Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 12 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 22 years, 6 months ago by
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It seems like every year there is an award-winning, major motion picture depicting the Holocaust. Why does this historic event get so much more exposure than other atrocities against various ethnic and racial groups in history, namely enslaved African Americans?
Originally R651. Click here to see responses in original archives.User Detail :
Name : J-Stewart, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States,I’m so sick of hearing blacks claim that Jewish suffering gets an inordinate (and, implicitly, an inappropriate) amount of attention. The subtext – crystal clear if one reads “Final Call” or listens to speeches by Al Sharpton – is that Jews somehow manipulate the media and have monopolized its themes and serve only Jewish interests. Aside from the fact (and it is a fact) that there have been only two Holocaust-related films in recent years (Schindler’s List and Life is Beautiful), and there have been countless films depicting the black experience (Malcolm X, Amistad, The Color Purple, Mississippi Burning, etc.), and the fact that Roberto Benigni’s film is only Jewish in a marginal, extremely superficial way, this comment is a perfect example of the hostility in the black community toward Jews. While most people in the world see the Holocaust as a universally uplifting and transcendant story of annihilation and rebirth, blacks seem to see it as competition, and a negation of their history. If blacks want even more films and TV shows about black themes (as if there aren’t enough already), then they should pool their own money and finance them. Basically what you’re saying is: I don’t like the films I see, so I’m gonna bitch and moan until I make someone else take their money and does what I want them to do with it. Grow up – take responsibility for yourself. And learn that it’s just as racist for blacks to hate whites (and Jews) as it is for whites to hate blacks.
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Name : G. Stevens, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Crohn's Disease, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 45, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Corporate Finance, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,G. Stevens’ response is baffling and seems to border on random venting. I see no connection in the original question with Al Sharpton, nor for the life of me do I see how the question is a “perfect example of the hostility in the black community toward Jews.” The suggestion that blacks should pool their money and finance their own films implies that films about Jewish people are financed by Jews. That may be correct. But this implication serves to remind us that what merits being portrayed and the validity of that portrayal are often determined by who has the most money to pool, i.e., money is everything, including the truth! This can be troubling. Since Jews as a group are better endowed economically than most and are very influential in the movie industry, G. Stevens’ comments lead one to question the extent to which those controlling factors shape and/or color the quality, focus and redemptive value of the products of that industry of worldwide influence.
Furthermore, G. Stevens’ view that we all should “grow up” and realize that Jewish money is for things Jewish (and I do believe this is what he means) regardless of how much any of us bitch and moan, I hope is not too broadly held. First, it personifies selfishness. Second, it encourages people to sit back without complaint and take any and all crap that those with greater means choose to dish out. Agitation, activism, protesting for change and improvement are as American as apple pie. Hollywood makes films to make money! Common sense says that if money is to be made from investing in films about the Black Diaspora, it would be foolish to let bigotry stand in the way. Black money is just as good as Jewish money – though there may be less of it.
Many groups have stories to tell of pain, suffering and triumph. Each story is different. Each deserves to be heard, for each has much to teach us all if we are unbiased enough to listen. Blacks, Native Americans, Armenians, Jews, etc., all have powerful stories. It does not necessarily follow that the Jewish story is “the transcendent story of annihilation and rebirth” even to all non-black Americans, let alone throughout the world, as G. Stevens claims.
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Name : Floyd L., Gender : M, Age : 59, City : Memphis, State : TN, Country : United States,While I can understand G. Stevens feelings (I have heard much of the same from some blacks), I don’t agree that all black Americans believe this stereotype about Jews. If I followed that line of thinking, I would have to agree with Floyd’s response that Jews have more money than blacks – another stereotype. As to the perceived threat of competition, yes, I believe some blacks do feel threatened by other minorities who “seem” to invade their victim status. But, I see those mindsets in a minorit of blacks (and Hispanics, Asians, Germans, etc.),and only in those who make no effort to work with other minorities in their communities on issues affecting their communities as a whole. Jews and blacks have a strong commonality they may not realize: Balkanism. Both cultures had to depend solely on their own communities to survive for so long that they hesitate to now move outside those communities for personal interaction and community networking. In this case, black Americans are making more headway and can, in fact, mentor many facets of the Jewish community.
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Name : Alma, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, City : Kempner, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : contract employee, Education level : 4 Years of College,As Kosovo has shown us, human atrocities can and are still being inflicted on people. However, slavery was an institution that made human machines out of people. There will probably always be oppression and bigotry, but once humanity hit the industrial age, there was no longer a need for any type of slavery. We are now in an age where such barbaric practices can no longer take place or be tolerated. Machines do for people what people used to do for people.
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Name : Conor, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 37, City : Laguna Niguel, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Purchasing Agent, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Let us not be too quick to declare slavery dead. There are prostitutes enslaved by their pimps, addicts enslaved by their drugs and gun lovers enslaved by their guns. While physical slavery for blacks ended here in 1865, psychological slavery, formalized through Jim Crowism, easily lasted another 110 years (Jim Crow laws are still on the books in some states) and will have a deeply felt impact for generations to come. This form of slavery, while being the most debilitating to the enslaved, is most desired by the enslaver because the thought-control achieved through it becomes self-perpetuating, requiring, after a while, little or no intervention: “We have, as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light might enter the slave’s mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work will be complete. They would then be on the level of the beasts of the fields and we then should be safe.” (Henry Berry, Va. House of Representatives).
C.G. Woodson noted that “When you control a man’s thinking, you do not have to worry about his actions. When you determine what a man shall think you do not concern yourself with what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.” This is both the appeal (to the enslaver) and one of the awful tragedies (to the enslaved) of slavery, a fact not lost on those seemingly compelled to abuse and exploitation, but which does apparently escape others of us, including many of our leaders, planners and educators.
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Name : Floyd L., Gender : M, Age : 59, City : Memphis, State : TN, Country : United States,Wrong! Sudan still has slaves. There have been several articles in The New York Times on this issue of late. Perhaps you meant there was no “need” for it in the Western world. However, slavery is not about making machines out of people; it’s about domination, humiliation and feeling superior to others. Slavery was never needed, in this country or in others – I’m sure white settlers here could have done the work on their own or perhaps – gasp – hired people to help them. Treating people like animals was never warranted.
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Name : Lorraine22591, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 28, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I agree with the African-American female from Texas, very much. I am a Palestinian-American, born and raised in the United States. I lived in Palestine for a little while, and I still have family there. Obviously what happened in the Holocaust was very upsetting to Jews, but my God, let it rest. There are so many other ethnic groups who to this day in their own way are going through their own “Holocaust.”
Speaking as an American, I know I am sick of hearing about it. No one ever seems to talk of the horrible things the Jews did and are still doing to this day to Palestinians. Is a Jewish life in this world more favored than someone else’s life?
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Name : Rhoda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Arab, Religion : Muslim, Age : 20, City : Salem, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Student,Though ‘Dances with Wolves’ is a well-done movie and was the most enlightened and ‘real’ movie about mistreatment of Native Americans, it is pretty gentle. Gentle in its portrayals as well as the content. The worst cases of mass killings are virtually unknown to much of the American public. The Sand Creek massacre was bad, as was Wounded Knee. I don’t believe many people are ready or willing to see the eagerness many possessed to ‘exterminate the savages in a timely manner.’ Presidents, state leaders and American citizens endorsed this (not exclusively, of course), and many Americans don’t want to see the dark side of their country’s ‘heroes.’
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Name : AmG, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Age : 25, City : Flathead Reservation, State : MT, Country : United States, Education level : Technical School,After reading the responses to this question I felt moved to toss in my two cents. First, I observed a stance of challenge to the question from white readers. Basically, those who responded tried to avoid answering the question all together. I also observed that the films used to challenge the question were repeated by two different people, more or less. If there are so many films that negate this question, why do you have so few films to choose from in supporting your argument? I hardly think Gone with the Wind is the best example of a film that depicts the struggle of blacks, especially since the movie and the book were about a white woman.
In a country where the number of films released is staggering each year (not even considering the TV), you only hear about the black struggle in February – Black History Month. And I am still waiting to hear much more about Native American, Hispanic American and other groups’ struggles. It is easy to see there is a larger number of films depicting European struggles, not just Jewish ones. I don’t feel there is anything wrong with depicting the Holocaust, but other struggles should be recognized. That doesn’t take anything away from anyone else’s experience. Just know that the question was valid and deserves and answer.
My answer is that fear is at the base of avoiding the Native American, African, Asian and Hispanic holocausts. Each of these groups have suffered at the hand of ‘majority’ America at one time or another. The excuse that it was long ago is easy to say, and it doesn’t require an apology, much less acceptance of responsibility. The “Blame the victim” mindset is prevalent in this area of U.S. History, and in many other areas of American society. If we blame the victim, it really doesn’t affect us, so it didn’t happen – at least not like it has been depicted by the group in question. Think of it like a rape. It was the woman’s fault, so the guy gets a smack on the hand and the woman has to live with a lifetime of horrible memories that will become a legacy of issues she will more than likely pass on to her children.
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Name : Carmela, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : College Administrator, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,1) I think the original poster overlooked how many films out there do deal with the slavery issue.
2) The Holocaust is a lot easier to put in a box than slavery is. It happened within recent memory, has a pretty well-defined beginning and ending, the original participants may still be living and there’s a clear-cut villain. The history of slavery, on the other hand, is still occurring up to this very moment. What do you choose to document?User Detail :
Name : Carlton-B, Gender : M, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States,I’m not much of a debater, but the atrocities commited at the holocause were an order of magnitude more inhumane. Not only were the jews enslaved, they were burned! In ovens! Come on! Gas chambers and stuff, man. I’m not really a jew sympathizer, a good deal of my family was killed simply because at the time Poland (where they lived) had a rather sizeable jewish population, but even I can recognize that there isn’t really much worse of a fate than being stuck in an oven or having your infant tossed up in the air for target practice for german soldiers like it was skeet..
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Name : Szymon, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 20, City : Edison, State : NJ, Country : United States,
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