Drinking from Hitler’s cup
Academia, Thoughts | October 20, 2009
Today, in my sociology seminar, my professor brought out a cup branded with the insignia of Adolf Hitler. The cup certainly belonged to Hitler’s household, although it’s unknown if Hitler himself ever touched it. My professor passed around this cup and asked us to drink from it if we wanted to link ourselves with history.
Now, I didn’t drink from the cup because I’m a germaphobe and communal cups horrify me, but some of the other students refused because they didn’t want anything to do with Hitler, and a few students drank because they wanted that small piece of history for themselves. Most people, I imagine, were like me and just didn’t care or didn’t want to drink from a shared cup.
I wouldn’t have drank from the cup even if germs weren’t a factor, though. It’s not that I don’t want to just because it’s Hitler’s cup; it’s not as if touching it will somehow connect me with the terrible actions of a racist dictator. And it’s not that I don’t care about history, because I lovelovelove history. It’s fascinating and I love learning about it and visiting historical places. It’s just that I’ve never seen the need to drink from the same cup as some historical figure or touch some dead person’s lock of hair. I think that’s just creepy and unnecessary. Seeing and not touching (or in this case, touching and not drinking from) is enough for me.
What do you think? Would you drink from Hitler’s cup?
I wouldn’t for the same reason you gave. Even if it was the cup of a historical figure I loved I wouldn’t see the point and I wouldn’t feel some sort of “connection” by doing it.
If germs weren’t a problem, it’d probably depend on my mood. (I mean I share drinks with one or two close friends, but definitely not a class full of comparative strangers!) I think it’s a novel idea, so I might just for the kicks. But it wouldn’t change the fact that, like you, I don’t think there’s any significance or necessity.
I’m curious though — what was in the cup to drink from?
Just water. Nothing special!
Yes. I think there is an element of connection there – by doing normal things that historical figures would have done in the same place or with the same objects I think brings the history that much closer, and emphasises the reality of them – for me, at least. I’m not worried about germs as I’m used to sharing cups, but the reason I’d choose to drink from it would be so that I could go around saying “I drank from Hitler’s cup! I’m so cool! LOL.
To be honest, I’d much rather have it in my cupboard, to have it to show off
Well, perhaps not Hitler’s cup, but you know, some kind of historical thing. I do not see the point in touching something like Hitler’s cup to be part of history…
I might be afraid of catching whatever Hitler had that made him such an asshole.
No. I’d be freaked at using something he might have. I’m undecided as to whether or not I can see a point in it. I’d be in little in awe of it though, history you’ll never be able to live yourself being near you.