SHOCK OUTBURST
Outrage as Whoopi Goldberg claims Holocaust ‘was not about race’ days after genocide’s remembrance day
WHOOPI Goldberg caused outrage on Monday when she claimed on The View that the Holocaust was "not about race."
The show's panel became heated as the Oscar-winning actress tried to talk down the other co-hosts as she claimed that the Nazis did not kill people based on race.
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Goldberg's comments came only days after Holocaust Remembrance Day when tribute was paid to the six million people who died.
The View's show on Monday had been discussing the recent scandal after a Tennessee school board voted to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus from an eighth-grade language arts curriculum.
The book depicts Jews being tortured and murdered by the Nazis during World War Two.
The board had claimed the book is unsuitable because of bad language and the depiction of female nudity.
It was removed from this school's curriculum after months of increased pressure from parents in some districts over books that focus on issues of race, gender identity, and sexuality.
“I’m surprised that’s what made you uncomfortable, the fact that there was some nudity. I mean, it’s about the Holocaust, the killing of 6 million people, but that didn’t bother you?” Goldberg asked.
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“Well, this is white people doing it to white people. Y’all go fight amongst yourselves.”
The co-hosts agreed with the actress that there was a ";confusion" that was leaving kids unprepared for "the real world."
"Look at what kids watch these days and the music they listen to," said Sara Haines.
"To say that showing them a work of art or history that happened is bad language or nudity?
"Turn off reality TV, turn off the radio, turn off everything they're doing because kids are exposed to this stuff really early in inappropriate situations, not one where you're learning or teaching."
While these first comments did not initially draw the anger of her co-hosts, Goldberg later returned to her theory that the Holocaust, which was sparked by the belief in a "master race" and a desire for "racial purity," was not about race.
"If you're going to do this, then let's be truthful about it," Goldberg said.
"Because the Holocaust isn't about race. No, it's not about race."
Co-host Joy Behar hit back: "Then what was it about?"
"It's about man's inhumanity to man," Goldberg responded, again claiming Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution" was not about race.
"That's what it's about."
'WHITE SUPREMACY'
Another co-host Ana Navarro interjected, arguing that the Holocaust was centered on white supremacy.
"Well, it's about white supremacy. That's what it's about. It's about going after Jews and gypsies," she told Goldberg.
"But these are two groups of white people," Goldberg responded.
"You're missing the point," she continued.
"The minute you turn it into the race, it goes down this alley.
"Let's talk about it for what it is. It's how people treat each other. It's a problem.
"It doesn't matter if you're black or white because black, white, Jews ... everybody eats each other."
"So if you're uncomfortable hearing about Maus, should you be worried, should your child say, 'Oh my God, I wonder if that's me?'" Goldberg then asked.
"No! That's not what they're going to say
"They're going to say, 'I don't want to be like that.' Most kids, they don't want to be cruel."
COMMENTS SLAMMED
Navarro continued to argue, however, noting that it is "necessary for kids to learn about the Holocaust."
She highlighted how some people are comparing the way in which yellow stars were used to identify Jews during the Holocaust to the need to show vaccination status against Covid.
"We're living in an era where people want to compare vaccine cards to the yellow stars for comparing vaccinations to what Anne Frank went through," Navarro said.
Goldberg hit back "to learn about man's inhumanity to man," before sending the show to a commercial break.
The actress has since apologised, saying she "stands corrected".
She tweeted: "The Holocaust was about the Nazi's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people -- who they deemed to be an inferior race. I stand corrected.
"The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I'm sorry for the hurt I have caused."
But Goldberg appeared to backtrack on her apology during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
"I feel, being black, when we talk about race it's a very different thing to me," she explained.
"So I said I thought the Holocaust wasn't about race.
"And it made people very angry. I'm getting a lot of mail from folks and a lot of anger.
"But I thought it was a salient discussion because as a black person I think of race as being something that I can see."
She continued: "When you talk about being a racist, you can't call this racism.
"This was evil. This wasn't based on skin. You couldn't tell who was Jewish.
"You had to delve deeply and figure it out. My point is: they had to do the work.
"If the Klan is coming down the street and I'm standing with a Jewish friend: I'm going to run.
"But if my friend decides not to run, they'll get passed by most times.
"Because you can't tell who is Jewish. You don't know."
The actress was blasted online for Monday's comments.
The Sun's Piers Morgan tweeted: "WTF? This is insane. The extermination of 6 million Jews wasn't about race???
"Will any rock stars or renegade royals now boycott Whoopi Goldberg and/or ABC for this dangerous misinformation?"
Michael Rappaport posted a video of himself slamming Goldberg.
"Whoopi Goldberg, love you big fan - you went on your show and said the Holocaust wasn't about race," he said.
"Yes it f*****g was! It was all and only about race! It was about 'kill the Jews. They're not white, they're Jewish."
"The absolute ignorance of the non-Jewish world, encouraged by the mainstream media when it comes to understanding the Holocaust," one Twitter user said.
"Open a godd**n book."
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"Whoopi Goldberg attempts to 'All Lives Matter' … the Holocaust," another wrote.
One user commented: "Some Holocaust education would do Whoopi a world of good."
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