I have always considered George Stroumboulopoulos and by association, his program the Hour, to be a news program that acts under the Watchdog model of media. Stroumboulopoulos guides his hourly program in such a way that expresses his own opinions within the reporting of the current news. It is George’s clever criticisms and segments dedicated to exposing these ‘"truths" about the world that serve as an outlet for this media watchdog specifically in “Disinformation – 50 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know.”
The issue of Hitler is one that is timeless in both relevance and interest. The effect of Hitler’s reign was grand scale and consequently transcends to audiences on a mass scale. To hear any “news” on him, decades after the terror he imposed would perk the ears and eyes or almost any audience. When I first heard that Hitler’s blood relatives were still alive I was intrigued by this story.
However, after hearing it my opinion changed drastically. I have enclosed a transcript of the video that played under the Disinformation segment of 50 things You’re Not Supposed to Know, that the Hour feels it is our right to know. While I appreciate the fact that a news program strives to drag our highly censored minds into the proverbial light, I actually felt this story was one better left in the dark. I never thought I would take the stance of defender against anyone with association to Hitler. But as the report dictated, the four remaining men (only three of which are alive now) made a pact not to subject any future offspring to the burdens of bearing relation to such a monster. I feel such a drastic life choice is indicative of their own struggles growing up in the shadow of what their predecessor had done. Despite their somewhat distant blood relationship to the fascist dictator, what business is it of us as audiences and readers, to know where they are living and working?
How could this information possibly benefit us when it would clearly only draw further criticism than already endured to the remaining members? It is my belief that by continuing to discuss and immortalize Hitler even now, we are continuing to pay homage to his will. We are giving him exactly what he wanted, to be immortalized long after his time and at the expense of four boys (three remaining) who had the misfortune of being born into the wrong bloodline. The Hour indirectly trivializes the lives of these men, accounting for only three of the four brothers, but identifying the state and occupation of the two they were able to discover.
While old footage of their distant relative’s evil reign fill the background and remind us of the darkness he caused, a sole reporter sits at a table and tells the story of the Hitler family bloodline. Their lives are being accredited to a few simple sentences, most of which identifying them and making them vulnerable, labeling them only as Hitler’s bloodline and a slight mention of a brotherly pact. I feel the impact and the sacrifice that went into the creation of the pact speaks volumes regarding their character and their sense of self-loathing of the family they were born into. They have collected decided to end the Hitler bloodline forever.
We all know for better or worse we cannot choose our families. If we found out in 20 years that Robert Pickton had blood relatives living somewhere in America would that be any more or less relevant? I realize the impact of these men situations is incomparable, but the point remains the same. Why are we so eager to seek out these people who are not accountable for what preceded their family’s history? While I am uncertain this report will hold a negative impact, the odds are in favour of that. The story has been viewed over 1,000 times from the website alone. These men know where they come from; do we need to remind them? If the victims have suffered enough, when is it enough for those victimized in a different way by the same animal?
Disinformation Segment – 50 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know
Did you know that Hitler’s blood relatives are alive and well in New York State?
Hitler never had any kids so we tend to take for granted that anyone related to him is still alive, Adolf had an older half brother who had a son, Pat Hitler who moved to Germany as a young man to take advantage of his Uncle’s rising political stature. Pat grew tired of being overlook by his uncle who was only giving him minor jobs. So Pat moved to America and in the height of World War II as the war raged on, Pat joined up with the U.S. Navy, in order to fight against his uncle Adolf. Afterwards he changed his name to blend in with the rest of society. That is until a reporter named David Garner was given the task to find him and interview him and after several years it was no easy task to find him, Garner found out he was living in a small town in the State of New York. Showing up unannounced on his doorstep, Garner learned that Pat had died in 1987. His widow Phyllis confided that it was indeed Pat Hitler and also let it be known that they had four sons. She then quickly clamed up and asked them to leave. After much legwork, Garner found the four sons named, Alexander, Brian, Howard, and Lewis. Howard, a fraud investigator for the IRS died in a car crash when he was 32 in 1989. Brian and Lewis continue to this day to operate a landscaping business in the small community of Long Island. I was told Phyllis old Garner that the four brothers made a pact to never have children so they would be spare them the burden of being related to a monster. Adolf Hitler’s blood relatives are alive and well in New York State.
Link to the video on the Hour website: http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1326
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