"The vital importance of knowing better"

Jessica Shattuck's New York Times article on how she had to come to terms with her grandmother's Nazi past is thought-provoking in its own right, describing how she maintained her love and affection but refused to allow it to cloud her judgement and induce her to accept her grandmother's protestations of ignorance as an excuse.

But, perhaps inevitably, it's also impossible not to read the piece in the light of the current political climate, and in particular the election of Donald Trump - a parallel that is left unstated but certainly implied: "My grandmother heard what she wanted from a leader who promised simple answers to complicated questions. She chose not to hear and see the monstrous sum those answers added up to."

(Thanks to Lyndsey for the link.)