CDZ They Wanted a Nicer, Softer, Fuzzier Holocaust.

[Mindful]

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

Art Spiegelman on the School Ban of His Book »Maus«

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

www.spiegel.de

 

[Mindful]

^ DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Spiegelman, originally, we wanted to talk about your most recent book, but now it looks like we need to talk about "Maus" again.

Spiegelman: I kept trying to put it behind me, because I've been doing many other things since. But it became clear to me that since 2016, we are consciously being led into a world that has much more to do with Germany in the 1930s than with America in the 21st century. As a result, I have to be willing to be come out and talk about "Maus" as necessary.

 

[Polishprince]

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

Art Spiegelman on the School Ban of His Book »Maus«

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

www.spiegel.de

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Mr. Spiegelman started this controversy to try and trick kids into buying and reading his book. Like the South Park kids were tricked into reading "Catcher in the Rye"


But the reality is that there are a lot of books and ways for kids to study the holocaust and WW2. Maybe it would be more useful to bring in a couple of WW2 veterans to lecture the kids instead of tricking them into reading a book?

 

[jwoodie]

Could you flesh this out a bit? I vaguely remember a cartoon character of a mouse with a Hitler moustache, but what is its current significance?

 

[Mindful]

but what is its current significance?

Mostly the bannings

 

[Polishprince]

We did this a couple of weeks ago. Maus is top of the besteller lists across the world so it backfired on them. Strange that you post against right wing trash.

It didn't "backfire" on anyone.

They were trying to get the kids interested in reading by pretending that this book is somehow objectionable.

The Catholic Church used to do it back in the day by putting books on the "Index of Forbidden Books". Getting a book on the index meant a sure boom in business.

 

[jwoodie]

Mostly the bannings

So why is it being banned?

 

[Mindful]

So why is it being banned?

Too graphic for American sensibilities?

 

[Coyote]

So why is it being banned?

It might make people “uncomfortable”…

 

[night_son]

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

Art Spiegelman on the School Ban of His Book »Maus«

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

www.spiegel.de

The sooner memories of the Holocaust can be wiped from the minds of children, the sooner it can be repeated. We must never forget.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

It didn't "backfire" on anyone.

They were trying to get the kids interested in reading by pretending that this book is somehow objectionable.

The Catholic Church used to do it back in the day by putting books on the "Index of Forbidden Books". Getting a book on the index meant a sure boom in business.

The "Banned In Boston" effect?

 

[Donald H]

So why is it being banned?

The answer on why it is being banned will lie in the politics of those who need it to be banned.

That will remain true even if a person doesn't understand the details of the question.

Why would David Duke ban it?
Why would Elie Weisel ban it?

 

[Polishprince]

Too graphic for American sensibilities?

I don't think so, the book isn't even on Porn Hub.

 

[AMart]

Why was this book on the curriculum in the first place?
What other books about genocides are on the curriculum? Since Genocides have occurred on every continent and committed by every race and ethnic group guessing there plenty of books about that..................probably not.

 

[Mindful]

Why was this book on the curriculum in the first place?
What other books about genocides are on the curriculum? Since Genocides have occurred on every continent and committed by every race and ethnic group guessing there plenty of books about that..................probably not.

The Holocaust wasn’t just genocide.

It was a unique event, not comparable to other atrocities.

 

[AMart]

The Holocaust wasn’t just genocide.

It was a unique event, not comparable to other atrocities.

You can't even compare the "special" genocide, who got their special name holocaust, to what happened in Russia/Ukraine and China much much worse there. Cromwell killed and enslaved 40% of the Irish population.

 

[App'z]

The Human heart is not a kind place, a generous place, a peaceful place until it has enslaved you to do its dirty work. Thas a fact Jack. Its is the History of the past and it always repeats, slightly different maybe but the same shit over and over. The toilet has been constipated for + 10,000 years. Beer and Alcohol are the only reason it survives each generation to do its dirty work again. Basically girls & boys look better at Closing time & even with the peaceful intentions of love and sex one of the partners are mostly, always enslaved to an extent much more than the other.

 

[Seymour Flops]

It was a very anti-feline book, depicting cats as Nazis. It also depicted non-Jewish holocaust victims as rats who collaborated with the Nazi murderers. Many Holocaust victims did collaborate as a way to survive. AFAIK, Jews were no less likely to do that than homosexuals, communists, or any other Holocaust victims.

 

[flacaltenn]

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

Art Spiegelman on the School Ban of His Book »Maus«

A school district in Tennessee recently removed Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust comic »Maus« from its curriculum. In an interview, the artist discusses his view of the controversy and why he fears American democracy is facing dark years ahead.

www.spiegel.de

Dont think it's about "nicer, fuzzier". I really dont think a cartoon strip is the appropriate teaching mechanism for the HISTORY class chapter on the Holocaust. I think that historical context FIRST and anecdotal stories as extra credit would be more appropriate. Not EVERY artist is automatically eligible to skip to the TOP OF CHOICES on teaching materials. National Holocaust Museum would be a much better choice.

They removed it from curriculum. Did not ban it.

 

[Mindful]

National Holocaust Museum would be a much better choice.

The one in D.C. is very well done. Informative and well documented. I learned a lot from the “visiting” exhibitions