Tag: Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg: Close, But No Cigar

The good thing about the Holocaust being common knowledge is that we know the facts. The problem is that even with what is known, some people still prefer to fudge history to fit their own needs.

Yesterday, The View host Whoopi Goldberg made some rather uneducated comments about Maus being pulled from library shelves.

Goldberg responded: “If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it because the Holocaust isn’t about race.” She added that the Holocaust, which saw an estimated 6 million Jews and 5 million others killed as a result of the Nazis’ racist ideology, was about “man’s inhumanity to man” and said it involved “two White groups of people.”

This morning, she apologized.

In a general sense, Goldberg (who is not Jewish and was given the name of Caryn Elaine Johnson at birth) is right. The Nazis were hyperfocused on race. But they also have one very specific goal: make Europe (and the world by extension), Judenrein. The Jews were a monolith that had to be exterminated. While we cannot ignore that other groups (Roma, LGBTQ, disabled, etc) were on the list, they were not the priority.

As much as I admire Goldberg for her work and her outspokenness on certain subjects, this is a topic in which she knows less than she thinks she does. Had she done some basic research before opening her mouth, this little gaffe may never have happened.

P.S. If anyone wants to do some digging on this subject, I highly recommend Ben M. Freeman‘s book, Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People. It is nothing short of eye-opening. If you only read one section, I recommend the interviews with six Jews of various backgrounds. Not all of them are Ashkenazi (from Eastern Europe).

P.P.S Since publishing the initial post, Goldberg was suspended for two weeks. There have been calls in the press for her to be fired. I personally think that firing is not necessary in this case. If she was an out-and-out racist, then firing would be appropriate. But she is ignorant. Ignorance can hopefully be fixed. Believing the lies when you know better is another thing entirely.

Thoughts On The 25th Anniversary Of Sister Act

Sister Act was the one of the biggest movies in 1992.

Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg) is a lounge singer in Reno. When she witnesses the mobster boyfriend commit murder, she is sent to a convent under the witness protection program. When she starts to turn some of the nuns to the dark side, Mother Superior (Maggie Smith) steps in and sends Deloris to join the church choir. While Deloris finds her niche in the church choir, her boyfriend is looking for her.

This week, Whoopi Goldberg hosted a reunion of the movie on The View. It was the perfect reunion for a movie that still holds up 25 years after it hit theaters.

What makes this movie stand out is the humor and the strange in the strange land who finds themselves narrative.

If you have not seen it, I recommend that you do. It will time well spent.

Throwback Thursday-Bogus (1996)

The greatest gift we have as children is imagination. There is nothing that is impossible as a child if we just believe. Then we grow up and that imagination is replaced by the cold and hard facts of reality.

In 1996 movie Bogus, Albert Franklin (Haley Joel Osment) has just lost his mother. The person designated to be Albert’s guardian is Harriet Franklin (Whoopi Goldberg), his mother’s best friend. Harriet reluctantly takes Albert in.

But Albert is not alone. Along for the ride is Bogus (Gerard Depardieu). Bogus, a flamboyant French magician is Albert’s imaginary friend. While Harriet is caring for Albert materially and physically, she is unable to provide the emotional support that the boy lost with his mother.

Can Harriet become Albert’s mother in every sense (and get over the scars of her childhood in the process) and will Albert ever stop grieving for his mother?

I happen to think that this movie is enjoyable. The narrative and the journey of both Albert and Harriet has an undercurrent of grief and loss. But with that grief and loss is Bogus, who represents hope, love, childhood innocence and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

I recommend it.

Throwback Thursday-Sister Act (1992) & Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit (1993)

A good movie is sometimes hard to find. A good sequel to a good movie is an ever rarer find.

In the early 1990’s, comedian Whoopi Goldberg could do no wrong. In 1992, she starred in Sister Act.

Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg) is a lounge singer who has lousy taste in men. Witnessing her mobster boyfriend killing an employee, Deloris goes into the witness protection program. Of course Deloris would be hidden in a nunnery.  Mother Superior (Dame Maggie Smith) is not to pleased with her new charge charge, especially when she convinces several of the other nuns to stray to the outside world.

Deloris finds her place in the nunnery when she tries to revitalize the choir. But the revitalization draws the attention of her ex, who is eager to have reunion with Deloris.

This movie is just plain fun. Whoopi Goldberg puts her usual comedic spin on the story. And music never gets old.

A year later, Whoopi and Co returned in Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit. Returning to her career as a lounge singer, Deloris is called back to the habit (get it? ;)) when she is called upon by Mother Superior and the nuns. Their attempts to keep a parochial school open are not going well. Deloris’s task is to teach a music class. But the students are resistant and rebellious. Rita Watson (Lauryn Hill) has a gift, but her mother refuses to allow Rita to sing.  When the chance to win a music competition comes along that could potentially revitalize the school, can Deloris convince the school to let the students sing and more importantly, will Rita’s mother finally recognize her daughter’s gift?

Again, this movie is just plain fun, the music is cool (and very dated, depending on your age) and Whoopi, as she always does, brings her own vision to the character.

I recommend them both.

 

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