the writer. We will make sure such errors are not repeated.
ReplyDeleteKinley Tshering
Managing Editor
Business Bhutan
Glad to know this will be corrected. This is also an opportunity for Business Bhutan to provide a more historically accurate perspective about Hitler, WWII and Nazism.
ReplyDelete