Letters to the Editor: The ‘banality of evil' described by political theorist Hannah Arendt is taking hold in the United States

Los Angeles Times

12-04-2025

To the editor: I read with deep sadness the article by Jackie Calmes reflecting on the writings of Hannah Arendt ('What Hannah Arendt saw in Hitler's Germany, we can see in Trump's America,' April 10). As a former teacher of American History, I taught my students about the Constitution and the rule of law.
My students were instructed on what happens when the balance of power is out of control. My eighth-graders learned about Nazi Germany and what led to the rise of Hitler. My classes often would ask how people just stood by and watched as the ugliness of genocide unfolded.
Never could I have imagined the possibility of that happening in our country. But we are living in times that suggest that we value one-man rule instead of democracy. We must be part of the solution of saving our valued institutions or we too will be held responsible for our democracy's demise.
Micki Wood, Fullerton
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To the editor: In Calmes' excellent column about Arendt, she does not explicitly mention Arendt's important concept of the 'banality of evil,' which observes that evil can be perpetrated and assented to by ordinary people, not just monsters, through thoughtlessness, ignorance, disinterest or lack of critical thinking. It can also be allowed to take hold because of the unquestioning obedience to a leader of bureaucrats who may not be inherently evil but have other selfish interests that cause them to overlook or disregard the dangerous intents of the person they serve. We must all become more aware of the warning signs.
Lewis T. Rosenthal, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Reading the column on Arendt's writings about Hitler's rise to authoritarian power, I was reminded of the saying by philosopher George Santayana: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' We may be here again, only nine decades later.
Evelyn Goodman, Culver City
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To the editor: I'd like to congratulate Calmes on her article. She nailed it! Everything that President Trump is doing is the start of a dictatorship. Everyone should read this column. It's fantastic. Hopefully, I'll watch the PBS documentary on Arendt on June 27.
Lolita Coffey, Torrance
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To the editor: Arendt's 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' is a far more encompassing analysis of authoritarian, freedom-denying regimes than Hitler's Germany. Upon reading, it's easy — if not more likely — to conclude that Arendt's much greater fear would be of today's Democrats and it's Marxist wing (progressives), both culturally and economically, and supported by academia, the entertainment industry and much of the media.
Kip Dellinger, Santa Monica