The public would like to think that those placed in a potentially compromising position hold the intelligence to take their status as an influencer or leader seriously, however, that almost never happens. From the former president, Donald Trump’s sexist comments toward women to Kanye West’s dismissal of the struggle of slavery, influencers of the masses within American society tend to remind hundreds of the ignorance epidemic. Ironically during a time when America’s already aggressive anti-Semitism continues to increase, Goldberg aired her controversial opinions about the Holocaust.

“The Holocaust isn’t about race, no, it’s not about race … it’s about man’s inhumanity to man, that’s what it’s about,” Whoopi Goldberg said.  

While hundreds of Americans recognize the idiocracy and revolting connotations that sentiment carries, others do not. The Third Reich killed anyone deemed an “undesirable” person. They killed Jewish people along with Romani people, visabilly disabled people, and people of color. The Nazis brutally slaughtered anyone who did not fall under the Aryan race category. However, Jewish people remained the ultimate scapegoat. Driving attention from the true gravity of the horror leads people to follow the curse of not learning from the past. The public must understand that those words mimic the dance of modern, more “acceptable” forms of anti-Semitism, placing it on a silver platter for the masses to consume.

“Though I have never experienced the impact of this [anti-semitism] first hand, the Jewish community as a whole has. The lack of knowledge surrounding [our] community has allowed for anti-semitism to slip its way into everyday life. Attacks on Jewish people have increased over the past couple of years, and I believe that is a direct result of the antisemitic rhetoric that has yet to be condemned on a world [wide] scale,” senior Maddie Howard said.

Whoopi does not fall under the modern cultural revamp of McCarthyism. During the Red Scare, blacklisting someone actually completely destroyed their chances at a fresh start. Whoopi’s two-week suspension cannot compare to the tens of hundreds of years of persecution that Jewish people have faced. However, persecuting Whoopi should not remain the only objective, especially in a case such as this. Understanding the situation and never forgetting it as a reminder to become better for each other embodies the form of knowledge America should gain. A blind witch hunt leaves the whole world blind and without a head to think critically. 

“There is much overlap between Jewish ethnicity and religion, so I don’t think it is incredibly important to note the slight differences. A Jewish person is a Jewish person through and through,” Howard said.