Will Smith: "I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond" to outrage over Hitler remarks

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Will Smith angry over Hitler comment interpretation

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/25/people.willsmith.ap/index.html

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Will Smith is angry over celebrity gossip Web site articles that he said misinterpreted a recent remark he made in a Scottish newspaper about Adolf Hitler. Will Smith was upset that a remark about Hitler was misinterpreted by a writer, and then gossip sites.

In a story published Saturday in the Daily Record, Smith was quoted saying: "Even Hitler didn't wake up going, 'let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.' " The quote was preceded by the writer's observation: "Remarkably, Will believes everyone is basically good."

Over the weekend, dozens of celebrity gossip Web sites posted articles about the comment, many saying that Smith believed that Hitler was a "good" person. "It is an awful and disgusting lie," Smith said in a statement Monday provided by his publicist. "It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation."

"Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet," read the statement.

[The Magistrate]

1. Mr. Smith said Nothing That Requires Apology, Sir

"All men mean well."

[bemildred]

13. He seems to agree in a general way with Ms Arendt about the "banality of evil".

Which is of course, right. Any man can do evil, but utopians are the worst of the lot.

[The Magistrate]

19. Exactly, My Friend

The fact is, Hitler was convinced he was saving humanity, and doing the highest good that could possibly be done. He is one of the reasons for my extreme distaste of idealism and idealists....

Always a pleasure to come upon you here, Sir!

Merry Christmas to you and your's, my friend!

[bemildred]

25. And the same to you, my friend.

I am really looking forward to the year ahead. It looks to be one of the most interesting in decades.

[The Magistrate]

34. Oh, We Are Accursed Mice, Sir

We live in interesting times....

"Seventy-two hours, Pinky! More than enough time for a well prepared mouse to take over the world!"

[WinkyDink]

71. Cheney means well? I beg to diffa.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

84. He's a True Believer Neo-Con.

He subscribes to the Straussian view that the masses should be kept poor and ignorant, led by religion, and controlled by a small cabal of knowing elites. I'll bet you he honestly believes that it's for the best.

[Cha]

88. dick of death and bushit

are full of toxic venom and there a not a decent thing in their makeup.

"The best"? For whom? dick cheney and his minions? Sure.

[TahitiNut]

73. Agreed.

Even the Son of Sam.

[Hardrada]

2. But he was a great dancer.

Much better than Churchill!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

58. lol! When I read that I saw Kenneth Mars in his Nazi attire in my minds eye!

I needed that laugh!!! Thanks!

[LisaL]

3. When I read that quote from the magazine,

I am not exactly getting as to what point Will Smith was trying to make.
Assuming that quote is correct, I am not sure as to where he was going with it.
I sure see how it could be misinterpreted, as it's totally unclear to me what point he was trying to make.

[Pirate Smile]

6. Even people that do great evil usually think they are doing something necessary or

which they can justify. In their own minds, they aren't thinking it is evil. That doesn't mean it isn't. It just means they are sick and twisted.

I knew that was what he meant when I read the quote.

[LisaL]

15. Unless you can get into Hitler's head, how would you know

what he was thinking?
Some people who do evil things do those things precisely because they want to do evil things, no?

[sandnsea]

22. Who? n/t

[Lex]

8. evil people do not themselves think they are evil

even Hitler in his own twisted mind probably thought he was doing 'good'

[Enrique]

16. so you love Hitler too?

kidding! ;-)

[gort]

54. Kurosawa put it better with his version of Hamlet....

The Bad Sleep Well

A film about corporate corruption in post war Japan (1960)

[WinkyDink]

69. Why would you assume this? Maybe evil people revel in their self-knowledge.

[Bobbieo]

11. Maybe Smith meant He set out to do what he thought was good - for his beliefs or for his people.''

Just like with Bush today, Hitler had followers who would not give up on him no matter how rotten to the core he was.

[Lex]

12. You said it.

If Bush proposed concentration camps for lib'ruls, there'd be plenty to volunteer to escort us to the showers.

Rush Limbaugh and the Fox News chorus would justify it, and the sheeple would be all for it.

I do not jest.

[Marrah_G]

45. I think I know the point

Many times evil is done by those who are sure what they are doing is right and just. In their own twisted minds they are not evil.

[wryter2000]

53. He's looking at Hitler the way any actor would

You don't create a role by gearing yourself up to play pure evil. You have to make the character human and three dimensional, no matter what your personal feelings are about the bastard.

What W. Smith said makes sense 100%, and I don't blame him for being furious that he has to defend himself.

[CTyankee]

86. I hate to say this, but it is one reason that actors should be careful about expressing

themselves about politics if they have not had the objective critical thinking that goes along with education, instead of their instinctive thoughts about a character. There ARE actors who are true artists and yet have disciplined enough minds to sift their thoughts about roles they might play and real historical characters. Sam Waterston, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster are a few who come to mind...(interesting that they all went to Yale, isn't it?).

[NorthernSpy]

62. What's the matter -- you can't understand plain English?

I managed to comprehend what he was saying, and I've got a migraine. What's your excuse?

[JAbuchan08]

72. I can see how his quote could be misinterpreted as well

namely, many people are very bad at elementary reading comprehension.

[lvx35]

Will Smith shouldn't have even responded. The attacks are assinine.

And his point was dead on. If it wasn't, then the truth is that Hilter DID wake up in the morning thinking "what evil can I do today", which is the cartoon bullshit Hitler which has left us open to real fascism even today. When your inside a fascist structure, it feels like your "bending the law" and "taking tough stands" to do "the right thing for the world". You don't wake up and tell yourself to do evil, that's hollywood Bella Lugosi horseshit.

[Cha]

89. I'm thrilled that

Will Smith did respond..it's called rapid response and I applaud him for it.

[lvx35]

4. delete dupe

[melody]

5. His point was complex and required careful consideration, thus the misunderstanding

People are used to inoffensive celebrity sound bytes.

[Nailzberg]

7. An organization with the journalistic integrity of TMZ could not have misunderstand Smith's words

:rofl: Man, I crack myself up.

[Elspeth]

9. You mean celebrity gossip types are not Rhodes scholars?

Nahh,..,

[Lex]

10. LOL!

you crack me up too!

[melody]

18. Ack, but you besmirch the great journalistic name of Harry Sporesman n/t

[sandnsea]

21. complex???

Is it really complex to know that intentions don't always match outcomes. If that's complex thinking, then no wonder we've got Bush as a President. I thought kids knew that by the time they were 5 years old.

[melody]

23. Sarcasm is just absolutely useless somedays n/t

[sandnsea]

24. lol, ok, I see

:silly:

[melody]

27. It's okay, I should have added the sarcasm drip

:sarcasm:

TMZ is known for posturing itself as the "above it all" celebrity shitkicking site.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

14. ARISTOTLE PRAISES HITLER!!!1!

"Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim."

First words of Nicomachean Ethics.

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.1.i.html

[question everything]

17. As is often said: s/he who first mentions Hitler loses

(and, yes, I have been guilty of this, too)

The problem is that whenever we needs a reference point of the most evil person in recent history - we don't know much about Ivan the Terrible - Hitler is the first that pops up.

Sigh..

[NorthernSpy]

63. unless you're George Bush, and you're looking for a casus belli...

:shrug:

[personman]

82. "godwin's law" sounds like something that belongs in some sort of highschool gotcha-game

rather than an intellectual debate, IMO. If someone could explain the logic to me behind it though I would be interested. I understand that the Hitler reference isn't always used properly, arguably overused, but it loses me after that.

I bet another Hitler would be a big fan of Godwin's Law. Convenient to convince people they can't draw a historic parallel for some reason.

I think this is a non-issue, Will's sin was being nuanced in front of an anti-intellectual altar. You see the same thing with dissident intellectuals, a few people who know better with an active interest in misrepresentation, a gaggle of simpletons looking for something to misunderstand and be outraged about, and then maybe a few people who might agree or disagree, but THINK... Consider...

[Rex]

20. If only Hitler's father would have encouraged his artistic side

and not his civil servant side.

[gatorboy]

32. Have you seen his work?

http://www.snyderstreasures.com/pages/hartworks.htm

[pitohui]

33. ouch my eyes! my eyes!

crap, i could do (and have done) as well myself

if you're going to be a bitter frustrated artist wreaking cruel havoc on a world that never understood you, at least BE an artist

and for the record, will smith's remarks were perfectly clear to any person of sense and require no apology

[gatorboy]

37. I didn't think it was THAT bad.

:rofl: There's a great book out on Hitler's obsession with art and the group of soldiers that helped get much of the work back.

http://www.rescuingdavinci.com/

[pitohui]

40. it's like those pitiful paintings you see in barely hanging on restaurants

some lady friend of the restaurant owner who thinks she's an artist but for some reason the cold cruel world of art simply won't recognize her greatness so he hangs her paintings on the wall with cheezy price tags on them and once in awhile some old person with a cataract on their eyes pays 50 bucks for one of them -- yeah, it's like that

[Rex]

35. Hence the encouragement from dad.

He could have used his future insanity to paint something, who knows. He turned into a mass murderer. I would take a mediocre painter over a mass murderer anyday. I guess his military experience sealed the deal. He knew how the system worked.

[pitohui]

41. if his dad had eyes, hard to encourage this

it's your kid, you can see that your kid's art is absolutely hackneyed and unoriginal plus shaky technical skill

would you honestly tell that kid to continue in the arts, knowing he will have a miserable life ahead of him if he does

remember now, as dad, you have no way to look into the future and say, crap, if i don't encourage my son to be a loser artist, he'll be a mass murdering dictator

there was some WONDERFUl and creative art being done in europe in the early 20th century, there is simply no way hitler was going to compete with what was going on in that age or any age since then to be honest

[Incitatus]

26. This is no misinterpretation, it's a blatant distortion. nt

[Greyhound]

28. Hardly surprising in a nation of morans that demand the ruination of a man's reputation and career

for using the word niggardly in a statement.

[ecstatic]

52. context is everything

It doesn't matter what "niggardly" means. Putting this nation's history into consideration, a smart person would not include that word as part of his/her vocabulary.

[Greyhound]

85. Has nothing to do with it. There is no issue of context,

merely the monumental ignorance of a population, in general.

There was no issue of context in his comment, he wasn't talking about a subject even remotely related to anything racial, and he is a black man. It was simply mean spirited, ignorant, fools that forced the removal of a very effective person because they lack even a high school level vocabulary.

Catering to the lowest common denominator only results the overall degradation of our society.

[Gman]

29. "...the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen."

This describes the entire right wing sound machine.

[rateyes]

30. kick and recommend...

we need two more folks. :kick:

[Pastiche423]

36. #5 rec!

[Akoto]

31. Nice statement, Hitler.

:P

[Disturbed]

38. Adolph thought he was Germany's Salvation.

[fascisthunter]

39. I Think Will is Right

Hitler believed he was doing right. Maniacs and mass murders usually do convince themselves that what they are doing is "good".

Kinda like Bush!

[WinkyDink]

68. Bush is under no illusions. Nor was Ted Bundy. Psychopaths are not about "good".

[unblock]

42. in fact, the KEY to making sure "it can't happen here" is to recognize how easy it is

if only hitler -- or any other historical monster -- started off as a monster, complete with square mustaches and stiff arm salutes and other now-known symbols of evil.

the truth is these monsters usually start off looking good to a sizeable portion of the community.


as to the inner monologue, i think evil begins in how you define your community. do you try to do right by yourself, your family, your neighborhood, your state, your country, your peer group, your world, ... what?

thieves often are trying to do good by their family at the expense of their neighborhood.
hitler was probably trying to do right by his notion of true germans at the expense of those he considered to be lesser beings -- jews, gays, catholics, roma, poles, etc.

true "goodness" relies on your definition of the relevant community. i'm doing "good" by my family by killing pests that find their way into my house. but i'm "evil" as far as the local rodent community is concerned....

[The Backlash Cometh]

43. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[mucifer]

44. Smith seems to be saying hitler had a warped sense of reality

that's all.

[Occam Bandage]

46. Smith's comments were fair, true, and insightful. The writer is irresponsible.

[pepperbear]

47. unfortunately for him, "Smith Sucks Hitler Off" is going to sell more papers than....

"Smith Misinterpreted."

[Lilith Velkor]

50. That article would be useless...

without pics!

[HeeBGBz]

48. Aw, naw, they did not just fuck with Will Smith

Dumbass Lie Machine tabloid crap.

[kenfrequed]

49. Annoying

Of course I am automatically annoyed by any celeb news.

That said I am a little concerned by the outrage and noise to all this. When we mythologize the crimes against humanity carried out by the Nazis we sometimes miss the "other genocides" that either are occuring or have occurred in the past. We also tend to ignore fascism or downplay it either when elements of it are clearly visable in our own or other nations. We ignore the reality of facsism in a vain search for the aesthetic of Nazism.

We have so mythologized Nazism that we have lent it occultist significance that it had in no greater proportion than the population at large during the time of its run. Still our movies about it are replete with 'Spears of destiny,' wild supersoldier experiments, and the practice of strange religions.

The reality is that the evil of scapegoating and submission is an all too human evil.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

51. "The worst government is the most moral."

"The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression." H.L. Mencken

God save us from the world changing moralists who are willing to kill millions to "save" us.

[tbyg52]

55. That's the dumbest spin on a perfectly sensible remark

since the flap over John Lennon and Jesus.

[DefenseLawyer]

56. Not only should he not apologize

it is a point that needs more emphasis in this country, as we teeter on the edge of fascism. Almost everything Hitler did was "legal". Hitler didn't just invade Checkoslovakia, for example, because he could, rubbing his hands together and laughing like Lex Luthor; he presented a whole series or legal and historical reasons to rationalize it which even France and England signed off on. He had the support of the legislature and the support of the people by and large. He used propaganda and nationalism to convince the people that everything he did was to save the fatherland from attack from a whole myriad of internal and external threats, kinda like the war on terra or the war on drugs. We should always remember these things. Lex Luthor will never be president.

[treestar]

57. Well I for one understand what he meant

Why do we let the morans of this country control the framing of everything?

Do they really not understand his point, or are they making it up as an excuse to crticize him? And if so, what for? To what end?

[usregimechange]

59. He is right.

[fascisthunter]

60. Will's Comment is Applicable to Bush and Right Wingers

That's why some people are pissed.

[backscatter712]

61. A monster does not see a monster when he looks in the mirror.

Will Smith's comment was on the mark.

Well, most of the time. There are a lot of people that do evil things with good intentions.

Then again, there are the sociopaths who do evil things, know they're evil, and just don't care - they're just too selfish to bother.

[originalpckelly]

64. I always suspected Will Smith was a closet neo-Nazi. He's "black" so it's a really good disguise.

What the fuck is wrong with the stupid motherfuckers in this country who would ever think it conceivable Will Smith, a black dude, would be some type of Hilter lover?

[NorthernSpy]

65. The "Jewish Defense League" is calling on Obama to "repudiate" Will Smith...

Hope he tells the little fuckers to shove it.


http://www.tmz.com/2007/12/24/jews-not-jiggy-with-fresh-putz-of-bel-air/

On the day before Christmas, a leading Jewish group is kvetching loudly about Will Smith's recent suggestion that Adolf Hitler wasn't all bad, calling it "ignorant, detestable, and offensive." Oy.

The Jewish Defense League is calling on Barack Obama to repudiate Smith's comments, and wants theaters to pull Smith's new flick "I Am Legend" from their screens. Smith told a Scottish paper that Hitler "didn't wake up going, 'Let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' ... I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.'" What kind of meshuggeneh talk is that?!

Smith's words, say the JDL, "spit on the memory of every person murdered by the Nazis. His disgusting words stick a knife in the backs of every veteran who fought (and sometimes died) to save the world from the intentions of Adolf Hitler."

KMA, you whiny, black-hating, reading-impaired fuckwits!

[Kingshakabobo]

70. I thought your headline would turn out to be a joke.

How did Obama get involved?

[NorthernSpy]

75. actually, I suspect the JDL of being behind much of the viciousness directed at Obama...

So many of the attacks on him have that peculiar tone, y'know...

[originalpckelly]

77. Aren't they like the Black Panthers of Judaism?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Defense_League

No, seriously.

[BenDavid]

66. "he(hitler) set out to do what he thought was 'good." BS!!! So, with

Will's logic one needs to ask," So tell me, how was slavery? " as many thought that was good too and the KKK believes too they are doing good. Right? NOT!

[NorthernSpy]

74. Hitler, the slaveowners, etc all thought they were in the right...

... which is why John Brown proved to be right about them: you can only cure 'em with a shotgun. People who are that convinced that evil is good cannot be reasoned with, only stopped.


What about that do you find so hard to comprehend?

[NewJeffCT]

79. In most wars throughout history

both sides thought they had God on their side.

Slavery may be evil, but I can guarantee you that the people in the South went into the Civil War thinking they had God on their side. Many thought of slaves as less than human and justified slavery by saying it was God's will that they subjugate and enslave inferior peoples. The Bible goes into a lot of detail about enslaving conquered peoples.
>>>
" was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts."
-Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America

"There is not one verse in the Bible inhibiting slavery, but many regulating it. It is not then, we conclude, immoral."
-Rev. Alexander Campbell

"The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example."
-Rev. R. Furman, D.D., Baptist, of South Carolina

[sampsonblk]

81. Respectfully dissent

He might not have thought he was on a moral crusade for God or something. But he certainly thought he was in the right.

[rocktivity]

83. Actually, you ARE right.

In fact, I'll see your "BS" and raise you a "copout."

It's easier to do evil when you can convince yourself and others that you're doing good--it relieves you of having to have a conscience about it. After all, believing that you're doing evil means a) you would have to stop doing it because b) you might get caught and punished for it, leading to c) no one liking you. There hasn't been a despot, serial killer, slave trader or other species of psychopath who didn't operate that way, and that's the ONLY point Smith was trying to make.

:headbang:
rocknation

[WinkyDink]

67. Hitler could not possibly have thought that murdering his Jewish countrymen

was "set(ting) out to do what he thought was 'good'."
"Mein Kampf" is NOT all about "doing good".

It seems to me Mr. Smith is excusing evil deeds (regardless of his latter statements) by attributing such deeds to good intentions gone awry.

But I see he doesn't extend such generosity to journalists.

Anyway, who gives a rat's arse about whether Mr. Smith is "infuriated"? I mean, really? Is he more important here than a missing blonde or Britney? Where is the MOCKERY?

[NorthernSpy]

76. sorry, but that's just a totally retarded comment...

Ever read Mein Kampf? I have. Hitler clearly viewed himself as being completely justified, and in the right about everything.


He was evil, and he irrationally considered himself to be doing the right thing. Which is why we had to kick his ass, rather than try to find common ground with him.

[mdmc]

78. Will Smith, you are the man

:kick:

[rocktivity]

80. If anyone is at fault here, it's the editors

...(I)n the Daily Record, Smith was quoted saying: "Even Hitler didn't wake up going, 'let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.' " The quote was preceded by the writer's observation: "Remarkably, Will believes everyone is basically good."

Props to CNN for noticing that despite their promiximity, the reporter's "observation" and Smith's quote don't actually relate to each other--which the Daily Mail's editor should have noticed, too. (The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Smith "opin(ed) that the Nazi dictator wasn't all bad." Sounds like their editor could also benefit from a Journalism 100 refresher course.)

If anyone owes the JDL an apology, its the editors--of both the Daily Record and all the publications which ignored the context of the article for the sake of a scoop. As Bon Jovi might say, they give journalism a bad name.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Iggo]

87. "...incensed and infuriated to have to respond..."

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

An excellent respone would've been: "This is so stupid it's hilarious. Here's what I actually said..."