this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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[–] Zacpod@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (6 children)

IBM sold "inmate" counting machines to Nazi Germany. Like, sent techs there to the camps to size up the requirements and everything. It should NOT come as a surprise that they're back on X - they've never had an issue with Fascism (or any other ism) as long as they had money to spend on overpriced iron.

[–] PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but why would they even need a machine to count the prisoners? If they didn't feed their victims and were planning to murder them anyways I'm having trouble understanding why they wouldn't be okay with just a loose head count. Was it really just for counting?

I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive, I've just never heard about this and it sounds so ominous.

[–] Zacpod@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and_the_Holocaust

Black reports that every Nazi concentration camp maintained its own Hollerith-Abteilung (Hollerith Department), assigned with keeping tabs on inmates through use of IBM's punchcard technology.[2]: 351  In his book, Black charges that "without IBM's machinery, continuing upkeep and service, as well as the supply of punch cards, whether located on-site or off-site, Hitler's camps could have never managed the numbers they did."[2]: 352 

[–] PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Dear God, they used a punch card like it was just another day on the job? I hope they didn't make the "prisoners" do it. I don't know why this is so chilling but something about having to count yourself like an object makes me feel sick.

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