Andrew Goldberg shared his insights into the creative process and his personal thoughts on his new directorial documentary, “White With Fear.” It was, without a doubt, one of the most intense conversations I’ve ever had. “White With Fear,” narrated by the operatives involved in the events depicted, is an explosive and in-depth exploration of America’s conservative political machine’s decades-long quest for power. This quest involved exploiting racial fault lines and stoking narratives of White victimization.
I guess I want to start off with, is the notion of “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” a Is that a real thing?
That’s an excellent question. I believe the answer lies in the fact that approximately half of the country shares this aspiration. They comprehend the principles of liberty, freedom, and equality and strive to achieve them, even if they encounter challenges and make mistakes along the way. However, it’s important to note that about half of the country, possibly around 40% or 35%, lacks interest in pursuing this ideal America. These individuals often display a lack of understanding about the true meaning of America. They may wear the flag on their clothing, cars, or spout constitutional phrases, claiming that their fellow citizens are ignorant of their significance. However, if they were genuinely informed about the true nature of America, they might be deeply disturbed by its principles. These individuals are not interested in equality. They do not want to see black, brown, Jewish, or gay Americans receive the same rights and freedoms as themselves. They perceive America as a distinct country with its own set of rules, which they believe are superior. Unfortunately, these individuals are prone to regular occurrences that lead to their rise to political power, which has resulted in the emergence of destructive forces throughout history.
While cultivating and assembling this, were there any specific segments or elements that you personally found challenging to comprehend?
I’ve been producing bad news for quite some time now. Years ago, I pitched a show to PBS because many of my films are PBS documentaries. This may or may not be true, but I did pitch a show about cats to PBS. They responded with a letter, expressing their surprise that there was no murder, bigotry, or violence in the show. They questioned if I was the same Andrew Goldberg they had in mind. They asked if there was anything that was not palatable about the concept. What never ceases to amaze me is how comfortable people can be with hurting others. I understand that if I say something that hurts someone’s feelings, I feel unsettled and it bothers me deeply. It eats away at me. It’s like a feeling of guilt or something similar. I don’t have the ability to compartmentalize and ignore the hurt I cause. The people who do this are willing to say and exploit others, and they are cruel. I watched certain shows on Fox News and was appalled by the things they said about people. I couldn’t do that for a living, and I couldn’t gain political power by exploiting and hurting others. So, I was more surprised in the abstract. There was no individual person involved. I met Steve Bannon, and many people believe he is a very evil person. I suppose he may be. He has done some political things that are truly frightening. However, I found him to be friendly. I don’t know the guy well, but that wasn’t what bothered me. It was what they do in the big picture. It’s what these policies lead to, like kids in cages and people in jails. That’s what upsets and scares me the most. It’s how it divides our nation. I will admit that some of the violent acts are also upsetting, although I didn’t interview anyone in this particular film who had committed an act of violence. I have done that in the past, but…
What kind of content would you like White With Fear to be? A conversation, a thought piece, or something that can be studied?
I believe this is dangerous and is destroying America. As a journalist, I’m not supposed to have too many opinions, but I do have one: I don’t want America to be destroyed. I believe this divisiveness is moving us backwards at an alarming rate. We’re more divided around race in many ways than we have been in years. In some areas, we’ve made progress, but in the conversation, the news, the media, and the rage and politics, we’re worse than we’ve been in years, and it’s really concerning and upsetting to me. I would like 10 more people to make films about this, and I would like it to be on the news. I would also like to make a conversation piece and get a conversation going.
Listen to our entire conversation now on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.
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