Skip to comments.
(Photos) BBC poll: Nearly half of Britons never heard of Auschwitz
haaretz.com ^
Posted on 12/02/2004 4:39:21 PM PST by zyaakov
BBC poll: Nearly half of Britons never heard of Auschwitz |
|
By Reuters |
|
|
|
LONDON - Nearly half of Britons in a poll said they had never heard of Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp in southern Poland that became a symbol of the Holocaust and the attempted genocide of the Jews. |
The results of the survey conducted by the BBC were released Thursday, as Britain's public broadcaster announced it will show a new series next January to mark the 60th anniversary of the concentration camp's liberation.
"We were amazed by the results of our audience research," said Laurence Rees, a producer on the series, "Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution."
"It's easy to presume that the horrors of Auschwitz are engrained in the nation's collective memory, but obviously this is not the case," Rees said. The survey found that 45 percent of those surveyed had not heard of Auschwitz. Historians estimate that anywhere from one million to three million people, about 90 percent of them Jews, were killed there.
Among women and people younger than 35, 60 percent had never heard of Auschwitz, despite the recent popularity of films such as "Schindler's List," "Life is Beautiful" and "The Pianist," which depict the atrocities of the Holocaust.
"The name Auschwitz is quite rightly a byword for horror, but the problem with thinking about horror is that we naturally turn away from it," Rees said.
The BBC said the research was based on a nationally representative postal survey of 4,000 adults 16 and older.
The broadcaster is marking Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27, with a variety of television and radio programs.
The Auschwitz series for BBC2 is based on nearly 100 interviews with survivors and perpetrators and is the result of three years of research with the assistance of professors Ian Kershaw and David Cesarani.
|
TOPICS: Culture/Society; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: auschwitz
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-33 next last
1
posted on
12/02/2004 4:39:25 PM PST
by
zyaakov
To: zyaakov
They shouldn't feel too bad. After all our Democratic presidential nominee thought Treblinka was a KGB headquarters.
2
posted on
12/02/2004 4:41:18 PM PST
by
mlbford2
("Never wrestle with a pig; you can't win, you just get filthy, and the pig loves it...")
To: zyaakov
I used to respect the British. Then they put on that spectacle when Lady Ho died and I lost all respect for them. And Monty was a weak commander!
Comment #4 Removed by Moderator
To: zyaakov
5
posted on
12/02/2004 4:44:29 PM PST
by
JesseJane
("If the enemy is in range, so are you." -Infantry Journal)
To: zyaakov
My first thought was that's pretty appalling. Then I got to thinking, would Americans fair any better? We've got our share of dim bulbs, too, unfortunately.
To: mlbford2
You're just kidding, right?
sKerry thought Treblinka was KGB?
7
posted on
12/02/2004 4:45:08 PM PST
by
processing please hold
(Islam and Christianity do not mix ----9-11 taught us that)
To: pbrown
It was during the debate. I think he meant red-squre in Moscow.
8
posted on
12/02/2004 4:47:20 PM PST
by
paudio
(Four More Years..... Let's Use Them Wisely...)
To: pbrown
9
posted on
12/02/2004 4:48:19 PM PST
by
mlbford2
("Never wrestle with a pig; you can't win, you just get filthy, and the pig loves it...")
To: zyaakov
ANNOUNCER: We asked Mrs. Nesbit of 106 Kleepshorpe on Spittleshire whether or not she had heard of "Auschwitz".
MRS. NESBIT: Aushbitch? Why, that's something that cows get after they've had unprotected sex, isn't it? It's amazing what you can learn just from watchin' the telly!
10
posted on
12/02/2004 4:48:30 PM PST
by
dr_who_2
To: pbrown
sKerry thought Treblinka was KGB? Yeah he did! He confused Treblinka with Lubyanka in the debates.
11
posted on
12/02/2004 4:49:23 PM PST
by
FreedomCalls
(It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
Comment #12 Removed by Moderator
To: zyaakov
I wonder which half. Seriously.
To: zyaakov
Having lived in England for two years in the mid-50s I find this hard to believe. But then again, at that time, they didn't have any hamburger stands, super markets, or drive-in theaters, and the only thing you could get on TV was BBC. The British Pound was equal to $3.60. And you could buy a British made Ford for $1500.
Both US and British moral values have gone to pot since that time. Frankly I'd rather have 1950s moral values and economic standards back.
14
posted on
12/02/2004 4:53:28 PM PST
by
Luke
Comment #15 Removed by Moderator
To: pbrown
It's
here.
"He also misspoke when he referred to looking at KGB records in Treblinka Square in a visit to Russia. Treblinka was a Nazi death camp. He meant Lubyanka Square."
16
posted on
12/02/2004 4:56:27 PM PST
by
clyde asbury
(Right? Right.)
To: zyaakov
17
posted on
12/02/2004 4:56:31 PM PST
by
satchmodog9
(Murder and weather are our only news)
To: zyaakov
Doesn't surprise me in the least. Half of America is ignorant of the mass graves in Iraq.
18
posted on
12/02/2004 4:56:36 PM PST
by
jwalsh07
To: zyaakov
I am shocked. I really am. Everyone and especially the Brits should know about Auschwitz, Treblinka, etc.
It should Never be forgotten.
19
posted on
12/02/2004 4:56:36 PM PST
by
Fiddlstix
(This Tagline for sale. (Presented by TagLines R US))
Comment #20 Removed by Moderator
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-33 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson