It's Official -- She's Lost Her Mind
On April 28th, Barbra Streisand decided to loosely compare our president, George Bush, to a Nazi:
Bush's actions remind me of Herman Goering's quote during the Nuremberg Trials, where he stated: "...it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.
Regular Ron (and everyone else) -- want to make a bet Barbra won't have the class to acknowledge her error and apologize? Comparing the president of the United States to a Nazi cheapens what the Nazis did. I can understand many people not really understanding that concept -- I in no way shape or form think Streisand -- a Jew -- doesn't get it. She is simply so filled with hate, she doesn't care. Shame on her.
posted by Esther @ 4:58 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
'I in no way shape or form think Streisand -- a Jew -- doesn't get it.'
I don't think she gets it. Its not related to her religious background. Its just that she's that clueless.
Grrr, will they ever learn to limit their opinions to important things like the academy awards??
As an African-American I find myself quite often when I read this site analogizing the Jewish situation to the black experience, including, of course, slavery. Since I'm not a fan of George Bush, I did not want my viewpoint of him to cloud my ability to objectively 'get it.' So I substituted Bill Clinton, who I did support, then inserted the words slave owner into Goering's analogy and used the analogy to characterize the actions of Bill Clinton. Funny, the words took on a heightened sensitivity when applied to someone I like, which is why they are so often used against those with whom we strongly disagree. And why we react so strongly when used by those with whom we disagree with.
Streisand is not clueless. Whether you like or dislike her opinions she does think, and more often than not lays out her reasons for thinking as opposed to accusatory rhetoric. I read Streisand's whole statement. She did not call Bush a Nazi. She quoted a statement which alluded that any form of government, including fascist governments such as Nazi Germany, who use the use of fear to govern is wrong. Before the quote she laid out her arguments as to why she feels Bush's action conjure fear among Americans.
I strongly agree throwing around the word Nazi, like other words of its ilk, diminishes the horrific acts that occurred. Acts that never should be diminished or forgotten or joked about in any manner. If Streisand's use of the quote in any way takes the focus off the point of her opinion which is 'Are we being governed inappropriately by fear?' then she failed. And if the use of the quote prevents anyone reading her statement from considering the question she asks, then they have failed also. And we all have lost.
ts, what do you mean it isn't related to her religious background? And I disagree -- I do think she knew exactly what she was saying. She's not stupid or clueless. She's misguided perhaps, but she's smart.
RR, I will write you. :) And I'm glad I made you laugh. But it's so true!!! ;)
RW, you made me LOL.
Oh renee..... I see your point (tho I don't want to turn this into a discussion of whether or not Bush is ruling by fear), and it's an interesting way of putting it. But she still should have known better. And btw -- I said "loosely compare"..... I didn't say she called him a Nazi outright. ;)
One more thing -- it's bothersome because she said something while she was so blinded by rage that I'm sure her calmer self never would have indulged in.
Maybe what bothers me the most is that I don't think, with comments like this, she is deserving of being the "darling" or role model to the Jewish community. Then again, maybe she isn't anymore.
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'She's not stupid or clueless.'
I guess I just can't get to that point in the argument. I have read many of her rants, especially prior to the election, and I find her mostly devoid of coherent thought. She is arrogant, ignorant and not worth losing sleep over in my opinion.
ts...
"I find her mostly devoid of coherent thought"
You know, that's my problem with people so overcome with hatred. They usally come off as you said above. The hatred overcomes their ability to reason.
"She is arrogant, ignorant and not worth losing sleep over in my opinion."
Hear, hear.
And A. Renee there is no way, no way whatsoever than anybody can compare an elected American president to a Nazi.
Fear, or not fear the comparison is so wrong that it is too difficult to find a starting point for any criticism (historically, politically, morally).
The very fact that Streisand could actually say all tis crap without being executed or even arrested makes total mockery of her claims, analogies and innuendos.
This is cut and pasted from a post on my blog
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The Holocaust was unique; drawing modern parallels might not be so infuriating if people got their facts right, but equating contemporary events to the Nazi machine drives me up the fucking wall. Even the previous Pope shat me off by comparing abortion to the Holocaust. [And for calling homosexuality the new evil, but I will save a rant on that for another time] Now, I am personally against abortion and could never have one, the thought makes me sick, but it is simply historically inaccurate to compare the two. The misuse of Nazi terminology undermines any correct understanding of the horrors experienced by mostly Jews, but also Gypsies, homosexuals and political and other religious minorities. One of my friends recently called his boss a Nazi, and I was told not to be so pedantic when I retorted with "so when was the last time he herded you and your family into a cramped cattle truck with no water on a hot day before torturing and then gassing you all to death?" That's not pedantry, it's respect for the past. So let us not rewrite history to serve any of our own personal or political aims. Nie wieder kiddies, verdammt nochmal, nie wieder.
Great comment Rachel. I am right with you that we should not call people nazis just coz they might act like little tin pot dictators.
It certainly does take the edge off the real nazis and shows no respect for the suffering they imposed.
Patrick
Amen, Rachel. I've also had it up to here with all of these cavalier comparisons to the Holocaust. Except, perhaps, for some other cases of genocide...NOTHING is comparable to the Holocaust, and to suggest that abortion, while there are some people who are adamantly opposed to it, bears any similarity to Adolph Hitler's attempt to exterminate an entire race of people, is absolutely insulting to both the victims of the Holocaust and to women who've made a choice about a very difficult decision.
felis, thanks for articulating that better than I could.
RR, have you ever seen the spoof film called "Neil Diamond's Parking lot"? It's hysterical (rachel, I think you'd love it too). Let me find you guys the link...ooh, just read it's coming out on DVD! And they seem to have a series...cool...here it is: http://www.planetkrulik.com/diamond.htm
rachel -- AWESOME comment. Thanks for posting it here!!
patrick, rory and gindy -- I'm right there with you guys.
I second ... all the emotions that perceive "Babs" to be a classic loon!
If she has so much time, money and gravitas ... why doesn't she do something with that face?
Mr. Streisand must not be "looking" above the waste!
Yes, that may be a pun ... ;)
a. renee, I perceive Streisand to be doing exactly the same thing she is accusing Bush of doing - trying to create fear in order for political advantage.
I think the dominant feature of Streisand's blatherings is a lack of fairmindedness and willingness to be self-critical.
Personally (being ethnically part German), I feel strongly that such comparisons should not be used unless they are meaningful. Otherwise the effect is to obfuscate history, real history, and history that could happen again. When I say "Never Again", I mean it, and I was taught when I was a girl that "Never Again" required careful and critical judgement of all political and social trends followed by early speech and action against all forms of intolerance, repression, and erosion of civil rights plus irrationality and emotional reasoning.
Let me put it this way - if Bush could even be remotely compared to Hitler, he would have seized upon 9/11 to round up half the Muslims and deploy a propaganda campaign. Then he would have followed that by loyalty oaths and suppression of political dissent, etc. Instead, his administration bent over backwards to restrain retaliation against Muslims.
May I point out that the Jews never bombed Germany while in fact a certain sect of a certain religion did announce its intent to destroy the US and then carried out a series of attacks upon the US?
Finally, I would be lot more willing to listen to Streisand's ranting against Bush and Republicans if she could manage to slip in a rant or two about the rising of screaming anti-Semitism in the US and Europe.
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