When I was a child, I could remember saying, "Keep it up, I will make a lamp shade outta you." Never understanding the phrase, we as kids just said it in the school yard. Looking back, I like most kids probably thought it sounded cool.
Fast forward 40 years and I stumbled upon a documentary that astonished me. It would seem, that the phrase was rooted from the Holocaust. A deeply troubling phrase that reflected the atrocities of World War II.
For those who are unaware, as I was as a child, the phrase is historical linked. Ilse Koch was a accused of War Crimes for using human skin as souvenirs. She was a secretary and guard at a concentration camp. She stood trial and was given a lighter sentence due to the absence of evidence. This injustice created a world wide search to prove that she indeed created articles of human skin for her enjoyment, including her most prized possession, the human lamp shade.
This documentary explains the historical background of Ilse Koch. The plot is indeed complex and fascinating. I truly recommend the story to history lovers, teachers, and parents. After forty years, I learned the horror of a childhood phrase. A phrase I had no idea what it meant. For words, while meaningful can harm, without a child even realizing it. That is the lesson for our world today.
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