Thursday, October 16, 2003
Ed Asner - not a Stalinist.
I have elected to delete a post concerning comments by the renowned actor that Stalin was "deeply misunderstood." Denial about the extent of Stalinism is something that troubles me deeply, since there remain so many who would advocate Stalin's goals without acknowledging his methods. Or for that matter, Mao. The guy was responsible for starvation deaths in 8 figures, and yet he gazes benignly from many a dorm wall poster.
Still, it appears that the quote was erroneous, nay just plain fraudulent. In a revised version of the article, Asner is reported as saying the following:
Well, you know something, they've played Hitler, nobody has ever really touched Stalin, it just occurred to me. It's not because I am a liberal or anything like that. Stalin is one big damn mystery, I wonder why nobody has tried it? Many people, you know, speak of the fact that he killed more people than Hitler – why does nobody touch him? It's strange. So, and he was about my size, my height – with a wig I probably could do it.
That rather does change everything and I won't be touching anything written by Kevin McCullough with a ten foot pole. Andrew Sullivan and Glenn Reynolds, from whom I originally noted this item, have also issued corrections.
Perhaps I should refrain from considering the alleged views of longtime TV stars a headline item. It's not as though the rest of the world isn't tossing out news faster than I can read it.
Still, Asner is wrong: there was an HBO film on Stalin starring Robert Duvall. I tried to watch it once on A&E but lost interest. Also, the villain in John Cusack's Better Off Dead was named, not coincidentally I think, Roy Stalin. Ed Asner could definitely contribute to helping us envision "Uncle Joe."
I have elected to delete a post concerning comments by the renowned actor that Stalin was "deeply misunderstood." Denial about the extent of Stalinism is something that troubles me deeply, since there remain so many who would advocate Stalin's goals without acknowledging his methods. Or for that matter, Mao. The guy was responsible for starvation deaths in 8 figures, and yet he gazes benignly from many a dorm wall poster.
Still, it appears that the quote was erroneous, nay just plain fraudulent. In a revised version of the article, Asner is reported as saying the following:
Well, you know something, they've played Hitler, nobody has ever really touched Stalin, it just occurred to me. It's not because I am a liberal or anything like that. Stalin is one big damn mystery, I wonder why nobody has tried it? Many people, you know, speak of the fact that he killed more people than Hitler – why does nobody touch him? It's strange. So, and he was about my size, my height – with a wig I probably could do it.
That rather does change everything and I won't be touching anything written by Kevin McCullough with a ten foot pole. Andrew Sullivan and Glenn Reynolds, from whom I originally noted this item, have also issued corrections.
Perhaps I should refrain from considering the alleged views of longtime TV stars a headline item. It's not as though the rest of the world isn't tossing out news faster than I can read it.
Still, Asner is wrong: there was an HBO film on Stalin starring Robert Duvall. I tried to watch it once on A&E but lost interest. Also, the villain in John Cusack's Better Off Dead was named, not coincidentally I think, Roy Stalin. Ed Asner could definitely contribute to helping us envision "Uncle Joe."
