Saturday, March 8, 2014

Paragraph 175 (Society - Homophobia) Summary

 Paragraph 175 before it was amended states that any unnatural male homosexual activity or any person who engages in sexual activity with an animal is punishable by imprisonment. The Nazi party had amended the paragraph to include any males who are willing to engage in homosexual activity are also punishable by imprisonment. The amendment also stated that in very rare cases men that are under the age of 21 at the time of the act may be excused from imprisonment. Paragraph 175 was again revised by the Nazi party. Paragraph 175a goes into more depth of the punishment of those participating in homosexual activity. Men who engage in homosexual activity can be charged with penal servitude up to 10 years and if necessary imprisonment of up to 3 months. This included men who are potential rapists, gay men, male prostitutes, 21 year old men who seduce men who are underage. Paragraph 175b states that people who engage in unnatural sex with animals can result in imprisonment and even the loss of civil rights. 
This is very pertinent to Freud's argument that "...we are animals, our reason develops out of a conflict with the natural world, including the internal regulation of our instincts in order to better adapt for survival..." The fact that people are engaging in homosexual activities goes against the natural instincts of heterosexuals. The Nazi party wanted to enforce punishment against homosexuals because it helped to make the Nazi party more powerful. People who may have not been in favor of the Nazi Party, but are heterosexual, now had some form of common ground. People were able to identify with this due to the previous opinions about homosexuality, and therefore where easily manipulated by the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party exploited their power over homosexuals due to the newly gained support of the public. This allowed  for unjust punishments to homosexuals.

No comments:

Post a Comment