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Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Malkin-bashing update — It gets harder and harder to overstate the hysteria wrought by Malkin's latest, In Defense of Internment, a book that questions the Received Truth that the internment of Japanese in World War II was an expression of America's innate wickedness, and argues that we shouldn't be so squeamish about profiling.The latest is a statement by something calling itself the "Historians Committee for Fairness," which announces it disapproves of the book on the grounds that Malkin is a journalist, not a historian, and actually arrives at a different conclusion than they have, wrapping up with a demand — no kidding — that the networks which have permitted Ms. Malkin to appear on their television shows to plug her book "formally apologize to the Japanese Americans who have been slandered by Ms. Malkin's reckless presentation and invite a reputable historian to present a more even-handed view of the evidence."
Malkin has a no-nonsense response:
As readers of this blog, listeners on talk radio, and attendees of my book-related speeches all know, I have encouraged my audience vigorously to weigh all sides in this debate. I have directed both readers and listeners to Eric Muller's blog and The Volokh Conspiracy, where Muller and Robinson first critiqued my book; encouraged attendees of my Seattle speech to read the work of University of Washington professor Tetsuden Kashima, who graciously came to the event; and recommend in my book that readers consider the work of several scholars and researchers who do not agree with my conclusions.I haven't read the book, but have been following the firestorm it has provoked, and Malkin has been a class act in the face of relentless viciousness. Her critics have carped about the book-jacket, made allegations of sloppiness which reduce to "I can't research a book in a year," and even made fun of her hair. They have not dunked her facts. Malkin, on the other hand, has errata online, and has done just as she said: encouraged readers of her book to read the others, too.
I join the "Historians' Committee for Fairness" in their call for TV/radio producers to put the committee's members on the air. Let everyone see who is being "even-handed" and who is not.
Quality tells, and the first copy to come into the bookstore is going straight into my briefcase.
Filed by Bob Felton at 2:34 PM | PermaLink |
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