NYTimes on the real meaning of Auschwitz

What did it mean to be a wehrwolf in Europa? What is the significant difference between a perpetrator and a sympathetic bystander? If we consider sympathy - or at least apathy - to be an essential element of genocide, how does this implicate the protagonist of Europa - who wishes to show 'kindness' towards Germany - in the crimes of his wife, uncle, employer, and adopted country? How does this implicate non-German Europeans?

"To understand the politics of mass murder and eliminationism, the technical means of carrying out the deed are almost never the central issue. Rather, the crucial elements are the political leaders’ decision to commit genocide, the willing participation of a large population of perpetrators, the sympathy of an even broader civilian population — in the case of the Holocaust, principally ordinary Germans, but also many other Europeans — and, above all, the ideology that motivates them all to believe that annihilating the targeted people is necessary and right." - How Auschwitz Is Misunderstood

Read the full article here, it talks about the symbolic meaning of Auschwitz, given that its technology did not necessarily add efficiency to the mass-killings in the Holocaust:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/sunday-review/how-auschwitz-is-misunderstood.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=0