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October 18, 2011 | 5:56 pm

Silly, silly Susan Sarandon: Who you callin’ Nazi?

Posted by Danielle Berrin

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Busted!

Last weekend, at the Hamptons Film Festival in Sag Harbor, the actress Susan Sarandon referred to Pope Benedict XVI as a ‘Nazi’.

During an onstage interview with actor Bob Balaban, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sarandon mentioned she had sent the Pope a copy of “Dead Man Walking”—the empathetic story of a man on death row, which was made into a film starring Sarandon and Sean Penn. Asked to clarify which Pope she sent it to, Sarandon said, “The last one, not this Nazi one we have now.”

The comment prompted the usual outrage from the usual folks, because it was a stupid thing to say. While it is true that the German-born pope, Joseph Ratzinger, was conscripted into the Hitler Youth at age 14—“along with every other young German boy,” as Catholic League of America president William Donohue pointed out—but he was apparently, as his Wikipedia entry puts it, an “unenthusiastic member”.

According to a 2005 profile in USA Today, Ratzinger and his family secretly listened to Allied radio broadcasts during the war. “It was a small and risky act of defiance in this conservative Bavarian village deep inside Adolf Hitler’s Germany,” the article noted, adding, “people who knew the Ratzingers said they were never willingly part of the Nazi machine.” Phew. The young Joseph Ratzinger was apparently so preoccupied with seminary studies, he didn’t have the time to attend Nazi-grooming meetings. “He was very certainly not for Hitler,” someone from his village was quoted as saying. “You could try to avoid [being conscripted] but it was very, very difficult,” said another. According to the article, Pope Benedict addressed his involvement in his autobiography, “Salt of the Earth” by reassuring readers he deliberately skipped meetings.

Pope Benedict is not a Nazi. But does Susan Sarandon have any idea of what a Nazi is? Because if she did, she might not make such a stupid and wildly hyperbolic comparison. Whether this suggests profound historical ignorance on her part or savage hatred of the Pope, it is alarming either way. Since when does disagreeing with papal policy warrant insult of this scale?

And yet, the impulse to cry Nazi at anyone who is perceived as objectionable or unlikable is common in our culture. The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg has even taken to chronicling all the various instances in which seemingly sane and well adjusted people start calling other seemingly sane and well adjusted people Nazis. On his blog, Goldberg keeps a running list—“Nazis Everywhere”—of the myriad mindless (mis)uses of the term. It is, he writes, “a way of proving the obvious point, which is that people reaching for insults should find something better than Nazi.” 

A Nazi is a cruel, cold-hearted, mass-murderer. A Nazi forces 6 million Jews into burning ovens, suffocating showers and mass graves. A Nazi acts out brutality and violence of the most savage kind, making no distinction between man, woman, child, elder or infirm - humane or inhumane.

If you don’t like someone, call them an a—hole.

13 Comments — Leave your comment

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I like the irony of you reading Wikipedia while conveniently ignoring the fact that he enrolled after Kristallnacht, and wasn’t just a Hitler Youth, but also in the anti-aircraft division and infantry of the Nazi ranks. And this was while his own retarded cousin was exterminated by the regime. So if that’s not being a Nazi, then I guess you could say the same about Prescott Bush. Also, Ratzenberger isn’t just “unlikable”. He covered up for pedophile priests in the Catholic Church.

Comment by D.Z. on 10/18/11 at 9:49 pm

Er, Ratzinger, sorry.

Comment by D.Z. on 10/18/11 at 9:50 pm

I have no opinion on this matter, but question the citation of a USA Today “profile” as a source for facts. Someone who writes about Hollywood should be aware that the Vatican has a finely honed PR machine.  Let Danielle write her trivial gossip column, but she’s not fooling anyone with her weak attempts at real journalism.

Comment by Jeffrey Ellis on 10/18/11 at 11:37 pm

It is very obvious that the journalist is a far left liberal. I just don’t see a point ti writing about this in the first place. It is nice to see that some people in hollywood have their eyes open. If the germans had the chance to try to get rid of us again, they would do it in a heartbeat, yes their decendents would love to. People are so gulible as to think that those who once hated us are different, as the saying goes, “In God we trust, but man we investigate”. Anyw as y, I side with Susan 100%.  People should visit chabad.org for real truth.

Comment by Ester on 10/19/11 at 8:21 am

It has nothing to do with being a leftist as much as coddling a “mainstream” religion which isn’t openly hostile to Judaism.

Comment by D.Z. on 10/19/11 at 2:38 pm

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, was born in 1927, hence he was 9 years old when the Nazis came to power. As a Catholic child growing up with this level of intimidation and indoctrination which was going on in the Third Reich, he was no more of Nazi Youth than George Soros.

Comment by Truth Teller on 10/21/11 at 6:05 pm

What that sudden infatuation of so many American idiots, both on the Left and Right with calling people “Nazis”? And why are Jews giving hands to any such action which only serves to dilute the meaning of the Nazi monstrosity?

Comment by The Golem on 10/21/11 at 6:10 pm

Hatred is never in fashion, or good taste. I still appreciate Sarandon s works + talent. However, it just goes to show, NO ONE is above scrutiny. Amen.

Comment by january wuo on 10/23/11 at 1:50 am

If he walked like a duck & talked like a duck…..????
A member of the hitler youth wore a swastika armband and served his fuhrer…therefore being a nazi!!!
A german soldier served the fatherland and served his fuhrer and swastikas decorated his uniforms…therefore being a nazi!!!
If he walked like a duck & talked like a duck…..????
Currently he is NOT a nazi…that we know of… just the head of the catholic church with it’s checkered past of anti-semitism and it’s history of helping hard core nazis escape capture after the war with it’s ODESSA underground !!!

Comment by NateDuhGrate! on 10/23/11 at 1:53 am

Let he who is without sin (or blemish), cast the 1st stone. + then the second. + so on, + so on. Look at the body of the Popes good works….Lord. love a “duck.” What a legacy. That ain t NO duck.

Comment by januarywuo on 10/23/11 at 2:11 am

The pointed hat reveals nothing of the insides….perhaps nazi nuts abide?

Comment by The Golem of Vilna on 10/23/11 at 1:45 pm

Maybe he was an Ashke-Nazi like Heir Schicklgrubber?

Comment by Jeff on 10/24/11 at 8:26 pm

Truth: Um, what are you talking about? Ratzinberger was 14 when he joined the Nazis. And I mean *joined*. Not just walked around with them like Soros.

Golem: I just relish the irony of Jews being offended by calling the Pope a nazi, when he literally was one.

Comment by D.Z. on 10/31/11 at 3:02 pm

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