Sometimes with Ken Burns documentaries, he drops hints of deeper truths, and whets the appetite to read up on a subject.
That may yet turn out to be the case with his upcoming three-part PBS series, Sunday, September 18th through Wednesday, September 21st,
"The U.S. And The Holocaust", but the information on PBS' website is not encouraging. Rather, it looks to be a propaganda piece for "Wide Open Borders". Or in the case of Ukrainians coming to the US, a repeat of Operation Paperclip.
From the PBS website:
“The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge.”
That conveniently and completely ignores the fact that the Holocaust was significantly caused by actions of the US, appreciably controlled then as now by malicious groups and people.
While Burns typically gives a somewhat sanitized version of “history”, he sometimes drops in little nuggets that will cause the observant to explore the subject further, and get away from the bleaching. That may well not be the case with Burns/PBS' “Holocaust” miniseries, so allow me to spur your appetite should Burns not do so. Or if you decide to skip Burns’ presentation altogether.
To get a far more accurate view of history, see:
“War Against The Weak” by Edwin Black.While I much prefer reading books, as that allows time to absorb and reflect on the material, and reread easily as needed, that is not always possible (although with a tome like “War Against The Weak”, I would highly recommend reading a paper copy). “War Against The Weak” has, for those lacking the time, been read in its entirety and is
available for free on YouTube.The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide by Robert Jay LiftonIt is easy and convenient to blame the Germans for some sort of inherent defect, but isn't that what Eugenics is all about? Also, it is helpful to understand the mentality that the Germans were programmed with by the Rockefellers, Fords, Harrimans, and others, as detailed in Edwin Black's book.
"Armed Madhouse: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf? China Floats, Bush Sinks, The Scheme to Steal '08, No Child's Behind Left, and Other Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War" by Greg Palast.Interestingly, there appears to be more than one version of “Armed Madhouse”. The one I read when it first came out is the one with the above specific title, and the one the Link takes you to.
Like blaming the Germans alone for the Holocaust, it's easy to blame the Americans of the 1930s and 1940s for not opening the borders—which from the preview looks like what Burns is up to.
I get it, when you are given special privileges as Burns has been, you pay the price and follow directions when the debt is called in. That doesn't make it right.
Yet the problem in the 1930s and 1940s, as now, is not whether the US should be flooded with new inhabitants, but how those new inhabitants—given how the US economy is controlled by the few—would be used to drive down wages and living conditions both here and abroad. The challenge is not to open US borders without limit, but how to effect change in countries where people are being oppressed. Otherwise, the elites that pull the strings in both countries will play the masses off against each other. The US certainly has the land to take in more people, but not the living wage jobs to lift all boats. Palast, in his excellent book, covers how the puppetmasters pull this off through the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, and otherwise.
"Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, The End of Civilization" by Nicholson Baker.Was there discrimination against, hatred of, the Jews? Absolutely, then and now. Then and now, we need to focus on evaluating people, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, "by the content of their character."
Of course, that kind of thinking will get you shot in the head. Martin was organizing a Poor People's March, not a “Black People's March”, when he was murdered. Bobby Kennedy opposed the racist intent of Johnson's “Great Society”, speaking often and eloquently on the need to focus social programs based on need, wherever that need may be, rather than on neighborhoods with concentrations of people with a particular skin pigmentation.
My one quibble with Baker's book, and I understand it was designed that way, was that he basically stops when the US entered—according to plan—the war with Germany/Japan/Italy. A separate book covering 1941 – 1945, perhaps beyond, would be an interesting and valuable read.
The broadcast schedule for
"The U.S. And The Holocaust" is below. Most, perhaps all, PBS stations will repeat each episode a time or several. But not too many times—after all, a Ken Burns series is designed to bring in more “Pledges” or donors, and to get people to purchase the series on DVD.
Note that some of the airings may exceed two hours due to “pledge breaks/drives”.
Part 1, premieres Sunday, September 18, 2022.
Part 2 *may* premiere on Monday, September 19th, followed by Part 3 on Tuesday, September 20th.
HOWEVER, it looks like my local PBS station is running highlights of Queen Elizardbreath's funeral on Monday, and is shifting the premiere of Parts 2 and 3 to Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
So triple-check your local listings if you decide to watch or record the series.
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