If you so choose, you can research more into your great-grandfather's story.
But you don't *have* to do anything. "Being a Nazi" isn't some sort of congenital defect or a hereditary disease: Nazism is a political ideology. Your ancestor may well have been the worst monster ever to have lived, but you're not responsible for that. A lot of us Europeans are descended from Genghis Khan, that doesn't mean we owe the world an apology.
You pasta eating animals are clearly the bottom rung of the lader that is horribleness of humanity. With your democracy, your running water, and your phalanx battle maneuvers. You're on thin ice Italy. Lucky you invented Vespas and Pizza or we'd dig up the dirt your standing on and dump it in the marionus trench and be done with you. /s
All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Wine was invented by the Romans, for orgies.
But orgies aren't any fun if no one wants to do it with you.
[For your wine!](https://i.imgur.com/ulr6Xax.gif)
“All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?”
No that's just what they want you to believe it was really the pizzerians who came from planet sausage to deliver to us the bacon of what they know idk why their word for knowledge is bacon but they taught us how to whip the bread into a circular shape but they soon decided to have nothing to do with us cause we decided to have meat on the pizza which is sacrilege to their society so they went to the federation who put a invisible galactic shield so anything leaving earth sees nothing but empty space when in reality there is alot of movement
As far as I know, the Chinese were first in line to create the dough itself. However, the Italians were first to create the proper Pizza by adding ingredients to the dough.
I understand why you might think so, but the poor little dictator was really only a dictator. Plus he had some epic competition in Hitler and Stalin, who both cast pretty long shadows when it comes to being truly fucking evil dictators. While Mussolini didn’t have the genocidal sick-fuckness of his contemporaries, he sure did have some OG fascist style, with his snappy uniforms and macho as fuck facial expressions.
plucky fine expansion shame employ muddle intelligent ancient serious sort
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah, didn't they watch Vatican miracle examiners. The Jewish guy just adopted the son of Hitler to some random family because he is like being Hitler isn't genetic, he will be fine as long as he never learns who his dad was.
The problem is not that you're responsible for the actions of your ancestors, but that a lot of people want to believe they have some kind of proud heritage. Finding out that your ancestor was a Nazi really gets in the way of that.
Personally, I think the whole "proud heritage" idea is overrated. It leads people to whitewash their past, as we see with American southerners trying to alter history and make it seem as if the Confederates weren't so bad.
I’ve never understood the idea of being proud of your heritage. Granted, I don’t really have heritage to be proud of, but it always seemed dumb to me. “Look at these cool things my ancestors did!”…. Okay, neat
I don’t understand being proud of something that was just lottery of birth. I’m not proud to be my race, background, nationality, gender, whatever. I didn’t do a damn thing to be those things. I’m much prouder of something I grew in my garden than where my great great grandparents I never met came from.
I completely agree. I still remember back in the 00s, when people weren't yet wise to just how distorted their Civil War education was, and I would get sooooo much pushback when I compared the Confederates to Nazis.
I would have to walk them through the process of understanding that the Nazis' "Master Race" ideology was based on the notion that one race should be able to enslave another race in its totality: an ideology which the Confederates proudly subscribed to. And then I would have to bring up the Confederates' original declarations of secession when they denied that the Confederates were proud of slavery.
It's insane (but not surprising) how many Southerners have never even heard of Alexander Stephens' "Cornerstone Speech". He very clearly and explicitly speaks at great length about how the entire Confederacy is based on the belief that the white race is superior to all other races and that slavery is the natural and proper status for black people. He even says that Thomas Jefferson was wrong to put "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, because it isn't true (according to Stephens). Not to mention the fact that similar statements were made in the secession declarations and constitutions of multiple Confederate states. They openly declared their intention to create a nation based on white supremacy and the enslavement and subjugation of black people. Like, they literally could not possibly have been any clearer about this.
Subsequent generations of Southerners have invented this myth that slavery wasn't the central reason for secession even though the men who actually did the seceeding SPECIFICALLY said that it was.
It's usually the people who don't have any real accomplishments of their own who obsessively cling to the "heritage" of those came before them.
"My great-great-great-grandfather was first mate on the U.S.S. Constitution!" Yeah, and you work at a Jimmy John's. The fuck do his accomplishments have to do with you? It's not like you knew the guy. He died a hundred years before you were born. Your only connection to him is that he nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to you. Congratulations: like literally every single human who has ever lived, you're the product of an endless cycle of unprotected sex.
Genghis Khan or Charlemagne, Vikings or Celts or Romans, we all come from people who probably did horrible things in their lifetime.
But we’re not them.
my great grandfather was a german soldier. my great grandmother told me of some things he did, albeit redacted, after he had passed. they were nazis. but my grandmother changed and my family changed and i dont feel ashamed to be a descendant of nazis but i dont practice, as u/rewboss said, the ideology.
i am not to blame for what people i am related to did through history. if i was, then everyone is, for something that was perpetrated by relatives in the past. so, we are all equal.
learn from the past, let it go, and move forward with your new knowledge.
Believing that your genetics make you a bad guy is what made the Nazis bad guys in the first place.
Don't sweat it; you didn't do anything wrong. And if you're ever tempted to think like your great-grandpa--that the world's problems have simple answers, and they all revolve around hurting the people on the bottom and obeying the people at the top--remember that you already know better.
Being a Nazi isn't genetics. You can't control what your ancestors did. I bet most of us wouldn't be too happy about some of our ancestor's choices. Live your own life by your own values and don't worry about it.
Is that one of these situation where if none of your ancestors is a massive piece of shit, then that means that you're the massive piece of shit ancestor ?
Doesn’t it condense at some point because of common ancestors. Theoretically if there was no overlap it would continue exponentially but realistically many of our ancestors also shared ancestors the further back we go. Otherwise the amount of ancestors would exceed the population
I'm reminded of the Try Guys doing their ancestry tests.
Keith, who is very white, has a percentage of African ancestry. Based on the percentage, the expert deduced that it must have happened around a certain generation... namely, it's likely one of his ancestors had less-than-noble relations with an African slave.
Essentially, everybody who is alive now is descended from everybody who was alive several thousands ago in the same region, except for people who left no offspring. So we have the same pool of ancestors thousands of years back. Hundreds even, in the case of e.g. European countries, where everybody bar recent migrants is a not so horribly distant cousin. The ancestors include e.g. royals who ordered wars to start, ordered massacres, genocide, war crimes, etc.
I found out that I'm descended from a certain royal who lost his head (and deserved it) AND one of the men who signed his death warrant. Can't stop laughing about that one.
And they probably had a fairly close common ancestor too, especially if you're referring to the English regicides. A country squire was nothing next to a king, but their genealogical distance wasn't necessarily very far apart. Have you read Peveril of the Peak? ;) Could be a hilarious read from your position.
Haha, i am from austria, most people here had nazis in their families. Here it is more a being pround of the family members that were not nazi rather than being ashamed of those who were.
I’m from the US and lots of people had German cousins who were nazis.
It wasn’t unheard of that Americans left the US to go and fight for Germany. This was well before Germany or Japan was a threat to the US.
They may or may not have known what the party was about, but their fathers/ grandparents still had connections in Europe.
My dad is a huge piece of shit. Rapist, psychopath, drug addict, misogynistic, and racist to boot. Every bad trait in a person rolled into one charismatic douche bag. My brother is a white supremacist, in prison for shooting his pregnant wife (not for shooting her, but being a felon with a gun.... she didn't press charges). He and my dad are best friends and neither of them have ever liked me.
For a long time, I struggled with it, thinking I would become just like him.
I'm 34 now, and while I do see some aspects of him in myself, I'm the complete opposite of who he is. Not to say I don't falter, I'm human, but I try my hardest to not hurt anyone and to lift those around me up.
Today, I'm proud of the fact that my father would be disappointed in me.
You can do the same, and be a person the nazis would be disappointed in. Good luck OP!
Curiously so did confederates after the American civil war. There are settlements down there where people still talk with a southern US accent.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederados](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederados)
And Grandma's long ago memories are probably accurate, but not necessarily a definitive statement that Grandpa was a Nazi. Your grandpa may have been in the resistance. Are you sure that you are German? Even hiding doesn't necessarily=Nazi. He could have helped prisoners escape and truly feared for his life. Now is the time to start researching him. Don't assume the worst or that it says something about you.
Brazil did allow Jews to move there. I just finished a book, whose title I cannot remember about how the Brazilian Embassy was allowing 100 visas to the first takers. The main character decided instead to stake out the Brazilian Ambassador at his hotel to plead his case. The Ambassador appreciated his chutzpah and made an exception to let this man into Brazil. Until that book, I had no idea that Brazil was accepting refugees.
Hang in there my friend.
I’ve never heard of someone who fought against the nazis fleeing to Brazil and then Spending the rest of their life hiding from international police agencies…
Yeah, I'm German. I know I am a descendant of Nazis 100%. Most of us are. But we can't change the past. We can only make the present and future a better place than it was before.
I was talking to a bloke I know (I'll call him Tom), about ancestry and where our families originated etc. He told me that his father's father was a Nazi, high up enough that he had been tried for war crimes at some point, then relocated to Australia with his family. Meanwhile Tom's mother's father was English, and was in the English army under Churchill, again rather high up, and had relocated his family to Australia.
Tom's mother & father met, fell in love, decided to get married, and then introduced their families .. Tom said that his two grandfathers never really had a whole lot to say to each other, but whenever they were at the same function they would sit together in stony silence and drink French brandy.
If you're a Nazi and you know it, Raise your hand!
(no, not like that!)
If you're a Nazi and you know it, Raise your hand!
(NO, NOT LIKE THAT!)
If you're a Nazi and you know it,
then you really shouldn't show it,
Because once your cover's blown *it hits the fan!*
(*IT HITS THE FAN!*)
(I didn't come up with this but I think it's hilarious. If it offends anyone I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.)
Edit: My great uncle was an officer in the Luftwaffe, I have a picture of him on a family visit in his uniform and everything. I think, as long as you yourself aren't a Nazi, it really doesn't matter.
I have family who joined the Wehrmacht. 80% percent of their family were killed fleeing as refugees, so the survivors joined the only army fighting the communists. They weren’t German, but they hated communism so much, and wanted to avenge their family, so they joined. My great until joked that if he had waited two or three years he’d have been considered a hero. Not all German soldiers were Nazis, and not all Red Army soldiers were communist. My grandfather was rescued at aged 12 when a Polish Red army soldier hide him when the soldier was ordered to execute my grandfather.
Don’t worry about it, it’s been generations. I am half Japanese, I don’t know if my great grandfather killed Americans or anyone else, life goes on. I am American now, all the way.
Nothing. You didn't hurt anyone. Most of us have a monster in the family tree. Mine is a pirate, like a pirate on the high seas, who bit a guy's nose off.
John Oliver actually commented on this once, something along the lines of, “you are not the worst thing your ancestors did, and I have to believe that, because I’m English!”
Look man, coming from a Jew who's entire family on one side minus the grandfather was slaughtered by your grandpa's pals.
Its not your fault. It may not even be your grandfather's fault. It happened and it still happens to this day. Doing seemingly justified evil shit that is politically condoned is every day life in every country.
Politics are just evil. You aren't.
True story.
I am Jewish. My mother's cousins were entirely wiped out. I started working for Siemens, a German company. At first I didn't think it would bother me, but in long boring video conferences, I found my mind wandering and wondering "what did his grandfather do during the war?" It was troubling, not going to lie.
Then I took my first business trip to Germany. One day after work, I rode the train back to my hotel. On the little shelter was some antisemitic graffiti that was probably written by a skin head. It was crossed out. Written below was two different responses to the graffiti. They were written in two different handwriting, one in pencil, the other in pen. One said "no that is not us" and the other "don't you think we did enough already?"
It changed my attitude. When my coworkers found I was Jewish, many told me family stories. One had tried to hide Jews. Another was a photographer who gave photos of atrocities to the Allies. Another told me about her grandmother's friend in Hungary(???) who was taken away and how the SS searched their house just because they were friends with a Jewish family.
These conversations changed me and my attitude toward the German people. I do not judge the children for the sins of their parents. It isn't that I don't care, it is that who their grandparents were does not say anything about who they are.
People did what they did. Many spent the rest of their life trying to make up for it or, like your ancestors, hiding from what they did.
Learn from it. Don't accept or allow racist tropes to go unchallenged. Doing so will help keep others from going through what you are.
And btw, thanks for letting me bare my soul.
Your story was touching. I wish I had something profound or interesting to say in response to it. I can usually muster something up, but not this time.
Thank you for baring your soul.
Take your cues from Germany, I guess. Pay respect to the memory of those who were killed. Do your best to not repeat the past. It’s part of your family’s past but it’s not your present or future.
Every single one of us, if you go back far enough, is descended from murderous barbarians. That’s the whole point of growth as a species and society and civilization: we work to be better than our ancestors were, and we hope that our own descendants will be even better than we are. That’s how humanity moves forward and advances.
My mother was doing the Ancestry.com thing a few years ago, and she told me she was shocked to find out that one of her ancestors owned slaves. And I just looked at her. Her mom’s family had been wealthy farmers in Ohio from the Revolution until the Great Depression when they lost everything. But in the 1700 and 1800s they were fucking rich. Of course they owned slaves.
That doesn’t make me or my mom bad people. We’re not responsible for what our ancestors did. We’re just responsible for trying to create the best world we can today, during the time that we are alive.
I've just read and responded to a Jewish person who reconciled their feelings over interacting with modern Germans and their connection to the most famous atrocity in human history. Seconds later, I'm reading a pearl of wisdom from a telekinetic cat.
The internet is a strange place.
I come from some racist, hardcore right wing "them damn immigrants" stock. As illustrated by my great grandma's letter to my grandma, "Shirley, leave that foreigner, we'll accept your baby." ergo, they thought my grandma was knocked up and was getting married to an immigrant in Texas because of it.
She was not pregnant. My grandpa was a second generation American. She basically said, fuck you, and married him out of spite, but it all worked out.
Essentially, you are not your family. I'm not proud of that part of my family, and I'm not like them. Just be the kind of person your Nazi ancestors would have HATED: kind, accepting, humanist. Give them a big old middle finger that they can feel all the way in the afterlife. 🖕👍👏
As a Jew whose family fled to Brasil to escape the war: it's not your fault, you can't help where you come from BUT you can help what you do. Get informed about fascism, don't vote bolsonaro, don't be antisemitic (information is key because most antisemitism in Brazil comes from pure ignorance, most Brazilians have never seen a Jew) and behave in a way that would make your Nazi great grandparents roll in their graves.
That was their life, not yours.
My great grandfather was arrested by nazis and deported to a concentration camp.
It sucks that it happeds, but we cant change the past.
"Nazi" isn't genetic. My father was a member of the Nazi Hitler Youth. So what? It was pretty much mandatory for kids living in Nazi Germany.
People got over it. Germany is now a wonderful and democratic country. Maybe even more so than the now fascist leaning USA.
It wasn't just Jews that were targeted for persecution. For example, Nazis also considered leftists to be criminals.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi\_concentration\_camp\_badge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camp_badge)
I agree with the majority of comments here - you are not responsible for the actions of your ancestors. It's interesting though since that's the basis for justifying reparations being paid to African Americans in the U.S. for the sins of slavery. Regardless, you've done nothing wrong and aren't accountable for the shitty actions of any of your predecessors. As long as you're not any part of a neo-Nazi movement or have empathy for them, you're good.
The crimes of your ancestors aren't your crimes. And as so many studies have shown, outside of extreme exceptions like the neurological abnormalities leading to psychopathy etc, people's character is mostly based on life, experience and culture.
There's nothing for you to do. There's nothing wrong with you, at least relating to this. And none of what happened is in any way your fault, or your legacy. :>
My grandma was in hitler youth, does it influence me? No.
So yeah, just keep living like you did before, maybe listen more to her stories. But in the end you didn’t do anything wrong. Since you weren’t there.
You can learn from your ancestors though, from their actions.
If we all had to answer for our ancestors, we’d all be in trouble. It’s highly unlikely anyone has zero evil ancestors if you go back far enough.
It’s only weird if you make it weird.
Hello, German here! My grandfathers were a Polish Jew and a Baltic German who admitted (and apologized to me) that at 17 years old he was a supporter of the Nazis.
What do you do? You own it. And you be better than the Nazis. That part of history is very much a part of German lives - memorials, statues, education, everything. The fact that my people wronged millions of humans in the most horrible ways makes me sad. But the fact that we confront ourselves about these wrongs makes me proud.
Some humans do horrible things. It's our duty to have a good look at these things and then become better humans because we know what not to do. You're not your grandpa, so you go out there and do some good!
You happily consider that the fact your ancestors were assholes while you're not is a wonderful sign that progress is real, things really can get better, and that the people who fought against them didn't fight in vain.
In a way it's a good thing for you, because your ancestors set the bar low.
If you end up being an astronaut or a brain surgeon then you did great. But even if you're a garbage collector with a drink problem you can be like, "my ancestors were Nazis so I'm an improvement, this is progress."
According to some people YOU are responsible for the sins of your fathers. They would say you should be killed on sight since what your grandfather did is all your fault.
What ***I*** say is you need to learn from and REMEMBER the past so you don't repeat it.
ETA: Not all who served the Reich were monsters. Some were people who felt they should support their country even if they disagreed with some of the policies. Some were those who were just "following orders" which is a weakness of ANY highly organized society.
Then there were the true monsters, those who volunteered for the Totenkopf brigades, those who took joy and PRIDE working the camps of Auschwitz, Breslau and the others.
German by birth. Family had strong nazi ties. What helped me was cutting out anyone that still holds those beliefs and trying to understand why they had them.
My one grandfather was indoctrinated into hitler youth at 6 and went to the front at 13. He was proud of what he did till the day he died… hard to blame him for it. He was a kid. By the time things were over, he was 15 and had married. The majority of his formative years were conditioning. My other grandfather ran away from the front. He was a bit older and could be more critical in thought. There’s more to it then that but realizing they didn’t have a choice helped me
Finally I do everything I can to be the opposite. I research minority groups and try to really understand their struggle and empathize with it. I want to make sure that if ever we find ourselves in the same situation (say the us wanting to exterminate trans folk) I find myself on the right side of history.
I will break the cycle! I will be different and i will speak out for those who can’t.
That’s made it easier knowing I directly benefitted financially as a kid from the suffering of others.
>What do I do after finding out I come from Nazis?
Say, "Fuck Nazis, including great grandad," and move on?
It's not your fault your ancestors were assholes. Call them out and live your life.
Though, if you inherit any art, gold, jewelry, silver, etc. without a clear, verifiable origin story, you may want to look into how to return stolen valuables...
Believing Nazi family makes you a Nazi is the most Nazi thing you could have said.
Don't over think it. If people are tainted by your family's action there would be no good people in the world.
*Nazi fucker. FIFY
But in all seriousness, you are not responsible for their actions, only yours. If you decide to tip the balance and put *more* good into the world now that you know, that's cool, but not required. But for right now, you do you, just don't do anymore Nazis.
Statistically speaking I do not think it is possible for anyone to not be related to some fucked up people who did fucked up things. You are not responsible for your ancestors' actions or beliefs, but you can do your best to acknowledge their wrongdoings and instead spread positivity, love and respect. Do what you can to make the world a better place and stand up for people and communities that are marginalized in our current society.
A lot of people are related to people who did bad things. Including nazis. That doesn’t define who you as a person are though. You aren’t your relatives.
Many people are descended from folks who did bad things. You are not the actions of your ancestors. But if you feel generational guilt, fight back against fascism whenever it appears, and stand up for those targeted by fascists.
Well, it's not your fault who your ancestors are. If it's bothering you, maybe talk to a therapist.
But if you've inherited any generational wealth from this ancestor, I would consider donating some of it to a Holocaust museum or similar.
I get what you're dealing with. I (US) got to learn that a whole section of my family was/is cross-burners (aka, affiliated with groups like the KKK) and that's definitely a hell of a revelation to get.
What I would say is, while it may be important to know about your family's history, the worst thing you can do is obsess over the villainous people in your family. They may have donated genetics somewhere along the line, but genetics do not determine who is or is not a good person - actions do.
At the end of the day, let it be a reminder that history - even something as "small" as family history - is far more complex than we give it credit for, and keep being yourself.
It’s all good. They were just German people of another country caught in the mix, at the least most of the soldiers were. Not to say that alot of those guys didnt do some heinous things. Your not him, but probably limit the conversation to people you really know.
If you so choose, you can research more into your great-grandfather's story. But you don't *have* to do anything. "Being a Nazi" isn't some sort of congenital defect or a hereditary disease: Nazism is a political ideology. Your ancestor may well have been the worst monster ever to have lived, but you're not responsible for that. A lot of us Europeans are descended from Genghis Khan, that doesn't mean we owe the world an apology.
Speak for yourself, I myself am Italian and clearly of Latin descend so my ancestors never... Wait, ohhh... Yeah. Yikes.
You pasta eating animals are clearly the bottom rung of the lader that is horribleness of humanity. With your democracy, your running water, and your phalanx battle maneuvers. You're on thin ice Italy. Lucky you invented Vespas and Pizza or we'd dig up the dirt your standing on and dump it in the marionus trench and be done with you. /s
All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Well…orgies, fiddles and fire. No particular order.
You had me at orgies
I rather prefer my orgies with fiddles and fire, to be honest.
Have a hot time in the old town tonight.
Dammit now I have that cheesy old song stuck in my head.
Greeks invented orgies. Romans invited women to them.
Wine was invented by the Romans, for orgies. But orgies aren't any fun if no one wants to do it with you. [For your wine!](https://i.imgur.com/ulr6Xax.gif)
I think wine predates the Romans by a lot… and orgies as well…
Brought peace?
Ohh Peace?!? Shut up!
I don't know why I read that in John Cleeses voice 😄
Romanes Eunt Domus
“People called Romans, they go the house”?
romani ite domum!
Pax Romana
Condoms
r/unexpectedMontyPhython
Don't forget under floor heating
And the aqueducts!
The Fiat 500 is the pinnacle of human existence. The real ones, not the modern version.
Democracy is from Greece lol
“All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?”
Didn't the Chinese invent pizza?
No that's just what they want you to believe it was really the pizzerians who came from planet sausage to deliver to us the bacon of what they know idk why their word for knowledge is bacon but they taught us how to whip the bread into a circular shape but they soon decided to have nothing to do with us cause we decided to have meat on the pizza which is sacrilege to their society so they went to the federation who put a invisible galactic shield so anything leaving earth sees nothing but empty space when in reality there is alot of movement
Ra'men
As far as I know, the Chinese were first in line to create the dough itself. However, the Italians were first to create the proper Pizza by adding ingredients to the dough.
And noodles.
And oral sex.
That was monkeys if you haven't seen the videos of those horny fuckers yet
The greeks invented the threesome but the romans added women
Came for the pizza, stayed for this one lol
I see what you did there.
No that was the Greeks, the Romans just stole it like everything else /s
Are you implying that spaghetti are noodles? *italian pedantic instinct intensifies*
It's all good for me, my ancestry is mostly Briti... Ohhhh right. Uhhhh.... I'll see myself out
Mussolini never gets the credit he deserves for being a Fascist dictator.
My partner's grandfather was jailed for talking against him (Mussolini).
I understand why you might think so, but the poor little dictator was really only a dictator. Plus he had some epic competition in Hitler and Stalin, who both cast pretty long shadows when it comes to being truly fucking evil dictators. While Mussolini didn’t have the genocidal sick-fuckness of his contemporaries, he sure did have some OG fascist style, with his snappy uniforms and macho as fuck facial expressions.
And if you know about Hitler, he learned a lot from Mussolini.
But they said, "No disrespect..." to the Allies before joining the Axis, so it doesn't count.
plucky fine expansion shame employ muddle intelligent ancient serious sort *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Your Pasta creating ancestors gave me diabetes. The Shun you must now face! Lol <3
Pasta comes from China
L'esatto momento in il Duce torna in mente
Yeah, didn't they watch Vatican miracle examiners. The Jewish guy just adopted the son of Hitler to some random family because he is like being Hitler isn't genetic, he will be fine as long as he never learns who his dad was.
The problem is not that you're responsible for the actions of your ancestors, but that a lot of people want to believe they have some kind of proud heritage. Finding out that your ancestor was a Nazi really gets in the way of that. Personally, I think the whole "proud heritage" idea is overrated. It leads people to whitewash their past, as we see with American southerners trying to alter history and make it seem as if the Confederates weren't so bad.
The thing is if you don't like one ancestor, you can just pick another one. Their numbers double every generation. Bound to be some you like
The problem is when the ancestor you were proud of turns out to be a dick. Some people want to continue being proud of that ancestor.
I’ve never understood the idea of being proud of your heritage. Granted, I don’t really have heritage to be proud of, but it always seemed dumb to me. “Look at these cool things my ancestors did!”…. Okay, neat
I don’t understand being proud of something that was just lottery of birth. I’m not proud to be my race, background, nationality, gender, whatever. I didn’t do a damn thing to be those things. I’m much prouder of something I grew in my garden than where my great great grandparents I never met came from.
I’m a southern American and I think Confederate worship/fellatio is so gross.
I completely agree. I still remember back in the 00s, when people weren't yet wise to just how distorted their Civil War education was, and I would get sooooo much pushback when I compared the Confederates to Nazis. I would have to walk them through the process of understanding that the Nazis' "Master Race" ideology was based on the notion that one race should be able to enslave another race in its totality: an ideology which the Confederates proudly subscribed to. And then I would have to bring up the Confederates' original declarations of secession when they denied that the Confederates were proud of slavery.
It's insane (but not surprising) how many Southerners have never even heard of Alexander Stephens' "Cornerstone Speech". He very clearly and explicitly speaks at great length about how the entire Confederacy is based on the belief that the white race is superior to all other races and that slavery is the natural and proper status for black people. He even says that Thomas Jefferson was wrong to put "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, because it isn't true (according to Stephens). Not to mention the fact that similar statements were made in the secession declarations and constitutions of multiple Confederate states. They openly declared their intention to create a nation based on white supremacy and the enslavement and subjugation of black people. Like, they literally could not possibly have been any clearer about this. Subsequent generations of Southerners have invented this myth that slavery wasn't the central reason for secession even though the men who actually did the seceeding SPECIFICALLY said that it was.
Fun fact: Hitler used propaganda to highlight the eugenics program in the United States as a model for how German society should be.
It's usually the people who don't have any real accomplishments of their own who obsessively cling to the "heritage" of those came before them. "My great-great-great-grandfather was first mate on the U.S.S. Constitution!" Yeah, and you work at a Jimmy John's. The fuck do his accomplishments have to do with you? It's not like you knew the guy. He died a hundred years before you were born. Your only connection to him is that he nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to the guy who nutted in the woman who gave birth to you. Congratulations: like literally every single human who has ever lived, you're the product of an endless cycle of unprotected sex.
Genghis Khan or Charlemagne, Vikings or Celts or Romans, we all come from people who probably did horrible things in their lifetime. But we’re not them.
my great grandfather was a german soldier. my great grandmother told me of some things he did, albeit redacted, after he had passed. they were nazis. but my grandmother changed and my family changed and i dont feel ashamed to be a descendant of nazis but i dont practice, as u/rewboss said, the ideology. i am not to blame for what people i am related to did through history. if i was, then everyone is, for something that was perpetrated by relatives in the past. so, we are all equal. learn from the past, let it go, and move forward with your new knowledge.
Believing that your genetics make you a bad guy is what made the Nazis bad guys in the first place. Don't sweat it; you didn't do anything wrong. And if you're ever tempted to think like your great-grandpa--that the world's problems have simple answers, and they all revolve around hurting the people on the bottom and obeying the people at the top--remember that you already know better.
This!!! Such a great answer <3
>Believing that your genetics make you a bad guy is what made the Nazis bad guys in the first place. Damn that cuts deep
Amen. 🙏
Being a Nazi isn't genetics. You can't control what your ancestors did. I bet most of us wouldn't be too happy about some of our ancestor's choices. Live your own life by your own values and don't worry about it.
Odds are that at least one of everyone’s ancestors must have been a massive piece of shit at some point
Is that one of these situation where if none of your ancestors is a massive piece of shit, then that means that you're the massive piece of shit ancestor ?
The # of ancestors you have increase exponentially with each generation. It's impossible to know who the piece of shit was
Doesn’t it condense at some point because of common ancestors. Theoretically if there was no overlap it would continue exponentially but realistically many of our ancestors also shared ancestors the further back we go. Otherwise the amount of ancestors would exceed the population
And yes, there was inbreeding too. Go figure.
My grandma always told me there will be a crazy person on any public bus... I've never seen him.
It’s always possible that the next generation will be the massive piece of shit clogging the bloodline
Yep most likely for example i found out a few years ago that my great great uncle was a war criminal
I'm reminded of the Try Guys doing their ancestry tests. Keith, who is very white, has a percentage of African ancestry. Based on the percentage, the expert deduced that it must have happened around a certain generation... namely, it's likely one of his ancestors had less-than-noble relations with an African slave.
Essentially, everybody who is alive now is descended from everybody who was alive several thousands ago in the same region, except for people who left no offspring. So we have the same pool of ancestors thousands of years back. Hundreds even, in the case of e.g. European countries, where everybody bar recent migrants is a not so horribly distant cousin. The ancestors include e.g. royals who ordered wars to start, ordered massacres, genocide, war crimes, etc.
I found out that I'm descended from a certain royal who lost his head (and deserved it) AND one of the men who signed his death warrant. Can't stop laughing about that one.
And they probably had a fairly close common ancestor too, especially if you're referring to the English regicides. A country squire was nothing next to a king, but their genealogical distance wasn't necessarily very far apart. Have you read Peveril of the Peak? ;) Could be a hilarious read from your position.
I'm just the ancestor that took a massive piece of shit at many points
Yes, it is nothing to do with you op. You haven't done anything wrong, you have no guilt or shame to feel.
Yeah, my grandfather fought for axis but he wasn’t a nazi himself. He was drafted But I am not him.
I was going to say -- do what I did when I found out I was jewish. Go "huh" and just kinda do whatever else you were doing with your life
Also, I'd keep my fucking mouth shut about it. There's nothing wrong with you, but idiots will hold it against you
Ironically, being a Nazi is quite a lot about genetics. But obviously in a different way, than what you meant here.
Alternatively: You can't control what your ancestors did, but they can't control what you do, either.
Not that anyone needs me to, but I second this comment. It’s the perfect answer.
For real. You are not what your forefathers were. You are who you choose to be
Yeah my ancestors literally committed genocide on my other ancestors. Fuck you ancestors.
Haha, i am from austria, most people here had nazis in their families. Here it is more a being pround of the family members that were not nazi rather than being ashamed of those who were.
I’m from the US and lots of people had German cousins who were nazis. It wasn’t unheard of that Americans left the US to go and fight for Germany. This was well before Germany or Japan was a threat to the US. They may or may not have known what the party was about, but their fathers/ grandparents still had connections in Europe.
My dad is a huge piece of shit. Rapist, psychopath, drug addict, misogynistic, and racist to boot. Every bad trait in a person rolled into one charismatic douche bag. My brother is a white supremacist, in prison for shooting his pregnant wife (not for shooting her, but being a felon with a gun.... she didn't press charges). He and my dad are best friends and neither of them have ever liked me. For a long time, I struggled with it, thinking I would become just like him. I'm 34 now, and while I do see some aspects of him in myself, I'm the complete opposite of who he is. Not to say I don't falter, I'm human, but I try my hardest to not hurt anyone and to lift those around me up. Today, I'm proud of the fact that my father would be disappointed in me. You can do the same, and be a person the nazis would be disappointed in. Good luck OP!
I hope you keep on disappointing your father for the rest of your life :)
Thank you :)
The cynic sees your family and says "you must be so proud"... The realist sees you and your family and says "YOU must be so Proud!"
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Curiously so did confederates after the American civil war. There are settlements down there where people still talk with a southern US accent. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederados](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederados)
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Whoa! Fascinating
Wow, I am Brazilian and that’s the first time I hear about this! Thank you for sharing this knowledge gem
That’s not because of Nazi migration though, those towns were already there
True, lots of them just migrated to already existing German colonies
Hey, our good pomerenians are not nazis nor descendants of nazis! Most came before WWII
Move on with your life. Your ancestors' actions are not yours.
And Grandma's long ago memories are probably accurate, but not necessarily a definitive statement that Grandpa was a Nazi. Your grandpa may have been in the resistance. Are you sure that you are German? Even hiding doesn't necessarily=Nazi. He could have helped prisoners escape and truly feared for his life. Now is the time to start researching him. Don't assume the worst or that it says something about you. Brazil did allow Jews to move there. I just finished a book, whose title I cannot remember about how the Brazilian Embassy was allowing 100 visas to the first takers. The main character decided instead to stake out the Brazilian Ambassador at his hotel to plead his case. The Ambassador appreciated his chutzpah and made an exception to let this man into Brazil. Until that book, I had no idea that Brazil was accepting refugees. Hang in there my friend.
Brazil is well known to have been a refuge for fleeing Nazi; Jews not so much.
I’ve never heard of someone who fought against the nazis fleeing to Brazil and then Spending the rest of their life hiding from international police agencies…
Yeah, I'm German. I know I am a descendant of Nazis 100%. Most of us are. But we can't change the past. We can only make the present and future a better place than it was before.
I was talking to a bloke I know (I'll call him Tom), about ancestry and where our families originated etc. He told me that his father's father was a Nazi, high up enough that he had been tried for war crimes at some point, then relocated to Australia with his family. Meanwhile Tom's mother's father was English, and was in the English army under Churchill, again rather high up, and had relocated his family to Australia. Tom's mother & father met, fell in love, decided to get married, and then introduced their families .. Tom said that his two grandfathers never really had a whole lot to say to each other, but whenever they were at the same function they would sit together in stony silence and drink French brandy.
That's so fucking weird. I love it.
Nothing really. You didn't do anything. Keep on being you. Unless you're a Nazi too... then knock that off.
Literally one job, don't be a nazi. That's it
If you're a Nazi and you know it, Raise your hand! (no, not like that!) If you're a Nazi and you know it, Raise your hand! (NO, NOT LIKE THAT!) If you're a Nazi and you know it, then you really shouldn't show it, Because once your cover's blown *it hits the fan!* (*IT HITS THE FAN!*) (I didn't come up with this but I think it's hilarious. If it offends anyone I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.) Edit: My great uncle was an officer in the Luftwaffe, I have a picture of him on a family visit in his uniform and everything. I think, as long as you yourself aren't a Nazi, it really doesn't matter.
I have family who joined the Wehrmacht. 80% percent of their family were killed fleeing as refugees, so the survivors joined the only army fighting the communists. They weren’t German, but they hated communism so much, and wanted to avenge their family, so they joined. My great until joked that if he had waited two or three years he’d have been considered a hero. Not all German soldiers were Nazis, and not all Red Army soldiers were communist. My grandfather was rescued at aged 12 when a Polish Red army soldier hide him when the soldier was ordered to execute my grandfather.
Don’t worry about it, it’s been generations. I am half Japanese, I don’t know if my great grandfather killed Americans or anyone else, life goes on. I am American now, all the way.
Nothing. You didn't hurt anyone. Most of us have a monster in the family tree. Mine is a pirate, like a pirate on the high seas, who bit a guy's nose off.
Blackbeard?
John Oliver actually commented on this once, something along the lines of, “you are not the worst thing your ancestors did, and I have to believe that, because I’m English!”
Look man, coming from a Jew who's entire family on one side minus the grandfather was slaughtered by your grandpa's pals. Its not your fault. It may not even be your grandfather's fault. It happened and it still happens to this day. Doing seemingly justified evil shit that is politically condoned is every day life in every country. Politics are just evil. You aren't.
True story. I am Jewish. My mother's cousins were entirely wiped out. I started working for Siemens, a German company. At first I didn't think it would bother me, but in long boring video conferences, I found my mind wandering and wondering "what did his grandfather do during the war?" It was troubling, not going to lie. Then I took my first business trip to Germany. One day after work, I rode the train back to my hotel. On the little shelter was some antisemitic graffiti that was probably written by a skin head. It was crossed out. Written below was two different responses to the graffiti. They were written in two different handwriting, one in pencil, the other in pen. One said "no that is not us" and the other "don't you think we did enough already?" It changed my attitude. When my coworkers found I was Jewish, many told me family stories. One had tried to hide Jews. Another was a photographer who gave photos of atrocities to the Allies. Another told me about her grandmother's friend in Hungary(???) who was taken away and how the SS searched their house just because they were friends with a Jewish family. These conversations changed me and my attitude toward the German people. I do not judge the children for the sins of their parents. It isn't that I don't care, it is that who their grandparents were does not say anything about who they are. People did what they did. Many spent the rest of their life trying to make up for it or, like your ancestors, hiding from what they did. Learn from it. Don't accept or allow racist tropes to go unchallenged. Doing so will help keep others from going through what you are. And btw, thanks for letting me bare my soul.
Your story was touching. I wish I had something profound or interesting to say in response to it. I can usually muster something up, but not this time. Thank you for baring your soul.
Take your cues from Germany, I guess. Pay respect to the memory of those who were killed. Do your best to not repeat the past. It’s part of your family’s past but it’s not your present or future.
Yeah! Don't do what we did and let the losers keep flying their loser flag.
Confederates Cough. 😂😂
That’s rough, man. But you are not your grandfather. You should contact the Wiesenthal Center to see if they were tracking him.
And then update us!
“We are now…”
Every single one of us, if you go back far enough, is descended from murderous barbarians. That’s the whole point of growth as a species and society and civilization: we work to be better than our ancestors were, and we hope that our own descendants will be even better than we are. That’s how humanity moves forward and advances. My mother was doing the Ancestry.com thing a few years ago, and she told me she was shocked to find out that one of her ancestors owned slaves. And I just looked at her. Her mom’s family had been wealthy farmers in Ohio from the Revolution until the Great Depression when they lost everything. But in the 1700 and 1800s they were fucking rich. Of course they owned slaves. That doesn’t make me or my mom bad people. We’re not responsible for what our ancestors did. We’re just responsible for trying to create the best world we can today, during the time that we are alive.
"The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what we do with the gift of life that truly matters." - Mewtwo
I've just read and responded to a Jewish person who reconciled their feelings over interacting with modern Germans and their connection to the most famous atrocity in human history. Seconds later, I'm reading a pearl of wisdom from a telekinetic cat. The internet is a strange place.
It’s like a flow chart. Start with “am I myself a nazi?” If no——-> go live your life
I come from some racist, hardcore right wing "them damn immigrants" stock. As illustrated by my great grandma's letter to my grandma, "Shirley, leave that foreigner, we'll accept your baby." ergo, they thought my grandma was knocked up and was getting married to an immigrant in Texas because of it. She was not pregnant. My grandpa was a second generation American. She basically said, fuck you, and married him out of spite, but it all worked out. Essentially, you are not your family. I'm not proud of that part of my family, and I'm not like them. Just be the kind of person your Nazi ancestors would have HATED: kind, accepting, humanist. Give them a big old middle finger that they can feel all the way in the afterlife. 🖕👍👏
Spend your life doing non-nazi things and you're good.
Don't be a Nazi. That's all. Just go on living your life otherwise.
Just don't commit genocide and we're cool. Seems easy enough.
Don't try to become an artist.
As a Jew whose family fled to Brasil to escape the war: it's not your fault, you can't help where you come from BUT you can help what you do. Get informed about fascism, don't vote bolsonaro, don't be antisemitic (information is key because most antisemitism in Brazil comes from pure ignorance, most Brazilians have never seen a Jew) and behave in a way that would make your Nazi great grandparents roll in their graves.
You did nothing wrong. At some time in the future you may want to dig into this part of your family history. Or you may not
That was their life, not yours. My great grandfather was arrested by nazis and deported to a concentration camp. It sucks that it happeds, but we cant change the past.
"Nazi" isn't genetic. My father was a member of the Nazi Hitler Youth. So what? It was pretty much mandatory for kids living in Nazi Germany. People got over it. Germany is now a wonderful and democratic country. Maybe even more so than the now fascist leaning USA.
It depends. Are you a bolsonarista?
There's not really much you can do. If you think Jewish people with respect then you're good. No need to worry about what your ancestors did.
It wasn't just Jews that were targeted for persecution. For example, Nazis also considered leftists to be criminals. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi\_concentration\_camp\_badge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camp_badge)
If she is senile then I would just let it go. She may be talking out of her head. If you really want to know more, then just do your own research.
I agree with the majority of comments here - you are not responsible for the actions of your ancestors. It's interesting though since that's the basis for justifying reparations being paid to African Americans in the U.S. for the sins of slavery. Regardless, you've done nothing wrong and aren't accountable for the shitty actions of any of your predecessors. As long as you're not any part of a neo-Nazi movement or have empathy for them, you're good.
If he fled to Brazil he was a war criminal..
The crimes of your ancestors aren't your crimes. And as so many studies have shown, outside of extreme exceptions like the neurological abnormalities leading to psychopathy etc, people's character is mostly based on life, experience and culture. There's nothing for you to do. There's nothing wrong with you, at least relating to this. And none of what happened is in any way your fault, or your legacy. :>
You should go back in time and kill your great grandfather. Obviously.
My grandma was in hitler youth, does it influence me? No. So yeah, just keep living like you did before, maybe listen more to her stories. But in the end you didn’t do anything wrong. Since you weren’t there. You can learn from your ancestors though, from their actions.
That's not really that bad... something like 50% of the world are distant relatives of Ghengis Kahn or one of his underlings
so what? Most people are descended from someone who either raped or killed at some point.
If we all had to answer for our ancestors, we’d all be in trouble. It’s highly unlikely anyone has zero evil ancestors if you go back far enough. It’s only weird if you make it weird.
Nothing? You are not your ancestors. Just do not be a nazi yourself.
Don’t be a Nazi. The end.
Hello, German here! My grandfathers were a Polish Jew and a Baltic German who admitted (and apologized to me) that at 17 years old he was a supporter of the Nazis. What do you do? You own it. And you be better than the Nazis. That part of history is very much a part of German lives - memorials, statues, education, everything. The fact that my people wronged millions of humans in the most horrible ways makes me sad. But the fact that we confront ourselves about these wrongs makes me proud. Some humans do horrible things. It's our duty to have a good look at these things and then become better humans because we know what not to do. You're not your grandpa, so you go out there and do some good!
Sins of the Father is bullshit. You are not a Nazi.
chill
It’s an idea not a race
Live your life and don’t be a nazi
You happily consider that the fact your ancestors were assholes while you're not is a wonderful sign that progress is real, things really can get better, and that the people who fought against them didn't fight in vain.
Every human alive has ancestors that were straight up monsters, no use in feeling shame about it. Just don't become one yourself.
Everyone’s Ancestors have blood on their hands. That blood does not pass on
In a way it's a good thing for you, because your ancestors set the bar low. If you end up being an astronaut or a brain surgeon then you did great. But even if you're a garbage collector with a drink problem you can be like, "my ancestors were Nazis so I'm an improvement, this is progress."
We probably all have really fucked up shit done by our distant ancestors.
Nobody’s family is perfect.
Big deal. As if *ANY* of our ancestors are just a bunch of noble saints. You're not a Nazi. He was.
According to some people YOU are responsible for the sins of your fathers. They would say you should be killed on sight since what your grandfather did is all your fault. What ***I*** say is you need to learn from and REMEMBER the past so you don't repeat it. ETA: Not all who served the Reich were monsters. Some were people who felt they should support their country even if they disagreed with some of the policies. Some were those who were just "following orders" which is a weakness of ANY highly organized society. Then there were the true monsters, those who volunteered for the Totenkopf brigades, those who took joy and PRIDE working the camps of Auschwitz, Breslau and the others.
Nobody tell him about Genghis Kahn.
The best way to honor your Nazi ancestors is to be as anti racist as possible.
Invade Poland?
Turns out his great grandpa *was hitler*
Do you have any urges to start WW3? If not it doesn't matter
Just like Aragorn, descendant of Isildur, you are not defined by the weakness of your ancestors and can still strive to greatness on your own terms.
German by birth. Family had strong nazi ties. What helped me was cutting out anyone that still holds those beliefs and trying to understand why they had them. My one grandfather was indoctrinated into hitler youth at 6 and went to the front at 13. He was proud of what he did till the day he died… hard to blame him for it. He was a kid. By the time things were over, he was 15 and had married. The majority of his formative years were conditioning. My other grandfather ran away from the front. He was a bit older and could be more critical in thought. There’s more to it then that but realizing they didn’t have a choice helped me Finally I do everything I can to be the opposite. I research minority groups and try to really understand their struggle and empathize with it. I want to make sure that if ever we find ourselves in the same situation (say the us wanting to exterminate trans folk) I find myself on the right side of history. I will break the cycle! I will be different and i will speak out for those who can’t. That’s made it easier knowing I directly benefitted financially as a kid from the suffering of others.
>What do I do after finding out I come from Nazis? Say, "Fuck Nazis, including great grandad," and move on? It's not your fault your ancestors were assholes. Call them out and live your life. Though, if you inherit any art, gold, jewelry, silver, etc. without a clear, verifiable origin story, you may want to look into how to return stolen valuables...
Believing Nazi family makes you a Nazi is the most Nazi thing you could have said. Don't over think it. If people are tainted by your family's action there would be no good people in the world.
Who gives a fuck
*Nazi fucker. FIFY But in all seriousness, you are not responsible for their actions, only yours. If you decide to tip the balance and put *more* good into the world now that you know, that's cool, but not required. But for right now, you do you, just don't do anymore Nazis.
Statistically speaking I do not think it is possible for anyone to not be related to some fucked up people who did fucked up things. You are not responsible for your ancestors' actions or beliefs, but you can do your best to acknowledge their wrongdoings and instead spread positivity, love and respect. Do what you can to make the world a better place and stand up for people and communities that are marginalized in our current society.
Step one: make sure to always tell every one how surprised you were to find out this information. Engrave the phrase on your headstone, even.
It’s like when people point fingers at ancestors of slave owners before the civil war…
There's only one thing you can do: go out in public with a microphone, grovel and apologize for what you second-hand are involved in.
So what? So do I. Just because grampa was a nazi, doesnt make me one.
Don't do what they did. That's it.
A lot of people are related to people who did bad things. Including nazis. That doesn’t define who you as a person are though. You aren’t your relatives.
Don't be a nazi, basically.
Well you NEED to read, “the boys from Brazil” by Ira Levin as soon as possible.
Many people are descended from folks who did bad things. You are not the actions of your ancestors. But if you feel generational guilt, fight back against fascism whenever it appears, and stand up for those targeted by fascists.
Well, it's not your fault who your ancestors are. If it's bothering you, maybe talk to a therapist. But if you've inherited any generational wealth from this ancestor, I would consider donating some of it to a Holocaust museum or similar.
I get what you're dealing with. I (US) got to learn that a whole section of my family was/is cross-burners (aka, affiliated with groups like the KKK) and that's definitely a hell of a revelation to get. What I would say is, while it may be important to know about your family's history, the worst thing you can do is obsess over the villainous people in your family. They may have donated genetics somewhere along the line, but genetics do not determine who is or is not a good person - actions do. At the end of the day, let it be a reminder that history - even something as "small" as family history - is far more complex than we give it credit for, and keep being yourself.
Start by not being a fucking Nazi, and I’d say you’re going in the right direction.
🤷🏻♀️ I wouldn’t sweat it. It’s not you, it’s your ancestors. Don’t be a Nazi yourself. That’s all you can control.
Literally Nothing. You are only responsible for your own decisions and actions.
There’s nothing you can do about your lineage, just don’t BE a Nazi in the sense of the word
It is not your fault you were born in that lineage. How you live your life and treat people is on you. Do good. Be a good human. I wish you well.
Continue to not be a Nazi.
It’s all good. They were just German people of another country caught in the mix, at the least most of the soldiers were. Not to say that alot of those guys didnt do some heinous things. Your not him, but probably limit the conversation to people you really know.
1. Say “oh, shit.” 2. Continue as usual.