197) Wise of Elie Wiesel?

 

Now that I've discovered what a fallible man the Nobel Peace Prize winner is, instead of the to-be-revered, kind, caring and sensitive man I always perceived Elie Wiesel as... (ever since I was crushed to see how blindly and how irresponsibly he has been willing to throw his lot in with the Armenians ... that is, without bothering to do his homework, and probably strictly being motivated by embracing what he thinks are his fellow genocide sufferers — meanwhile, committing Rufmord against the Turks)... now, suddenly, his flaws have become all the clearer!
  
A Movie About Hitler 

 

In the April 12-18, 2003 issue of TV Guide magazine, America's major publication for television listings, there was an article for a then-upcoming TV mini-series HITLER: THE RISE OF EVIL (covering the early part of the Fuehrer's rise to power). This article, entitled "The Controversy Over CBS' HITLER" mentioned how Jewish groups were concerned about the possibility of glamorizing the Nazi leader.

 

The executive producer, Ed Gernon, was trying to take any of the heat off by emphasizing the film's real message, that Hitler's "grab for power in Germany in the 1930s is a cautionary tale for contemporary America." Gernon was quoted as saying: "It basically boils down to an entire nation gripped by fear, who ultimately chose to give up their civil rights and plunged the whole world into war."

 

Well, I was very impressed reading that passage. I'm very concerned my country is going overboard with certain measures (at the time of this writing, in 2003), and with dogmatic extremists like Attorney General John Ashcroft at the helm... and with too many Americans beginning to feel all too comfortable with the notion of the government running their lives, thanks to a cockeyed sense of "patriotism." Too many of my fellow Americans are obviously unaware of what one of our country's greatest founding fathers had said: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

 

(That would be Benjamin Franklin.)

 

And wouldn't you know it. TIME Magazine reported a few weeks later that as a result of that very interview, Ed Gernon got FIRED! (Inadvertently proving his point, TIME added.)

 

 

 

The ones who fired him, incidentally, were Alliance Atlantis... the production company behind the financing of ARARAT. (I guess they were in a foul mood, still trying to get over what a disaster Atom Egoyan's film proved to be for them.)

 

Enter... the Hollow-caust Man

 

Elie Wiesel decided to make a few waves of his own, saying he was uneasy about HITLER: THE RISE OF EVIL since the previous year, when he wrote to CBS (the television network) president, "expressing his concern."

 

"You can be against the war," Wiesel was quoted as saying, "But to compare America to Germany under Hitler — no, really, it's almost unworthy of anger, because it's beyond the pale."

 

It looks like Elie Wiesel isn't, once again, paying attention. Just like when he completely overlooked the entire other side of the Armenian "Genocide" story.

 

The idea isn't to compare America to Germany under Hitler; the whole point is to compare America to Germany just BEFORE Hitler. The underlying message is that a great and civilized nation such as Germany allowed a villainous slimeball to take the helm because the German people lost control of their emotions, allowing for their nationalistic pride to take precedence, which made it much easier for them to give up their freedoms.

 

Kind of like what happened in this other parallel, which Elie Wiesel ought to have allowed himself to ponder over.

 

You know, it's one thing for Elie Wiesel to disagree (even though he didn't really understand what he was disagreeing with)... but look at the way he chooses to air his disagreement. It's like he's looking down his nose at a view that doesn't conform with his superior own, in a pretty haughty manner. (He's saying the opposing view is just too stupid to take seriously. Of course, he would have a point if the comparison was between America and Germany under Hitler, as he misunderstood. But does he still have to be so uppity about it?)
How Dare They! 

 

However, what really bothered me was Wiesel's reaction to not getting a reply from the CBS president, when he wrote to him in 2002, airing his grievances about a project he didn't know that much about. Here is what he said:

 

"For the first time in my life, I wrote a letter and I didn't get an answer." (For the FIRST time in his life? Wow. What about the many years after he thankfully escaped with his life from the unimaginable horrors, when he was an ordinary human, before he "became" Elie Wiesel?)

 

Here's the kicker:

 

Wiesel found the lack of communication...

 

"Significant and, of course, offensive."

 

OFFENSIVE!

 

The man he wrote to was the extremely busy president of a major television network... does Wiesel think people should forget about whatever they're doing and cater to his whims at the moment he snaps his fingers? Especially when he makes a pest of himself, griping about issues that aren't all that clear yet? (Did Elie Wiesel believe a major mainstream media outlet like CBS-TV would actually make a hero out of Hitler..?)

 

Sadly, for those of us who firmly believe that the Holocaust took place, some scholars of the Genocide of the Jews have attacked any reconsideration of Armenian-Turkish relations out of a fear that this will somehow give comfort to those who, against all evidence, disavow the Holocaust. It must also be admitted that we academics have been unwilling to undertake studies of Armenian-Turkish relations, because of problems with career advancement and even physical dangers.

 

Prof. Justin McCarthy, 1996 Congressional testimony

 

The CBS president tried to save face by explaining he didn't have anything to say to Mr. Wiesel at the time (of course; that's his prerogative. Nothing "offensive" about that), quickly making sure to add the "appropriate people" would be contacting Wiesel (what? No personal reply?), and that Wiesel is "a man I respect greatly."

 

 

An Exchange with Oprah Winfrey

 

O: On your first night in the (concentration) camp, you saw babies being thrown into the flames. Can you ever forgive those who killed the children?

 

EW: Who am I to forgive? Only the children themselves could forgive. If I forgive, I should do it in their name. Otherwise, it is arrogant.

 

 

Ahh. That's more like it. This is the wise and wonderful Elie Wiesel I like, and used to respect. (But, you know... even if he is irresponsibly committing "Rufmord" against the Turkish people, with so-called facts he doesn't bother to fully investigate... I still like Elie Wiesel. How could you not like Elie Wiesel?)

 

 

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© Holdwater 

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