by Kenneth Jacobson

Why the big deal about the hateful musings of Marge Schott? After all, isn't she just a crotchety individual who has no self-control? Don't we have real problems with serious haters -- racists, anti-Semites, right-wing extremists, Islamic extremist terrorists?

No doubt we have to stay focused on the larger threats to society and make sure they are rejected by the mainstream. We must have leadership from every segment of the American life speak out forcefully and consistently against these hatreds, particularly when the hate comes from within one's own group; and we must recognize that no racial, ethnic or religious group is immune from the disease of hatred.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the Marge Schotts of the world. It would be a grave error to allow a public figure to utter ignorant and offensive words without a moral response. The lesson to our young people would be that such bigotry is not inappropriate; that it doesn't matter if we hurt other people with our words.

In the case of Ms. Schott's most recent utterance, that Hitler was a reasonable fellow, who indeed did good things for the Germans until he went "nuts," one cannot take for granted that those thoughts or analogous ones are simply rejected by all Americans. If only it were so? Therefore, it is necessary not only to condemn Ms. Schott and call on Major League Baseball to take even more stringent action against her than it did in the past, but also to address the points that underlie her statements.

First, the notion that Hitler was a decent enough fellow before he "lost it." One could only make such a statement out of ignorance.

Unfortunately, surveys indicate that too many American schoolchildren do not know history. Therefore, it is critical to point out that Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 when, according to Ms. Schott, he was still all right. In fact, he wrote Mein Kampf, his blueprint for world domination and for the destruction of the Jews in 1924, nine years earlier. He did not suddenly become an evil person.

Even more disturbing about Ms. Schott's statement is that it reflects the misunderstanding of how hatred evolves. The notion that hatred comes out of nowhere is a dangerous illusion, because if it were accepted, it would prevent us from doing anything about hatred before it fully manifested itself.

Hatred develops over time. Ideas that eventually manifest themselves in violence, may begin with personal insults, move on to discrimination or harassment, then span out of control, to ultimately, genocide. It never just happens and we must reject that notion forcefully.

Similarly, the rationalization that Hitler did some good is a perspective that lives on with regard to today's extremists and demagogues. Extremists know that they can only gain a wider following by providing positive ideas and services to needy and frustrated populations. While they may do so, that does not negate the fact that their ultimate goals are destructive and dangerous.

Those who purvey hatred but also do "constructive" things resemble a large glass of clear water into which one drop of poison is injected; resulting in the whole glass being poisoned. It is no longer feasible to distinguish between the pure water and the poison.

Marge Schott cannot be ignored. She is a public figure of significance in one of America's great cities, representing one of America's greatest institutions. The hatred and ignorance she purveys are shared by too many in our society. Baseball and America cannot afford to stand by in the face of such prejudice.

Kenneth Jacobson is Assistant National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

This op-ed appeared in the New York Daily News on Sunday, May 26, 1996.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.