Entering into the age of Trump, it is interesting to note
that there are several movies that I believe are must see films. One of them is
the wonderful movie Loving which tells the story of Mildred and Richard Loving. Their
marriage and Supreme Court case brought an end to the anti-miscegenation laws
in the United States. Another is Denial, a movie based on a court case in
England that put an end to ability of holocaust deniers to sue for libel.
Loving, written
and directed by Jeff Nichols, is a powerful and moving film. Mildred Jeter and
Richard Loving grew up in the rural unincorporated town of Central Point,
Virginia. They met in high school, spent time together, and eventually, when
Mildred became pregnant, decided to marry. But this was the 1950’s and Mildred
was African American and Richard was white. Virginia had anti-miscegenation
laws which made their marriage illegal. How did these two young people get
beyond Jim Crow and fall in love? Well that had a lot to with Central Point VA.
Today many people say they “don’t see color,” but I have
always felt that is a cop out that allows people to hide their racism. Richard
and Mildred saw beyond color. They
understood the reality of the world of segregation that they lived in, but they
saw beyond those laws. By growing up in an integrated community they were able to
see beyond the social construct of race to reality of their love.
Denial tells the story of Deborah E. Lipstadt,
a professor of Jewish history and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in
Atlanta. In 1996 Ms. Lipstadt, along with Penguin Books, was sued for libel in
England by David Irving,
an anti-Semite and holocaust denier whom she wrote about in a book. Irving lost
the libel suit because Lipstadt’s and Penguin’s lawyer proved that Irving
really was a racist and anti-Semite. Irving went on to be banned by countries
around the world for promoting Nazism and racism. During the past 2 years we
have seen the rise of the “big lie” in campaign for president. We have also
witnessed a change in this country. One that is trying to normalize racism, anti-Semitism,
anti-Islamism and xenophobia. We have seen a return to openness of groups like
the KKK and Neo-Nazi’s around the country. We need to stand up and actively
fight against this racism. We need to look for the “big lie” and take it on.
To me Denial is an
important movie because its central argument revolves around the idea of the “big lie.” The libel laws in England
require that a writer prove that their claims are true, rather than having the
subject prove that they are false, as the law in the United States is written.
So Lipstadt’s lawyers had to prove that Irving manipulated the facts of
history, omitting some events and lying about others to support his view of
history. At the end of the film there is a scene where Lipstadt is talking to
students and basically says that it is important for everyone to pay attention
to what people say and to stand up to the lies that are put out to justify
political stands and campaigns.
Ms. Lipstadt is consistent in her view of the Holocaust. She
has criticized those who use the Holocaust to justify Israel’s position in
relation to Palestine saying:
“…the 'hysteria' and 'neuroses' of
many Jews and Israelis who compare the current situation in Europe and in the
Middle East to the Holocaust era. 'People go nuts here, they go nuts. There's
no nuance, there’s no middle ground, it’s taking any shade of grey and stomping
on it. There are no voices of calm, there are no voices of reason, not in this
country, not in Israel.”
Chemi Shalev, 'Top Holocaust scholar blasts 'Holocaust-abuse' by U.S.,
Israeli politicians.' at Haaretz, 16 December 2011.
Today, in the United States, we have entered to era of the
big lie, the little lie, lie about the lie. Politicians of both parties will
say and do whatever they feel will get them into power. Yes, some sides will
lie more than others, and our President Elect lied more than any politician in
recent history. In attempting to “normalize” Trump, we now have major news
organizations accepting the lies and racism put out by him and his advisors. We
must always be ready to find the truth. We cannot just wait and see what Trump
does out of “respect for the office.” History has shown us that workers must
take on racism and fascism. We cannot sit back and wait. We have seen Trump’s
politics.
We also must hold the media to account. We cannot allow them
to normalize the racism and fascism that is bubbling up. We cannot accept Steve
Bannon in to White House. We cannot accept racists like Jeff Sessions or Rudy
Giuliani. We cannot accept the registration of Muslims, and certainly not the
use of Japanese internment camps from World War II to justify it. We cannot
accept the attack on undocumented workers. We must be active in the fightback
against the growing tide of lies and fascism.
