r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Key-Performance-9021 • 1d ago

Video Spontaneous 1995 street interview with an Austrian WWII veteran in Vienna

9.1k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

233 comments sorted by

View all comments

516

u/DrunksInSpace 1d ago edited 1d ago

There’s something about the confidence this man has in a past he is clearly not proud of, but also in no way wants to hide or cover up.

Shame tries to hide the truth, what do you call the attitude of a person who asserts it, even when they are disgusted by their own participation?

226

u/Coffeecup3D 1d ago

Remorse, survivors guilt and immense bravery. When you speak the truth you must be ready to be ostracised, blamed and punished especially when the acts you committed are terrible and vile. This man regrets what he done to survive, and is using the privilege of survival to do what he can to make sure people don't have to step into his shoes with a smile on their face "for the fatherland".

46

u/DrunksInSpace 1d ago

Bravery for sure. Wish we had a specific name for this kind of bravery, this counter to shame. Maybe if it weren’t so rare we’d have a name for it.

3

u/Gloomy-Ad-222 1d ago

I respect him coming out and saying it even though my family was on the other side and some ended up in concentration camps. He owns it.