The documentarian takes on the U.S. and the Holocaust, and weighs in on what that dark period tells us about the chasm between our ideals and our reality.
Ken Burns is a great film maker, but he is so biased that when questioned reasonably he turns into Kamal Harris and responds with word salad. Seriously, how do we trust anything he has ever done now that we know how deep his bias runs? Bari was great as usual. I couldn't believe how he stumbled in the entire final 15 minutes.
His version of history is clouded by his bias and I will never look at one of his documentaries the same again. Bummer!
The canard that the US military should have fought WWII in Europe on behalf of the Jews has been around a long time. Edward Murrow speaks one line on radio, and it's taken as proof the US knew of the death camps. Since the death camps were only operational in 1942, although less efficient methods had been tried in 1941, Murrow's accusation of murder seems prescient. Perhaps he read Mein Kampf and believed it. Certainly, Jews were kept out of the United States before the war broke out. I did not know about Otto Frank, but I certainly knew about the ship of Jewish refugees that was denied entrance to any country it tried, including the US. As emotional as this all is, wars are not intellectual exercises in what if. They are very real, very bloody. And they're not that easy to win.
The US did what had never been done before - we won two major wars on separate fronts. And a lot of Americans died. More came home injured and/or traumatized. Most Americans didn't even know where Germany or Japan was located, but they stood in lines to sign up once Pearl Harbor was bombed. They signed up to save America. And they trusted the military to safeguard their sons, fathers, and husbands as much as possible. Our soldiers were gone for as long as five-six years. No weekend passes back to the USA. I just want to know how you would explain to an Iowa housewife why her son died, if not for the US? Once you explain that, you can explain exactly how you think the European war should have been fought. Did American planes carry enough fuel to reach the denizens of Warsaw from England, and return? If not, where do you think they should have refueled? They say wars are won by boots on the ground. How do you think American boots could get to even Dachau from England? The US Army landed in North Africa in November 1942. My Dad was supposed to be there, but was waylaid by an injury. He said the troops were referred to as cannon fodder. No one expected a lot from those guys. My uncle was at the landing at Anzio. He was a newly minted doctor who came back to the US with white hair and a permanent despondency. The fighting up Italy's backbone was fierce and bitter. And they did eventually get to Dachau, by fighting German troops foot by foot up the length of Italy. But that's how wars are won. By real men in real battles.
I believe the actual reason Ken Burns made this film and considers it so important is that he has accepted the great lie that Trump is a modern day Hitler and we, his cheering supporters, are all enthusiastic fascists. What a joke! Liberal Democrats see an exhuberant rally and think Nuremburg. They've apparently never been to a high school spirit day or a college football game. Masses of people cheering and having fun - without doing drugs - must all be fascists. I can only assume that Ken Burns is now in hiding, being careful not to stay in one place too long, since he's uncovered the great fascist plot. Or at least that he was until Smilin' Joe set him free. In the meantime, those idealistic Antifa goons who appear at night to riot, set fires, intimidate the locals - those are Anti-fascists. Any similarity to the Brown Shirts is purely imaginary. Sure!
If this effort of Ken Burns does anything, in my opinion it lays bare the weakness of intellectuals, who are subject to the same group think as others. It is a compilation of half-truths and misconceptions that basically argue for the proverbial ivory tower. So disappointing.
What a disappointment to hear both parties, right off the bat, make such an important topic a Trump bashing, Republican disinformation forum. No mention of our current situation of massive Democrat censorship (really Bari, no knowledge of this?!?). The Nazis used those tactics as well as indoctrination of the youth which the Democrats and the AFT and the NEA support all day long. But not Florida, hmmm, and yet you two feel that state is so threatening. Saved myself 6 hours not to hear a biased approach to a most serious topic.
Explain the manic obsession for this topic to extra-terrestrials. This porridge is grotesquely over-cooked. _Some_ Jews, in their obsessions--as their entire life's all-consuming fixation--to ensure, to their personal manic obsession, that no one anywhere ever "forgets" for five minutes, the full horrific panorama of world-wide Jewry's suffering, to the exclusion of all else, has made millions of people truly fed up.
943 comments here. Of all the topics at this site, this one got zero attention from me up to this single comment. And this is the first and only such comment this topic shall ever have from me at this site.
OMG - Ken Burns is at it again! He was on CNN with that idiot Don Lemon (of Nikki Haley is “past her prime” fame) comparing Tucker Carlson’s release of additional Jan 6 footage (the J6 committee forgot to show during their “show” to Nazi’s Potemkin village again. I love it when people show you exactly who they are. Bari, please please never interview this man again.
Ken Burns and most educated adults have the luxury of a "multiplicity of modes of inquiry". School children mostly do not. Teachers and administrators dictate what mode of inquiry will be taught - and its' usually just one.
The 1776 brand of history taught today is not perfect, but it is generalized, broad, and increasingly inclusive. Its goal is to create informed young citizens
The 1619 narrative may be interesting journalism, but it is flawed history. It is distorted, narrow-minded, parochial, and agenda-driven. Its goal is to create outraged young activists.
American school children deserve a better 1776, not the slanted 1619. The school leaders who try to force 1619 on kids as if it were superior history are exercising a form of authoritarianism Ken Burns should also be concerned with.
That said, I look forward to Mr. Burns' Holocaust documentary, as I do all his wonderful films.
Neither the film, nor the interview are Ken Burns' best efforts. Historians still disagree regarding whether the truth was known about the holocaust or not. The evidence stated does not support the conclusion that the US knew conclusively about the holocaust. The reality of intel gathering in the late 1930's and early 1940's is not what it is today. Nor was the media as informed then as now.
The holocaust happened. There is a chance that government entity knew about it, but there is no conclusive evidence. That the Roosevelt Admin turned away shiploads of Jewish refuges IS known and documented. That anti-semitism existed in the US is well documented, but one can't claim to be a historian and say the US is complicit in the holocaust because we knew---without proof.
The example he used about the state of Florida and the issue with Disney regarding the LBGQ issue is opinion stated as fact. The entire project is slanted in a way that many of his other works were not.
A disappointing effort further elevating another statist who has real talent but a myopic perspective. Burns doesn't know a government he does not like. Want to make an impact? Skip the National Parks hagiography and making Baseball all about one team and expose the government for what it has been and what it has done. There is zero connection between the horrors of the Nazi's and the current immigration disaster.
Don't just blame Burns, though he is worthy of much criticism and shaming. Bari owes us all an apology for the pathetic suck up job she did in that piece. I am sure I am not the only person to point out a critical review of Burns revisionism: https://www.city-journal.org/ken-burns-documentary-distorts-the-historical-record
I won't hold my breath waiting for ari's apology, however.
I continue to be disappointed with the Free Press willingness to let leftist guests get away with the blindness of their own prejudice. Authoritarianism is rampant in the Democratic party! We have a President who attempted to force people to get a medical intervention against their will to keep their jobs! The clear and present danger of fascism is not from white supremacists that lack any sort of real political power (and rightfully so..), it's from big Pharma, big Tech, the deep state and leftist politicians. If you don't see this clearly with the Twitter Files, the DOJs attack on Parents as domestic terrorists, etc.. you never will.
Lost me as a subscriber. Ken Burns has desecrated more history than Nikole Hannah-Jones, ya? 1619 is anti-history and I'd expect a "hetordox" publication like this to press Burns on this . At this point, I know more about this history than he does, I'm so sick of his progressive garbage being spewed at me as thought its insightful. Farewell, The FP. Remember, you can't still be a little marxist and make all this work. You need to clean the socialism and progressivism out of your brain once and for all. It contains no ideas that we need. Classical liberalism and natural rights were plenty for what we need in terms of justice. So long. I like Bari's book but like so many, she's still trying to hang on to "but Progressives are still good and the ideas are good, even though the ideas are bad and the people are delusional and will do evil things without even noticing". Stop it. Pick a lane.
Ken Burns is a great film maker, but he is so biased that when questioned reasonably he turns into Kamal Harris and responds with word salad. Seriously, how do we trust anything he has ever done now that we know how deep his bias runs? Bari was great as usual. I couldn't believe how he stumbled in the entire final 15 minutes.
His version of history is clouded by his bias and I will never look at one of his documentaries the same again. Bummer!
The canard that the US military should have fought WWII in Europe on behalf of the Jews has been around a long time. Edward Murrow speaks one line on radio, and it's taken as proof the US knew of the death camps. Since the death camps were only operational in 1942, although less efficient methods had been tried in 1941, Murrow's accusation of murder seems prescient. Perhaps he read Mein Kampf and believed it. Certainly, Jews were kept out of the United States before the war broke out. I did not know about Otto Frank, but I certainly knew about the ship of Jewish refugees that was denied entrance to any country it tried, including the US. As emotional as this all is, wars are not intellectual exercises in what if. They are very real, very bloody. And they're not that easy to win.
The US did what had never been done before - we won two major wars on separate fronts. And a lot of Americans died. More came home injured and/or traumatized. Most Americans didn't even know where Germany or Japan was located, but they stood in lines to sign up once Pearl Harbor was bombed. They signed up to save America. And they trusted the military to safeguard their sons, fathers, and husbands as much as possible. Our soldiers were gone for as long as five-six years. No weekend passes back to the USA. I just want to know how you would explain to an Iowa housewife why her son died, if not for the US? Once you explain that, you can explain exactly how you think the European war should have been fought. Did American planes carry enough fuel to reach the denizens of Warsaw from England, and return? If not, where do you think they should have refueled? They say wars are won by boots on the ground. How do you think American boots could get to even Dachau from England? The US Army landed in North Africa in November 1942. My Dad was supposed to be there, but was waylaid by an injury. He said the troops were referred to as cannon fodder. No one expected a lot from those guys. My uncle was at the landing at Anzio. He was a newly minted doctor who came back to the US with white hair and a permanent despondency. The fighting up Italy's backbone was fierce and bitter. And they did eventually get to Dachau, by fighting German troops foot by foot up the length of Italy. But that's how wars are won. By real men in real battles.
I believe the actual reason Ken Burns made this film and considers it so important is that he has accepted the great lie that Trump is a modern day Hitler and we, his cheering supporters, are all enthusiastic fascists. What a joke! Liberal Democrats see an exhuberant rally and think Nuremburg. They've apparently never been to a high school spirit day or a college football game. Masses of people cheering and having fun - without doing drugs - must all be fascists. I can only assume that Ken Burns is now in hiding, being careful not to stay in one place too long, since he's uncovered the great fascist plot. Or at least that he was until Smilin' Joe set him free. In the meantime, those idealistic Antifa goons who appear at night to riot, set fires, intimidate the locals - those are Anti-fascists. Any similarity to the Brown Shirts is purely imaginary. Sure!
If this effort of Ken Burns does anything, in my opinion it lays bare the weakness of intellectuals, who are subject to the same group think as others. It is a compilation of half-truths and misconceptions that basically argue for the proverbial ivory tower. So disappointing.
What a disappointment to hear both parties, right off the bat, make such an important topic a Trump bashing, Republican disinformation forum. No mention of our current situation of massive Democrat censorship (really Bari, no knowledge of this?!?). The Nazis used those tactics as well as indoctrination of the youth which the Democrats and the AFT and the NEA support all day long. But not Florida, hmmm, and yet you two feel that state is so threatening. Saved myself 6 hours not to hear a biased approach to a most serious topic.
Just listened to this. He had me until his leftist b.s. that anti-semitism is mainly emanating from Republicans. Dude: are you AWAKE??
Explain the manic obsession for this topic to extra-terrestrials. This porridge is grotesquely over-cooked. _Some_ Jews, in their obsessions--as their entire life's all-consuming fixation--to ensure, to their personal manic obsession, that no one anywhere ever "forgets" for five minutes, the full horrific panorama of world-wide Jewry's suffering, to the exclusion of all else, has made millions of people truly fed up.
943 comments here. Of all the topics at this site, this one got zero attention from me up to this single comment. And this is the first and only such comment this topic shall ever have from me at this site.
OMG - Ken Burns is at it again! He was on CNN with that idiot Don Lemon (of Nikki Haley is “past her prime” fame) comparing Tucker Carlson’s release of additional Jan 6 footage (the J6 committee forgot to show during their “show” to Nazi’s Potemkin village again. I love it when people show you exactly who they are. Bari, please please never interview this man again.
Ken Burns and most educated adults have the luxury of a "multiplicity of modes of inquiry". School children mostly do not. Teachers and administrators dictate what mode of inquiry will be taught - and its' usually just one.
The 1776 brand of history taught today is not perfect, but it is generalized, broad, and increasingly inclusive. Its goal is to create informed young citizens
The 1619 narrative may be interesting journalism, but it is flawed history. It is distorted, narrow-minded, parochial, and agenda-driven. Its goal is to create outraged young activists.
American school children deserve a better 1776, not the slanted 1619. The school leaders who try to force 1619 on kids as if it were superior history are exercising a form of authoritarianism Ken Burns should also be concerned with.
That said, I look forward to Mr. Burns' Holocaust documentary, as I do all his wonderful films.
If there is no Creator to give live meaning, purpose and value, the Holocaust it self is
meaningless
Neither the film, nor the interview are Ken Burns' best efforts. Historians still disagree regarding whether the truth was known about the holocaust or not. The evidence stated does not support the conclusion that the US knew conclusively about the holocaust. The reality of intel gathering in the late 1930's and early 1940's is not what it is today. Nor was the media as informed then as now.
The holocaust happened. There is a chance that government entity knew about it, but there is no conclusive evidence. That the Roosevelt Admin turned away shiploads of Jewish refuges IS known and documented. That anti-semitism existed in the US is well documented, but one can't claim to be a historian and say the US is complicit in the holocaust because we knew---without proof.
The example he used about the state of Florida and the issue with Disney regarding the LBGQ issue is opinion stated as fact. The entire project is slanted in a way that many of his other works were not.
A disappointing effort further elevating another statist who has real talent but a myopic perspective. Burns doesn't know a government he does not like. Want to make an impact? Skip the National Parks hagiography and making Baseball all about one team and expose the government for what it has been and what it has done. There is zero connection between the horrors of the Nazi's and the current immigration disaster.
Very good interview. Burns' thought process is clearly drawn out. Burns does fall into the trap of historians in speculalting on the "whys"
Way better take on it: https://www.city-journal.org/ken-burns-documentary-distorts-the-historical-record
Don't just blame Burns, though he is worthy of much criticism and shaming. Bari owes us all an apology for the pathetic suck up job she did in that piece. I am sure I am not the only person to point out a critical review of Burns revisionism: https://www.city-journal.org/ken-burns-documentary-distorts-the-historical-record
I won't hold my breath waiting for ari's apology, however.
I continue to be disappointed with the Free Press willingness to let leftist guests get away with the blindness of their own prejudice. Authoritarianism is rampant in the Democratic party! We have a President who attempted to force people to get a medical intervention against their will to keep their jobs! The clear and present danger of fascism is not from white supremacists that lack any sort of real political power (and rightfully so..), it's from big Pharma, big Tech, the deep state and leftist politicians. If you don't see this clearly with the Twitter Files, the DOJs attack on Parents as domestic terrorists, etc.. you never will.
Bari, you brought questions to the master of propaganda! He's pissed.
Lost me as a subscriber. Ken Burns has desecrated more history than Nikole Hannah-Jones, ya? 1619 is anti-history and I'd expect a "hetordox" publication like this to press Burns on this . At this point, I know more about this history than he does, I'm so sick of his progressive garbage being spewed at me as thought its insightful. Farewell, The FP. Remember, you can't still be a little marxist and make all this work. You need to clean the socialism and progressivism out of your brain once and for all. It contains no ideas that we need. Classical liberalism and natural rights were plenty for what we need in terms of justice. So long. I like Bari's book but like so many, she's still trying to hang on to "but Progressives are still good and the ideas are good, even though the ideas are bad and the people are delusional and will do evil things without even noticing". Stop it. Pick a lane.