The Fascination of a Fake : The Hitler Diaries

1. What kind of ‘cultural afterlife’ has Hitler had? How does the article suggest the figure of
Hitler has been employed in mass media since WWII? What meaning has Hitler taken
on?

Hitler in popular culture has become synonymous with power, pornography and
madness. He “has become a kind of silly putty in the hands of postwar fictioneers, who
stretch him this way and that, devising as many shapes from his memory as the motive
for metaphor will allow.” Since WWII, Hitler’s likeness have been commodified, as the
Nazi icon has become mythical entities in itself. (Plan for final solution - book; Nazi
Images; National Socialism - Fascism)

2. What problems does the author see arising from this?

The celebration of Nazi aesthetics by contemporary appropriators. Without a historical

perspective, such connoisseurship prepares the way for a curiously absent minded
acceptance of propaganda. The patent falseness of representations of Hitler such as
Triumph of the Will​; a unimposing and unattractive man transformed by modern
machinery into a captivating leader and a mass celebrity.

3. What is the primary argument of the article?

Reconsider the fascination with his presence; explore the problematic continuing
fascination of Hitler. The current image popular culture has created of Hitler today is no
longer what Hitler represents historically, which can be misleading and dangerous to
perpetuate this idea within society.

4. What understanding of the Hitler diaries scandal does it offer?

From someone who was an antiques dealer who faked 60 volumes diaries, Konrad
Kujau, how they got hold of the diaries in the first place was a scandal. Finding out that it
was not an imaginary because Hitler's handwriting was identified. The mistaking of the
gothic F for an A.

5. Make a note of at least three terms or passages that you are uncertain about or find
difficult to understand.

How Hitler and the Nazis were related to pornography - He believed it was an instrument
for leading the German people, especially women, astray.
(Disparity, popular image, historical figure/context,
 DCMS Fake News Report

● What​ kind of source this is;

Online government issued report

● Who​ compiled the report;

The House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

● When​ it was written and published;

Published on 29th July 2018, report of session 2017-19

● How​ it was compiled;

Oral evidence sessions focusing on current affairs regarding Facebook’s
Cambridge Analytica scandal, they contacted other parliaments such as
the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, European Parliament,
Canadian Standing Committee, sharing evidence and thoughts with
representatives from various countries. They invited witnesses to
provide evidence, while calling for some to provide including the former
CEO of Cambridge Analytica and the Campaign Director of Vote Leave.

● Why​ it was produced

Due to recent changes in the political landscape, such as the prominence

of fake news, deliberate distortion of facts and the impact social media
has on this, there has been a rapid change concerning how we use data
to target people’s views. The UK Parliament believes that the existing
legal framework no longer can apply to the modern political landscape
and the report highlights significant concerns of political manipulation and
the action that the government needs to take.
 What does this report suggest about the significance of ‘fake news’ today and the
challenges of addressing ‘fake news’ in the digital age?

Although fake news is a relatively new term and there is no one agreed
definition, its prevalence within our political climate has made manipulation of
opinion and fact easier to spread globally. Since there is no one set definition of
fake news, it is currently impossible to put forward new regulations or policies
to control fake news as there is a requirement for a consistency of meaning
among all platforms.