anonymous policemen very enthusiastic in bringing demise on their own people).
Because they wanted to survive. They believed that by blindly obeying German orders, no matter how cruel, they will deserve staying alive.
And what a lot of people would put into practice and what a lot of people actually did.
I see you cherish a romantic vision of the past. All Poles heroically fought against their occupiers. No, it wasn `t so easy and most people prefered to keep away from trouble. That is why I said you can`t be sure how you would behave because now we can imagine anything over our keyboards.
Would I be willing to do some unethical things? Absolutely
Sorry, you didn`t convince me. We would need a time machine to move to the past and observe that in real, instead of imagining things in virtual reality.
As for your comment:
nobody would be smoking cigarettesThat`s not a very appropriate example. People smoke despite danger coz they believe cancer happens to others, while they are Untouchables themselves. Then life verifies their beliefs and they are crushed: Why me???