InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "love you guys"

Bees aren't balls! (homefrontmod) wrote,
@ 2011-11-13 19:31:00

REGARDING THE MUGGLE WAR

This discussion is one that is going to discuss boundaries between what would be IC knowledge and OOC borders of many players. To begin with, no one is trying or wanting to deny that terrible things occurred on a massive scale during WWII, of particular note to this discussion, the Holocaust, but further wish to state that this is still a highly sensitive issue for many people. It is felt by moderator team that the space of this game is not the appropriate space in which to address this issue. This response has been echoed by players who have expressed extreme discomfort with portraying what would be in character denial, agreement with, or apathy towards such events.

The moderator team will be taking this extremely seriously for the comfort of all players and to make certain that the atrocities of WWII are not cheapened as "passing character angst." Please DO NOT post about the Holocaust in this game. Any post touching upon this subject will be deleted or asked to be deleted. Repeated offense may result in more serious sanction.

That said the Holocaust and Hitler's Final Solution are not yet popular knowledge ICly. The British House of Commons only learned of it officially in late December of 1942 and rumours were confirmed to American Jewish leadership in November 1942. On 17 December 1942, the Allies did publish a condemnation on German actions towards Jewish populations, however, according to the Virtual Jewish Library, this was the only such proclamation prior to 1944 and even among the Jewish community, "very few Jewish leaders actually realized the scope of the danger."

While certainly, knowledge of the final solution would be more pervasive in Eastern Europe, where it is occurring, or even in German occupied territories such as France, where there is local collaboration or resistance occurring, the full breadth and depth of atrocities are in no way fully appreciated by the common Briton. Higher level of knowledge of the Holocaust, at this point can assume to be on a largely need-to-know basis.

The flow of information outside of these areas is limited, either to news heavily tinted one way or another by propaganda, primary statements from Germany (assumed propaganda), censored war front letters, or sporadic and smuggled messages if one has the connections. As characters in this game are wizarding, British, school children, At this point, it can be assumed that their information regarding the Holocaust is minimal at best, with particularly politically involved muggleborns or Jewish characters with ties to muggle synagogues having slightly more information.

Headmaster Dippet has strongly counseled staff to leave their knowledge, politics, or propaganda--for either war--out of discussions with students.

Similarly, rumors of murder of muggleborns in Nuremgard are at this point, just that.

Again, we in no way want to ignore the fact that the Holocaust is one of the worst events in the history of the world. But as the majority of characters would probably be, if in character, unconcerned and extremely insensitive to the crimes occurring during the Muggle World War II. Therefore, we do not want to put anyone in a position where they might need to defend the actions of the Germans, or make little of what was such a horrible crime.

1. Jewish virtual library--36 questions about the Holocaust
2. History Place, Holocaust Timeline (particularly 1941-3)
3. Britain condemns massacre of Jews