A very interesting column by the talented Mark H. Teeter in the Moscow Times ponders whether or not it is appropriate for people to casually extrapolate the term "gulag" for application in vastly different cases, and under whose ownership, if any, should such a tragedy of such immense scale lie. Teeter concludes that every historical case of mass exterminations is shared both collectively and individually: "When such slaughters occur, all mankind pays a price. The proportions and malevolence combine to recalibrate what it means to be human, redefining the race downward through our shared failure either to perceive or prevent them."
The article also points us toward a very powerful and important new Website Exhibition entitled "Gulag: Many Days, Many Lives" created by The Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. You'll be hearing about this one again from us.
