Originally published December 24 2008
Myth Busted: Hitler Was Not a Vegetarian
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) It's common knowledge that Hitler was a vegetarian. Just ask anybody: They'll tell you so. Trouble is, the assumption is false. Hitler wasn't a vegetarian at all. Consider the historical facts:
• Biographers who wrote about Hitler (and who knew him quite well on a personal basis) openly describe his love for Bavarian sausages and game pie ("game" meaning wild meat from birds and other creatures).
• Hitler's own chef openly talked about Hitler's love for stuffed pigeon.
• In none of Hitler's speeches or writing did Hitler state he was a vegetarian or speak in favor of vegetarianism.
• Hitler was regularly given injections of a protein serum made from the testicles of a bull -- not exactly a treatment that would be tolerated by vegetarians.
• None of Hitler's lieutenants were vegetarians, nor was vegetarianism promoted in any way in the Nazi party.
In fact, Hitler suffered from severe flatulence (where do you think the idea for the gas chambers came from?) and was advised by doctors to follow a vegetarian diet from time to time in order to calm the gas attacks. This is probably where the myth about Hitler being a vegetarian first originated. No doubt his lieutenants wanted Hitler to be a vegetarian; especially the ones seated closest to him at the dinner table.
Additional reading about the Hitler vegetarianism myth: http://www.vegsource.com/berry/hitler.html
By the way, according to the above-mentioned article, the New York Times' definition of vegetarianism includes cooked ham. I suppose if you define vegetarianism as including cooked ham and sausages, then sure, Hitler was a vegetarian. But you'd have to be a numbskull to adopt that definition in the first place.
Speaking of myths about Hitler, it turns out Hitler wasn't an atheist, either. As he stated himself in Mein Kampf (1925): "I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews, I am doing the Lord's work."
Nazi soldiers wore belt buckles with the inscription Gott mit uns (God is with us), and they routinely engaged in religious blessings of the troops by invoking the power of God at the Catholic Church.
Hitler wasn't a vegetarian, but he was a Catholic (http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/quotes_h...).
Does this mean anything to us today? Nope. Opponents of vegetarianism or atheism are always pointing to Hitler as an example "proving" how wrong-headed those philosophies are, but it's just meaningless talk. I just pointed out that Hitler was actually a meat-eating Catholic. Does that mean that all meat eaters and Catholics are evil? Of course not.
Hitler spoke German, too. Does that mean all German-speaking people are evil? Of course not.
The truth is that one person's actions, no matter how insane, do not represent the philosophies of entire groups to which he may momentarily belong.
The valid comparisons between modern-day politicians and Hitler should, in my view, focus on the use of fear to promote war, the use of staged false-flag attacks to incite anger among the population, and the use of empty oration to create a loyalist following that dangerously concentrates political power into the hands of the few. Hitler was also in favor of gun confiscation, gold confiscation and eugenics programs, all of which are highly relevant in the modern world. And it goes without saying that he placed no value on the lives of many humans -- a view shared today by most multinational corporations.
On the other hand, as some will no doubt point out, Hitler was the chief force behind the building of Germany's autobahn highway system, and he helped push through the first Volkswagon "car for the masses" that made automobile transportation affordable. Looking carefully at history shows that even the most evil, dangerous men can easily frame their actions as accomplishments for the People. This is highly relevant to remember as our own President Bush is attempting to reframe his legacy today.
One thing for sure is that Bush was no vegetarian.
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