Geli Raubal was Hitler’s niece. She lived w/ him from 17 — he was 36. He was abusive and isolated her socially.

At age 23 she was found dead, in his apartment, shot w/ his gun.

From the Holocaust to mass shootings, violence against women is the atrocity that precedes atrocity.

Geli Raubal is a footnote in history. The exact details of her death are still a mystery that history buffs dig into. But her story is important — it is so hard to find examples of violence and evil that are not accompanied by deep misogyny and toxic masculinity.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the lives of the Nazi leadership. A gang of relatively young men (30s-40s) who led the world into disaster — and attempted to exterminate my people. Who are these people?

Of course they hated women and had histories of abuse.

Of course they moralized drug use while using drugs and drinking alcohol.

Of course they priced themselves as “able” while many were deeply ill in various ways.

Of course they abhorred science.

The list goes on but the overall cocktail — men who view themselves as aggrieved and robbed of their privilege and lash at first at women and then at the entire world, bending reality to fit their toxic image of themselves — is among today’s villains as it was in 1933.

I don’t have any big conclusions. But that’s what on my mind this afternoon.

Related: call your representative to ensure that law in your state allows court to order people under protection of abuse orders to relinquish their weapons. If they don’t, advocate. If they do, ask what % of weapons are recovered. In philly, it’s 10%. https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/coronavirus-covid-19-philadelphia-domestic-violence-abuse-rising-women-protection-order-20200417.html