Trump, Israel-Gaza, and the Power of Art: A Conversation with Tony Kushner | Amanpour and Company
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- Опубліковано 27 тра 2024
- Tony Kushner is one of America’s most celebrated playwrights and screenwriters. A film he co-wrote nearly 20 years ago is getting a second look amid this war: Stephen Spielberg’s "Munich." It’s the story of the assassination of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games -- and Israel’s secret mission to hunt down and eliminate each of the assassins. Kushner joins Walter Isaacson to discuss the war, antisemitism and the role of art in this climate.
Originally aired on January 8, 2024
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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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Thank you Tony Kushner. Your decency and honesty shines clearly and are inspiring.
I wasn't sure which direction this interview would go in, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I stand with Tony Kushner.
I mean Munich was quite literally this take. The idea that Violence begets violence and that Israel mustn’t cause more violence through her acts against the Palestinians.
Tony Kushner is one of the clearest-thinking ethicists of our day, and he gets it from his Jewish tradition. "Munich" is underestimated as a demonstration of how right and wrong comes down to simply-stated life guidelines, including "don't murder." What a great day it was when Kushner met Spielberg and ethics and art came together so powerfully.
With respect, it would be great if he talked with equal clarity, as he seemed to focus well only toward the interview's conclusion. Hoping that seeing Munich will balance that perception.
Thank you Kushner for this heartfelt interview, I’ve been a fan of Kushner since forever and seeing where he stand in this conflict consolidates my admiration for him
My most favorite movie is Munich. (And Lincoln also on my top 5 favorites list.) Thank you Mr. Kushner. Your work gives pause, reflection, and gravitas to the subject matter in a way that mines deep compassion and I enjoy how well crafted the script dialogues are /your use of language. Love and peace.
"If they don't like you, it's their problem. It's not you. They need to change, not you. You need to be who you are." Amen.
What a breath of fresh air - so much wisdom and discernment on art and politics- thanks Tony Kushner!
Thank you very much Tony Kushner. You make me proud to be a Jew.
Thank you, Tony.
Another balanced, accurate, excellent interview! Thank you! I also greatly appreciated Michel Martin's interview with Masha Gessen re: their New Yorker article. Their perspective is very similar and their words, considering their own personal history, compelling.
Israel wants to live in the past, not the present that we are seeing now. Is it right that we use the past to excuse the present? Not for me at least!
Netanyahu is the Israeli Trump, joined at the hip.
AIPAC should be required to register under FARA.
If only you cared one bit for the one million Muslims that were killed by other Muslims in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. But you don't care since Jews weren't involved and your animus is towards the Jews. As with all leftists, you have the bigoted belief that Arabs have no moral agency or accountability for their own failings. Shame on you.
GENOCIDE. It's simply MURDER. Not """complex""".
I am a Jewish, gay, leftist, American man.
And even though I am American and a male, I feel like one of the “meek” of the world.
I feel like a simple farmer content with a simple life who wishes for everyone the chance to plant a garden,live in peace and safety…to see their crops and family thrive.
But I seem to be surrounded by bulldozers, poisoners,marauders, ravenous usurpers…the greedy and the power hungry.
They have the power to stomp on my garden,burn my house,scatter my animals and kill my children.
And they do it.
They do it.
I stand and shake my head in disbelief and despair.
Where on this planet are the adults who can prevent this constant outrage?
And, if it cannot be stopped, what are my options?
To move away from the danger?
But the danger is anywhere there are people.
My own country is just inches away from becoming Fascist!
The land that I grew up believing was a refuge for the broken and dispossessed of the world is now comparable to the oppressive regimes that once drove people to our shores.
Do I turn to some kind of spirituality for comfort?
Is religion the refuge of the powerless?
Even dying will not end my plight.
I am every one.
Great man, great soul too!
Well said Tony!
GENOCIDE. It's GENOCIDE. NOT """war""". Not """conflict""".
Notable was his absence of thought about those shockingly killed on October 7th. For thise who claim to be so loving of humnanity they show inhumanity by ignoring israeli victims or any understanding of why israel has an obligation to respond. It's always the ceasefire in the name of humanity mantra. What will come from that? More hamas brutality. Is that a humane choice?
Thank you
Wonderful interview!
How does one find the Schwartzman article mentioned? Please help! 😀
They were right, it did make me question and look into it.
A sensible human being.
Is it possible to have a "Jewish" state AND show justice toward the Palestinian people?
That is the question that should have been asked in 1947-48 before the state of Israel was formed.
But, it wasn't.
You reap what you sow.
Go back a few years.
The first seeds of anger and enmity were sowed by Israel.
It wanted to have a safe homeland for a much oppressed people…the Jews.
But it didn’t care if achieving that goal meant displacing the majority native inhabitants of the land they wanted.
I think the existence of a place on this planet where Jews can live NOT as the minority is reasonable .
But it becomes a terrible irony for Jews to make life miserable for those who are now in the minority !
Israel must make things right before it can exist in peace.
Agreed. Antizionism is not antisemitism. Thank you for the thoughtful discussion.
most valuable lessons
Tony Kushner how would you have handled getting the hostages back or destroying Hamas so it wouldn’t continue to bomb Tel Aviv, how would u handle it?
The conflict didn't start on 10/7, you can't destroy an idea and bombs certainly didn't bring the hostages back. They did kill quite a few of them though.
Get that brain of yours working for a change.
@@lethalchocobo1886 So you think killing hostages is ok? Good god, you deserve a nobel peace prize!
When a country is established based on a religion or ethnicity, its government’s foreign and domestic policies and actions will, per force, rightly or wrongly, reflect upon that entire religion or ethnicity
But, a distinction must be made between what a nation’s government does and the citizens of that nation.
For whatever reasons, the leaders of both Israel and the Palestinians have failed to find an equitable arrangement.They want justice for themselves but don’t care about the rights of the other.
They can’t get beyond their tribal identities to see others as equally worthy .
There are tremendous pressures on both sides to remain intractable.
And the people…the inhabitants are caught in the middle.
Like people everywhere, they just want peace, security, a measure of prosperity and a chance to live their lives and raise their families in safety.
People become irrational when they are targets of propaganda.
Easily fired up.
Quick to join mass movements.
Quick to fall into an “us and them” mentality.
I’m not surprised to see a rise in antisemitism after what happened on October 7th.
Not all Arabs or Muslims supported the attack on 9/11.
But Americans who appeared to be Middle Eastern were beaten or killed for it.
Not all east Asian Americans are of Chinese descent.
But they were blamed for Covid and attacked on the street and their businesses were vandalized and shunned .
There are many Jews who do not support the policies of the current Israeli government.
But even they can be targets of pro-Palestinian anger
The "calls on Campus " are saying "Stop slaughtering innocent Palestinian civilians." Period. If that is anti semitic so be it.
Truly moving interview. Thank you.
Always a drama where they end up being the good guys.
Anti Zionism is antisemitism. Criticism of an Israel policy is not antisemitism but being opposed to the existence of a Jewish state is antisemitism.
jeez he almost won Walter over by the end there
Tony sounds dreadfully naive for being so accomplished
this interviewer is not qualified to be talking to Tony Kushner
Tony is dreadfully naive
Exactly. What a clown
This is ridiculous conversation.
There is a lot of a nti germanism.....i am used to it and don't complain....and did not harm anybody....soanybody....sowshat. there,always will be an anti. And so.more you whine...people will be anti.....anti fett anti thin. Anti cat. Anti dog.....lets have peace. We should be able to like whom we like.....so ist es
He calls for ceasefire. Is Tony so naive to realize Hamas will just continue even stronger
Why doesn’t he call for Hamas to surrender.
Excellent commentS : Balanced and Non Partisan
I no longer support Israel or Biden.
Tony Kushner is out of touch, sorry to tell you.
Tony Kushner is certainly not prepared to talk about this subject, and I don´t see why playwrights and screenwriters should be brought forth to add their opinions to political issues. Their politics are invariably utopian and romantic.
Are you suggesting we silence certain professions ? Would love to know your area of studies or any sort of certifications or experience that gives you such insight into the opinions of such a vast variety of people whose profession is as a writer or screenwriter.
We need more playwrights and screenwriters engaging in politics, not less. The humanities are amazing at peering into the human condition challenging us to be better, do better, and dream bigger.
Why can't and why shouldn't playwrights have and speak their political opinions? Are they not permitted opinions? Don't be ridiculous.
Einstein said, and I may be paraphrasing, that it is our imagination that animates our best actions. Einstein was not a particularly fervent Zionist. Is a Nobel laureate in physics qualified to “talk about this subject”? If not him, or Kushner, then who?
Some creatives can impress with both their work and their rhetoric, and some are best left represented by their work.
I'm sorry Tony, you seem to be disconnected from the reallity of the raise of antisemitism around the world becasue of the current conflict.
Everytime Israel is involved in any war it happens, and this time is no difference.
Even though "intifada" is translated as “uprising” or "resistence", it means much more because of all the sucide bombs that happened as part of it that killed so many people in Isreal.
As ‘semetic’ refers to a group of languages, including Arabic, ‘intafada’ is literally a semetic word. Can a word be anti its own existence/etymology? The weaponization of the antisemite card has worn thin on those of us who have nothing to feel guilty for.
You lack understanding of historical context. When Jews lived in Europe they were commonly referred to as Semites because their culture, religion, and physical appearance often didn't reflect that of the locals. And they were frequently expelled, converted to Christianity, and killed for their identity. That's what is meant by the term "anti-semitism". Outdated and pseudoscientific as it is, there's historical significance behind the word you misconstrue and pick apart.
Thank you, Tony.