When they reached the camp, they had to stand naked in line and
undergo a detailed examination by the camp physician. Then, each
was given a tag and a number. These two events were calculated
to strip away one's identity and to reduce the individual to an
item within an impersonal system.
One's sense of personhood was further undermined by the fact
that there was never any privacy. The individual had lost both
his identity and his power. Everything was done to him or for
him, but nothing was ever done by him. The guards had the power
to dispense food, clothing, shelter, punishment, and even death
Prisoners had to request permission to use the sanitary
facilities, and permission was not always forthcoming. As the
inmates were not sentenced for specified periods of time, they
tended to view camp life as having a limitless future.
In a relatively short time, this experience of total dependence
developed characteristics of infantile behavior in those
prisoners who managed to avoid the extermination chambers. A
childish humor and infantile giggling were common. Boasting and
lying were widely practiced.
Pages:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94