Dennis Prager Show - Does Dennis Believe in Generational Trauma?
Aired: 2025-04-28
Duration: 03:16


=== Holocaust Trauma Transmitted (02:45) ===

[00:00:00]  I've often noted in explaining Jews to non-Jews that Jews underwent, even if they lost no family member or anyone they knew in the Holocaust, the Holocaust was a trauma.
[00:00:17]  Basically, Jews have PTSD.
[00:00:21]  It's much less true for the next generation, but for my generation, born right after World War II, There is no question.
[00:00:31]  I am very rational and I was very affected by the trauma of something none of my relatives and no one I knew was affected by.
[00:00:46]  But it's very difficult to be aware of what the Jews of Europe underwent, the horrors, the unspeakable horrors.
[00:00:59]  And to think that it was brought upon every single Jew, babies and elderly, were targeted for extermination.
[00:01:13]  It affects you.
[00:01:15]  And it did have a...
[00:01:16]  There was a PTSD element in Jewish life.
[00:01:19]  There's no question.
[00:01:21]  With regard to blacks, I can't comment...
[00:01:27]  Nearly as knowledgeably.
[00:01:29]  But I don't understand if 150 years later there is still a trauma over slavery.
[00:01:40]  Look, there might be, but I don't fully understand it because this next generation, young Jews, I don't think, have nearly the trauma of the Holocaust that Jews who...
[00:01:56]  Lived at the time, like my parents' generation, or right after my generation have.
[00:02:03]  But there is such a thing.
[00:02:07]  I've thought about this a fair amount, and I remember being on a panel with a Catholic and Protestant, very intelligent people.
[00:02:26]  Long time ago.
[00:02:29]  And it was pointed out that Protestants are the most optimistic of the groups, Protestant Catholic Jew.

=== Catholic Suffering Examples (00:46) ===

[00:02:42]  And it's because they didn't undergo trauma.
[00:02:45]  Many Catholics did because of World War II.
[00:02:53]  As an example, and the suffering of Poles who are Catholic, as an example, and of other groups in Europe.
[00:03:05]  Protestants, much less so.
[00:03:09]  Protestants have it the best among Catholics, Jews, and Protestants.
[00:03:14]  So they tend to be the most optimistic.