Who thought that average Germans where ignorant or innocent?

This movie was hard for me to follow because I always assumed average Germans (and certainly German soldiers!) where guilty of the horrors of WWII.

Certainly, Germans can't claim ignorance about the genocide of the Jews -- they where rounding them up for crying out loud! Average Germans where looking their stuff and moving in to their homes. Everybody knew this and most approved.

While, of course, most Germans never _personally_ killed a Jew or a Gypsy, it never could have happened without wide-spread condoning and collusion by average Germans.

And it wasn't just the Germans... MANY Europeans hated the Jews and turned them in to be killed when they had a chance.

Sure there where exceptions -- but these where _exceptions_. Now, everybody claims to have been the exception but, of course, this can't be true.

... but we Americans can't be so smug. How many Americans objected when innocent Japanese (in WWII) or Muslims (under Bush) where rounded-up and detained? Sure, _some_ Americans complained but most cheered.