Polish-Jewish Relations: 1,300 Keyword-Phrase-Indexed Book Reviews (by Jan Peczkis)

Art Spiegelman Conversations, by Joseph Witek (ed.) 2007. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson

Art Spiegelman Shows His Multiple Prejudices, Not Only Against Poles

This is an anthology of articles in which Art Spiegelman is interviewed. I focus on relevant issues.

We hear the old argument that mice (Jews) are on the food chain of cats (Germans), while Poles (swine) are not. (Michael Fathers, pp. 123-124). This is itself a falsification of history. The Nazi Germans murdered Poles, by the millions, because they were Poles, just as surely as they murdered Jews, by the millions, because they were Jews.

SPIEGELMAN PRETENDS THAT PIGS HAVE NO NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS

When questioned about his choice of Poles as pigs, Spiegelman said that it was innocent, like the cartoon Porky Pig. (p. 232). Tell that to the German Jews who, for six centuries, were portrayed as pigs in the JUDENSAU art form! Also see:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/maus-pigs-admittedly-derogatory-geis/

The game is up. In a later book, Spiegelman admitted that his choice of pigs was intentional, and anti-Polish. See:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/maus-art-spiegelman-admits-his-polonophobia-spiegelman/

Then again, Art Spiegelman grew up in a home where Polonophobia reigned. Lawrence Weschler thus quotes Spiegelman, “As I was being raised in Rego Park, my parents regularly expressed negative feelings about Poles…” (p. 231).

There is no escaping the fact that cartoons promote stereotypes. Natasha Schmidt comments, “Almost by definition, cartooning tends to use stereotypes, you’re dealing with a recognizable iconic picture.” (p. 221).

SPIEGELMAN EXUDES MORE POLONOPHOBIA

Noemi Epel quotes Spiegelman, “The hostess bears an uncanny resemblance to Odilo Globocnik, head of the Polish SS.” (p. 148). Polish SS, huh? Am I seeing things? On what planet is Spiegelman walking on?

OTHER SPIEGELMAN INSENSITIVITIES AND PREJUDICES

Andrea Juno thus quotes Spiegelman, “On the other hand, when I did an Easter cover depicting an Easter Bunny taxpayer crucified on a tax form, there was no end of negative comment.” (p. 175). And why not?

Elsewhere, Andrea Juno quotes Spiegelman, “The idea of Christian or Catholic bashing was funny to me because they’re the majority culture.” (p. 176). It’s the same old song and dance about minority groups (as usually defined) being incapable of prejudice. This premise is itself a prejudice!

Finally, Chris Goffard quotes Spiegelman, “I feel very saddened by the death of communism.” (p. 141). Imagine, if you can, someone saying that they feel saddened by the death of Nazism. It’s the same old double standard.

FINALLY, SOME SENSE FROM SPIEGELMAN

With reference to the USHMM (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum), Susan Jacobowitz thus quotes Spiegelman, “But I would be interested in dropping everything and curating such a thing because it would reshape the meaning of the Holocaust Museum, which now is more a monument to Jewish American political clout than to the actualities and dynamics of history and politics and race-hate.” (p. 158). As for the latter, Spiegelman can start with his own race-hate against the Poles.