My understanding is that she said the Holocaust was not about race because it was white people against white people. IOW, in her mind there is no Jewish race. And if you look up race — how it’s used by the government, for example — that’s right.
But that perspective seems both reductionist and ahistorical. Just because we have reduced “race” to about five categories today doesn’t mean that’s how people meant the term back in the 1930s and 40s.
The Nazis were all about the Aryan race — which doesn’t appear on the census, and is regarded as an obsolete concept. But in their minds it was clearly a racial thing.
Somewhat along the same lines, there was a time when people from central Europe were not regarded as “white.” So what “race” would they be?
IOW, people used the term very differently in the past.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe Whoopi was trying to defend the Holocaust, or say anything negative about Jews. She was simply (wrong-headedly) applying modern definitions of “race” to the Holocaust.
In my opinion, she should be corrected about that, and she should clarify what she meant, but it’s not grounds for being suspended.
QUOTE: In my opinion, she should be corrected about that, and she should clarify what she meant, but it’s not grounds for being suspended.
Indeed, it seems Whoopi has been publicly and privately corrected and she’s clarified what she meant and apologized…verbally and via tweet. She’s even stated…“Folks are angry. I accept that. I did it to myself.”
People will likely debate Whoopi’s suspension. Yet, from her employer’s perspective, it likely comes down to two things…company policy and potential business impact. Given past kerfuffles, ABC News recently put policies in place to address issues of this nature. Also, Goldberg may have a “morality clause” in her employment contract. If that’s the case, then Whoopi’s suspension may have been the result of a violation of one or both of those things.
As well, given the significant public reaction and potential negative impact on ABC’s brand, it’s likely they felt they needed to take a very strong stand to communicate to the public that her commentary was unacceptable. It’s reported that ABC News president issued a internal company memo indicating Goldberg’s comments were “misinformed, upsetting and hurtful.” As well, “words matter and we must be cognizant of the impact our words have.” Also, they issued a public statement that said, “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments. While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.” Sounds like ABC News was indeed doing damage control.
I don’t need to write paragraphs. She shouldn’t have been suspended. She’s seen the error of her ways and explained what she meant, and we can understand it. Can we now move on?
I agree. Let’s move on. She seems to have done atonement. But people do need to be careful when talking about the Holocaust. It was a singularly monstrous era in human history, and all too often people opine on it without being careful about their word choice.
Yes, it’s not something to speak about lightly.
Proverbs 18:21 says: “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Our words can build others up or tear them down. Therefore, it behooves us to be mindful of what we say and how that potentially impacts others.
A lot of focus has been placed on Goldberg and her suspension….not as much on the impact on her words on the Jewish community. I read an interesting article relative to that point. I’m wondering if ABC (other than doing a bit of CYB) got some of this input and that prompted them to suspend Goldberg as a measure to ensure those negatively impacted by her words understood they take such commentary seriously.
https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/22/02/n25435331/holocaust-survivors-supported-by-the-blue-card-request-meeting-with-whoopi-goldberg-to-educate-add
The Blue Card, a US organization whose sole mission is to provide financial support to needy Holocaust survivors, penned a joint letter with Holocaust victims to Whoopi Goldberg, her co-hosts, and ABC, following Goldberg’s suspension. The authors of the letter wrote…
“…we are a group of Jewish Holocaust survivors who came from various countries to the United States after enduring the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime…we have all heard your comments about how the Holocaust ‘was not about race,’ and instead was about, ‘man’s inhumanity to man’… [while] deeply hurt by these inaccurate assertions, [we] nevertheless would like to extend our hands to you so we can offer some insight and can help you during this moment of growth. For someone of Goldberg’s stature and platform, her remarks pose much hurt and harm to the Jewish community especially in light of the sharp rise of antisemitic hate crimes in the United States.
We would also like to point out that while we appreciate Ms. Godwin’s comment that ABC News stands with the Jewish community, we urge you to do more on your network to elevate the voices and stories of Holocaust survivors. There are still an estimated 65,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors living in the U.S. today according to the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany. The lasting effects of the Holocaust affect our daily lives and we can never forget the atrocities we witnessed and endured.
We echo Jonathan Greenblatt’s idea of adding a Jewish host to the panel of The View to represent the Jewish perspective on matters of antisemitism. We also ask that you use your platform to educate the public on the Holocaust by inviting survivors to speak on The View about our experiences during the Holocaust and the struggles we have faced since then.”
While I personally can’t relate very well to being hurt when somebody says something absurdly stupid, I want to heed Joe’s advice and tread softly on this issue.
Indeed, it’s true….the tongue has the power of life and death.