Judaism and Whiteness in Wolfenstein

Samuel Beckett once said, “Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness”...on the other hand, he SAID it.
-Art Spiegelman, 1992
Follow me at / yacobg42
Patreon: / jacobgeller
CW: Descriptions of both historical and contemporary Nazism and White Supremacy, depictions of extreme violence, some discussion and depiction of child abuse (in context of Wolfenstein), brief discussion of animal abuse (in context of Wolfenstein), significant discussion of anti-semitism and the holocaust.
Voice of Henry Ford and Madison Grant provided by Zac Frazier: / @zacfrazier
Visual Media used: Wolfenstein 3D, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, live footage from SkyNews, News & Observer, VICE
Music used: Various tracks from Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus
----------------------------------------------
Script available for accessibility upon request
For written articles, podcasts, and more, visit caneandrinse.com/

[@Spaghetter813]

If I may add, Blaskowicz is not just a "mixed" jew, he is also slavic, thus making him part of another group considered inferior by the Nazis.

[@PhoenixFire2]

Not just Slavic, but specifically Polish. The country that suffered the most under the Nazis.

[@toade1583]

It's also ironic that his last name comes from his father, meaning father is at least partly or fully Slavic, so his racist sellout of the Nazis would actually be considered inferior by the Nazis and it heavily reflects on how in the US, it is pretty multicultural, something Hitler hated and so many of these neo Nazis would not only be deemed as inferior for being Slavic, but many many Caucasians are partly non white so a lot of these so called neo Nazis aren't even purely white.

[@snatchadams69]

@@toade1583 well who is when they can just pick and choose who's white?

[@roskcity]

@@PhoenixFire2 Soviets suffered more?

[@MacetazzOpina]

@@roskcity don't make this an fing suffering contest, buth the soviets and the polish had a rough time who can say who had it worse really and why does it even matter?

[@sophiemason8444]

The fact that these games feature literal Nazis and BJ's dad is by far the most repulsive character in the series says a lot about him.

[@oremfrien]

Not really, it just shows that the Nazis are "generically evil" while your repeated interactions with BJ's Dad make him "specifically evil". We tend to despise people who are generically evil but have much more hatred for people whose actions we can actually put a finger on. This is why in "Harry Potter" for example, despite Voldemort (generically evil) being a mass-murderer who repeatedly kills and tortures people, most people hate Umbridge (specifically evil) because the actions she takes against the protagonists are specific and show the depth of her personal failures. Voldemort is certainly worse than Umbridge but Umbridge _feels_ worse because her actions are specific.

[@sophiemason8444]

@@oremfrien huh. I never thought of it like that, thanks for giving a new perspective

[@tuckermyrick2609]

@@sophiemason8444 wow. I have never seen people on the Internet talk this way before... good for you

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

He's a classic american

[@itsblitz4437]

@@oremfrien interesting contrast but good note 📝 for say creating characters.

[@mannya.h.967]

I accidentally started this video while in the living room with my family and everyone just stared at me as "The Jews in Germany--" rang out at full volume.

[@elhilo1972]

Ha! Was that it?

[@origamifan5515]

So, naturally, you leaped at them, restrained them, and forced them to watch the whole video, right?

[@glebstepkin2430]

**Jazz music stops**

[@HartlyLion]

I hope they actually sat down and watched the video with you, that would of been great.

[@jonathancollin3096]

F

[@vladimirvoskanyan3989]

The intersting thing is that while BJ quite ironically fits the Aryan stereotype,he also fits into the Golem aka The Jewish Savior archetype as well which hits close to home considering BJ's origins.

[@crabeatcrab6011]

right i always saw a bit of a similarity

[@adrianomartinez6231]

@@VaultDwellerAlex yes in the star cinematics of the game

[@itzalion]

Jews are Aryans themselves. Compare Israeli soldiers and Americans soldiers. Americans look like subhumans in comparison. Fat, dumb, ugly, cowardly, whiny, women are boastful and bitchy, but not under the draft.

[@HighOnIce]

thats kinda the point

[@Jay-hc4lz]

How’d you see the similarity?

[@BlueLantern2815]

One of my favorite moments in the new order was how BJ was literally roused from his comatose state by the scent of Nazi blood

[@Deadflower019]

I don't know much about the games, but from what I've gleamed from this video, it's some damn good political commentary and character depth with a fun amount of ultrapowerful supersoldier bullshit sprinkled in. Fucking love it.

[@Ninjat126]

@Lilliana Eve, got it in one. The choice to fully embrace "video-gamey" nonsense like instantly healing bullet wounds by eating dog food while also adding a ton of extra depth & humanity to the world & characters makes both the modern Wolfenstein games an utter joy to play. New Colossus has an early-game slump that's not helped by middle-chapter syndrome and a fairly bleak opening act, but it's still pretty damn fun.

[@fandomcringebucket]

I don't know if you've seen Nerbit's series where he plays through the Fallout games as Abe Lincoln (basically, he has to free all slaves and kill all the slavers)- but I like to imagine that BJ is like Honest Abe, but instead of being powered by slaver blood, he's powered by Nazi blood.

[@Dis_Dis]

Coffee? What's that? I drink NAZI BLOOD!

[@MishraArtificer]

@@fandomcringebucket Greetings, fellow Nerbit fan!

[@void-creature]

"The war ain't over, look at all these Nazis running around" is one of my favourite lines in the series

[@hardatak]

The Cold War ain’t over, look at all these communists running around

[@helloneighbour2408]

@@hardatak It's hard to find another person who wants both communists and fascists gone, most people who want one gone are just from the other side

[@jackskelington7377]

The Iron front is opposed all forms of oppression. No gods, no Masters, no monarchy

[@Nikku4211]

To this day the war still ain't over if we look at all the /pol/ MFs running around.

[@ekki1993]

Unfathomably based

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

"The war ain't over, look at all these nazis walkin' around!" Is one of my all time favorite lines.

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

@stillness God The Germans are still here, bro. They dominate EU politics and their 13 year olds have basically monopolized the youtube PC tutorial market so their education system seems to be working alright, too. Fuck, IDK what I would do without those kids holding my hand and telling me how the hell windows powershell works.

[@licensetoshred]

@stillness God Might wanna check yaself bro, sounds like you fell down some alt-right pipeline and now blame Jewish people for everything, lmao. Cope harder bro.

[@afqwa423]

@Pep Nope. A lot of those guys would outright state that they killed Nazis and fought a war against them. And probably that the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. The right-wing currently would wring its hands at how inappropriate it is to punch Richard Spencer. That this is uncivil and a form of censorship. It's a tiresome game that conservatives play, they've spent so long gaslighting us into believing that they don't play politics by recasting everybody else as too PC, unfun and far too into id pol. But they like to play the same game themselves and we shouldn't allow them carte blanche to recast themselves as punk rock rebels. They fight for the privilege to spew hateful speech, misinformation and incitements to violence. Claiming that this is protected speech. "The tolerant left" on the other hand, is also quite un-PC about what they think about it. (Or at least, they should be.) Politics is a game _everybody_ plays, unless you just lack a heartbeat and live under a rock. Do you want to know what my opinion is? Sherman should've had three more years of war in the South. That way we wouldn't have to tolerate the ideological successors of the Confederacy. They needed war lashed into their collective trauma, so that maybe they wouldn't come to love militarism so much. So that all the people who want to LARP as feudal plantation lords and ladies are replaced by people with an actual conscience. So many self-described "libertarian" centrists are only fascist-sympathizers with a coat of paint. The political spectrum is not a horseshoe. It is a fishhook. So clutch at your pearls harder, swine. Killing Nazis in video games is fun. Cry your fascist tears for me.

[@brandonducks]

@@calebmcfarland8407 thoroughly debunked on this platform

[@basedlog4324]

@@afqwa423 you're a communist. Most GIs (especially from the south) would've put down their weapons if they would've known their kids would be going to school with blacks in 20 years. So yes,they would be called nazis today.

[@verinha0256]

Calling killing Nazis "ethical removal of fascism" is incredibly based

[@ambatuBUHSURK]

"Reads it in Brad Pitt's voice"

[@AnthonyChinaski]

I came here to say the same thing

[@vanessaashford9203]

when I first saw this I misread "based" as "biased" and was just like "wtf is this comment doing on top on a JG video of all places??", but then I realized lol

[@Kakapuuks]

Killing communists is also an ethical removal of fascism. Sadly the westerners don't understand that. There should definitely be a game where I can kill communists as ruthlessly as killing the nazis, so I could feel like revenge has been served for the people who raped and killed thousands of my people.

[@bluishwolf]

​@@dejanjakobovic9803 No, it comes from rapper Lil B and is derived from basehead, as in someone who freebases drugs. 4chan just adopted it.

[@LaurentiuBadea]

"...these backwater americans who can't even say dankey shane correctly.... " That is how I died. Tell my family.

[@SebastianMcCrazy]

Dankeschön,. es heißt DANKESCHÖN verdammtnochmal!

[@xobile.123]

@@SebastianMcCrazy Volkswagen

[@dovahgwyn_]

Doamne ferește

[@Enzaio]

Gorlami

[@cthulhuftagn4645]

Shizze

[@jmvv451]

It would not be hard to have the protagonist repeat the prayer of his mother once or twice, and would make sense thematically and character wise.

[@dragonize9826]

I was going to say the same thing. Kids repeating prayers, or songs from their parents is very common in media, Idk why they didn't do it.

[@Kani8122]

It wouldn't be hard to capitalize "white", considering that "Jew" and "Black" are capitalized in the video's transcript. Why would Jacob do this... ?

[@Ozzianman]

@@Kani8122 Probably an oversight, those happens even after multiple revisions.

[@pineapple7024]

@@Kani8122 You should really be asking why he capitalized “black,” not lowercased “white.” “Jew” is referring to someons who is “Jewish,” which is a proper noun and capitalized

[@tundra4331]

​@@Kani8122 that's what you take out of this video? Really?

[@AnimatedAirlines]

"Mein Fuhrer, I'm from Arizona" Funniest shit in that scene

[@brodyspears8290]

Mein*

[@AnimatedAirlines]

@@brodyspears8290 mb, thanks

[@lenny2hands580]

@@AnimatedAirlines la )

[@AnimatedAirlines]

@@lenny2hands580 what

[@digitalutopia1]

RIP Ronald Reagan

[@ColonelSpasm]

“I can tell that you aren’t impure because you didn’t reach for the gun” … My sister in Christ, you reached for the gun.

[@MaticTheProto]

Lmao

[@Barakon]

You deem her a sister in Christ after joining such a regime? Don’t y’a know what joining one by your will means?

[@Cilibi]

@@Barakongirly pop that’s part of the joke

[@Barakon]

@@Cilibi yeah, my question is an expansionary retort.

[@Clippidyclappidy]

⁠@@BarakonI mean Nazis often used Christianity as a crutch, even though Nazi leadership especially Hitler also hated Christianity.

[@melmelhodgepodge3800]

Interesting thing to note, is that Whiteness has changed a lot in the US. That at first only Anglo-saxon people were considered white. Germans were swarthy, Italians were backwards, Slavic folk were primitive, etc - It was only over time they realized if they didn't include them the idea of "whiteness" would only apply to a shrinking pool and would eventually die out.

[@yummypopsicle8046]

I am german and don't even know the word swarthy haha could you pls tell me what it means

[@chefcandy4035]

@@yummypopsicle8046 swarthy means dark-skinned

[@cam4636]

It's seriously the easiest rebuttal to white supremacy. We've even got all the documentation to track the changes. "White" meant land-owning Anglo-Saxon Protestants from the Mayflower crossing until they realized they were outnumbered, then piece by piece they took "different races," people they'd oppressed, people they'd _killed,_ and made them "white" to outnumber whoever they wanted to oppress this week--what changed? Nothing but the definition. It's almost like...it's all a scam... Whenever racism tries to align with reality it falls apart, you've got to cling to delusion to believe in racism--and people do. They'd rather be "white" by their definition than face the fact that they're no different from the people they're oppressing.

[@Coconutszz]

@@cam4636 You say that like white people are the only ones with racist ideologies.

[@Lthethird]

@@cam4636 i think they just realized that europeans are mostly the same compared to people who eat eachother

[@bee_creature]

I just watched an half an hour video essay on wolfenstein. Do i care about wolfenstein? No. Have I ever played or even watched a playthrough of a wolfenstein game? No. Did I just spend half an hour watching someone break down the character of BJ? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Hell yes.

[@nusretakdemir9141]

Does anybody fucking care? No.

[@scumbag1731]

The Wandering Dragon Are you gay? Yes

[@bee_creature]

@@scumbag1731 fuck man, you got me.

[@mithicalmithrax8933]

@@nusretakdemir9141 Correction: I do

[@Mitchery]

@@scumbag1731

[@richardavelino7383]

BJ's last name was an easter egg in the very first game for the series. The dev's thought it would add the best icing on the cake for players to realize BJ was of Jewish descent.

[@bookbook9495]

That’s actually a really interesting thing to have done, though I personally think it would’ve been cooler to have that established from the beginning

[@Etzelsschizo]

Wasn't his name based on a German General called Gen. d. Inf. Blaskowitz sho condemned the German actions against the Polish during the September Campaign 1939? That's at least what I heard.

[@bookbook9495]

@@Etzelsschizo cool!

[@noah_hill]

Blaskowitz is a german name, nazi general even had it.

[@reese4077]

That's just untrue lol. He was never meant to be Jewish but they turned him Jewish but recently

[@CosmicNerdStudios]

BJ reminds me a lot of captain America after this, Steve Rogers was a strong, confident soldier with blue eyes and blond hair, created by two Jewish comic creators who debuted by literally punching Hitler in the face during a period where Americans were pretty content to not join in open conflict against the Nazis. Just another fun case of taking their dream and literally using it to punch them in the face.

[@MaticTheProto]

And now he‘s a braindead propaganda tool

[@lewisaino]

In the end even if BJ is Aryan like he hates what they represent

[@limesandlemons1367]

@@MaticTheProto Against what, Matic? Propaganda against what?

[@MaticTheProto]

@@limesandlemons1367 the middle east, against people who want change etc.

[@lukayaroslav9914]

In addition, he had several medical issues and Nazis are advocating eugenics.

[@quilespiritu]

"They tried to kill us. We survived. Let's eat."

[@timmah7874]

@stillness God Found the neo-Nazi.

[@timmah7874]

@stillness God “There is no such thing as a nazi” I don’t know if you’re intellectually dishonest, taking the piss, or batshit crazy, but there is nothing wrong with you that Людми́ла Миха́йловна Павличе́нко couldn’t have fixed.

[@electri-citywatts]

@stillness God and they labeled jews as lesser and cannon fodder, you want a medal for your history smarts you neo-nazi

[@someisraeliguy9570]

@stillness God Okay mein freund we'll call you a Neo-Nationial Socialist or as we like to dub them: Goddamn Neo-Nazis

[@someisraeliguy9570]

@stillness God Neo=New,used to describe a successor of something

[@RyanTheMan000]

When your so mad you turn from a vegetable into a weapon

[@moredetonation3755]

Turns out the only difference between meat and vegetable is *blood*

[@TDenterpriser]

And don’t lose any muscle mass for not working out for 14 years

[@jago751ismyname]

@@moredetonation3755 Best comment

[@hondaguy9153]

You're*

[@copium5513]

@@hondaguy9153 Ok boom'er

[@ToxicDoesMinecraft]

To think that these two games were controversial when they came out.

[@Reydriel]

It was probably a knee-jerk reaction to the presence of the Nazi swastika, despite the entire point of the Wolfenstein franchise being to kill a whole lot of Nazis lmao

[@rabidrabids5348]

@@Reydriel It was more a reaction to "SJWs" shoving politics into games. Something you hear about a lot for some reason.

[@Reydriel]

@@rabidrabids5348 Which is fucking baffling. A game about Nazis being political, oh the atrocity! >_> XD

[@afreakazoid4813]

@@Reydriel that's because people who cry out about them gotdamn essjay dubyas in their viddy games also strangely tend to be the same people who threw a real big hissy fit about good old Ricky Spencer getting his clock cleaned. interesting, that.

[@NaumRusomarov]

The first two games are held in very high regard, they are praised by almost everyone. The second game is a masterpiece is terms of storytelling, gameplay and visuals. It is probably the game of the decade for me. The third game becomes more mainstream and easier for the casuals, some mechanics were simplified and other things seem streamlined probably to work fine on consoles, the game is also more cinematic and constrained. The game goes into your face to tell you the story instead of letting you play through it. That riled a lot of people up. The fourth game (Wolftensten: Youngbloods) is okay for a co-op shooter, but it devolved a lot from the classical story about BJ. And people went berserk because of it, its ratings are terrible. About the other stuff, you cannot "not have politics" in a game about Nazis. It's an oxymoron.

[@flaminglemons4090]

Fun fact: A Bethesda executive actually mentioned that the first actor Hitler shoots in the propaganda film audition is canonically that universe's Ronald Reagan.

[@benjaminzarkhin1293]

Reagen wasn't from Arizona and would've been a child by 1961, but it's a fun thing to imagine.

[@Person0fColor]

@@benjaminzarkhin1293 The irony is that the same people that they tried to pander to in New Colossus by making Bj Jewish are the same people today calling Jews Nazis 🤣 That is why you cant make political points in your games they age like crap.

[@NewCoke7]

@@benjaminzarkhin1293no??? Reagan was born in 1911

[@benjaminzarkhin1293]

@@NewCoke7 Come to think of it, yeah, it doesn't make sense. He is indeed not from Arizona... I think.

[@basedtvrk9125]

"Jews before the war weren't white, now *we* are." *New character information earned*

[@hre2044]

They were accepted into the white ethnic category the same way Ethiopian Jews were at some point accepted as Jews too

[@cultofgoose1942]

@@hre2044 I think he means that Jacob is a Jew based on this sentence

[@DonRoyalX]

Why did u bold “we” it’s not in tone, should’ve been the last word. Sorry 😛

[@ChestersonJack]

I missed that part entirely. Huh.

[@aureavita8653]

@stillness God the fash call them inferior, non humans. And unlike them, the fash had the audacity to turn them into crematory fuel and more. It's xenophobia, almost every race, ethnicity, and culture has it to some degree, that doesn't mean they're objectively terrible, just because they have a word that connotates a bad outsider

[@theMoporter]

I know this isn't a new video and this may seem like a nitpick, but it comes up a few times - Polish people were only considered marginally better than Jews by the Nazis. In the US it's a different story, but the Nazis killed millions of Polish too, because they were also "inferior". BJ isn't half what the Nazis hate - he's 100% everything the Nazis hate. Anyway, this video is clearly amazing. Thank you.

[@majorasmaskguy_8452]

My grandfather was Polish and one of the only reasons that he claimed saved him during his time in the work camps was that the guards treated him a slightly better than others there with him, because "he looked Aryan".

[@nataliagonzalez1698]

I think the point is that BJ is totally 100% not aryan yet looks so

[@Elfenohr]

Yeah, this sort of bugged me, too. Something I noticed about Nazis in the USA today is that they focus on the "white race". The original Nazis in Germany on the other hand were concerned with so-called Aryans which is way more exclusive. I would've liked if he had touched upon that but it might be nitpicky of me.

[@tharnstonewall2005]

@@jackson7962 yeah that was staged by germans

[@BifronsCandle]

The Nazis were fairly inconsistent in their ideology. You could be the most Polish Pole who ever Poled but, if you just _looked_ Aryan, you had enough "Germanic blood" and could be a citizen.

[@Mark-rv2ty]

I think you overlooked the fact that BJ at least has a rudimentary understanding of Hebrew and Jewish traditions. In the London Nautica level in the new order he correctly translates Hebrew characters to Anya via radio when he finds the artifacts and literature pertaining to da'at yichud

[@Guy.B]

Back when I played the new order, I sorta managed to read something back on that level. I don't remember what it was though

[@nittis323]

Well. Even though Hebrew letters show up on the screen (they don’t actually spell daat yichud, they just used Hebrew letters that look like it), he kinda just says what the letters look like in English instead of the letter names. If anything it’s Anya who knew the Hebrew alphabet. Nonetheless you’re right that he does carry some Jewish tradition.

[@Mark-rv2ty]

@stillness God I really hope you're just trying to rustle some jimmies

[@Mark-rv2ty]

@stillness God Looks like you've been duped by the same anti-Semitic propaganda they've been spewing for years. If they've taken over the world, they've done a real poor job of y'know, exerting their interests and stopping their people from being routinely murdered. Crazy.

[@DrORRB-qm7fl]

@stillness God Are you ok? You don’t seem ok considering the concerning amount of time you spend trying to demonise a random group of people. Maybe you should pick up an instrument or read something... anything other than this.

[@SubcribeMinecraftNOW]

"The war aint over, look at all these nazis walking around" holy based

[@dopaminedreams1122]

Are they in the room with us right now?

[@SubcribeMinecraftNOW]

@@dopaminedreams1122 Weird how quickly you rush to their defense

[@dopaminedreams1122]

@@SubcribeMinecraftNOW Who’s they? Anyone to the right of Mao Zedong? Last I checked nazis stopped existing in the 40s

[@reinapiratayquepaha]

@@dopaminedreams1122 lol, even if you're of those that believe neofascism is not real, there are still people who proudly show the swastika, you're being willfully ignorant or you're trying to disimulate a personal bias.

[@pineapple7024]

@@dopaminedreams1122 There are no human traffickers in the room with us right now, either, or at least I don’t think so

[@capri6542]

Your point about how Nazi's took direct influence from America's social and racial hierarchy because of it's effectiveness was honestly a mind blowing epiphany on my end. Although I did connect the disenfranchisement of Jewish and other deemed inferior groups to the native american and African american peoples, I never thought thatas directly connected, but that it was just another cycle of hate. Thanks for this perspective.

[@smrtfasizmu7242]

Fun fact: they also planned to relegate the few surviving slavs to reservations based off of the ones used in the United States to control the surviving natives

[@LarryWater]

If the Nazi was influence by American racism, why did Hitler liked Japanese people, when Americans were racist against them?

[@jacobm6617]

@@LarryWater It was the American system they modeled after, not necessarily the same details and context

[@kraigisboss]

@@jacobm6617 Also the labor camps were molded after the ones used in south Africa during the Boar wars.

[@CaptPeon]

@@LarryWater largely because the Japanese were also nationalists who were not thought to mix with or mess with Germany. Japan was vying for the "East", the Italian and German Fascists for the "West".

[@jjju3]

"A changing world is scary if you control the old one." A small line but it hit pretty hard. Edit: please just fuck off out of the replies out of this lmao

[@gallanonim3328]

This is a typical leftist's response who does not understand conservative philosophy, or even how average people think. Everything is about power and control. No, it's not. You can make an argument why a changing world is legitimately scary without making a single argument related to power and control, but, ironically, you have to be open minded about it, which this guy is lacking.

[@jjju3]

@@gallanonim3328 this video is literally about nazis

[@jupitersgodzilla7114]

+B-atiful! That validates that how? Assuming you equate ‘conservative’ with ‘nazi’...

[@crucified1969]

@@gallanonim3328 Shut the fuck up boomer.

[@dimitriosdrossidis9633]

@@gallanonim3328 ah yes conservative Philosophy, how could I forget, playing apologetics for cruelty, resorting to social-darwinism and holding onto the shadow of reality? You wouldn't believe how much suffering this thinking caused and how little difference there is between conservatives and fascists.

[@gwynethh9524]

"They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat" I've heard this phrase several times before but the way you said it in the context of this video....it really got to me. And I've never realized just how few Jewish video game characters there are, even compared to other mediums where they're still pretty sparse. I hope that changes. It would mean the world to me, too. Thank you for making this.

[@Bankable2790]

gay

[@TheBlarggle]

@@Bankable2790 Just be a better person, dude. Please.

[@fionafiona1146]

@@Bankable2790 Happy, exuberant? It's kind you think so but language shifts to reflect broader society and that word hasn't been reclaimed sufficiently to compliment without context 😉

[@mintcondition7789]

As soon as I read this comment he said it

[@Bankable2790]

fiona fiona homosexual

[@coldgal8476]

The fact that B.J. -Hates nazis And -Actively chooses to kill nazis Are really admirable traits.

[@Nightwalk444]

National Socialism and Communism are the worst cancers of the world

[@sheeit-co3co]

What about the communist

[@Nightwalk444]

@@sheeit-co3co We'll ignore the Uyghur genocide, 60 million Mao killed, 4 million Ukrainians who dies from Stalin starving them and Pol Pot?

[@Raj80191]

​@@sheeit-co3coCry more nazi

[@getaround1276]

@Nightwalk444 let's ignore the billions starving and slaving under capitalism right now and the fact that those numbers are a combination of exaggerated, straight up lies, and not even from communist countries.

[@CalebtheWhitebread]

Something I’ve always appreciated from a character development standpoint is that in W2 they obviously show that BJ’s dad is a horrible person.. but they also show that one scene where he helps BJ look for the ‘monster’ in the basement.. it’s a strange look at just how humans are.. so evil but that small glimpse at the alternate.

[@angeleaterstudios1004]

The brief scene of compassion creates a sense of comfort before they rip that away and betray it, making you hate the father even more. If he was cruel 100% of the time, there would never have been any trust or surprise. BJ's mom wouldn't have married him.

[@mockdr]

Yes I always think about that, and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

[@moonbound6478]

Ngl after the other scenes, i honestly thought he was gonna trick BJ into shooting his mom. Thankfully that didn't happen

[@beedubree2550]

it's like a small scale version of Eichmann In Jerusalem, a book about the trial of Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust, who showed zero remorse for anything he did, despite being verified by psychologists to be completely neurotypical, no psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies. sometimes human beings are just evil.

[@fujoshifootjobs]

I think it's quite interesting how Wolfenstein (at least, the new titles) sort of co-opt hypermasculine power trip games to tell the stories of the oppressed and disenfranchised that it's target audience likely never consciously *chooses* to hear.

[@Sablus]

Yep and that the main character is a vulnerable young man merely wanting to build a future for those he loves from people who'd kill them (he's as far removed from the "cigar chomping pun making cliche" as one can be but still be badass.

[@malta7406]

Hm, I didn’t really consciously think of that before, since I’m not really a member of that particular audience/group, but it’s interesting. I appreciate your comment, although it’s underrated. It’s actually a very wholesome and effective way to teach the people who wouldn’t normally be open to learning about that sort of thing, and the studio’s efforts in that regard have likely caused quite a few stubborn and insensitive dudes more about reality.

[@maximnicola4182]

I work with people with disabilities and I was so happy when I saw the character Max Hass. I have never seen someone with a mental disability in a video game before.

[@Fabrizio_Ruffo]

Power fantasy is by definition about giving people who are powerless a taste of power. The idea that power fantasy is for audiences unfamiliar with oppression or disenfranchisement is totally backwards. One of the issues I have with the video's breakdown of wolfenstien is in a similar vain. The characters are not a product of their time, or even the fictional universe, but are instead inserts for players to identify with. A grab bag of minorities totally disconnected from the world around them, spouting off talking points 50 years after their time. Its the essence of " A Priest, A Rabbi, and a Minister Walk Into a Bar", but its not trying to be funny, its trying to be deep and failing miserably. The very idea of masculinity as you describe it is a modern interpretation. And its great for a game examine old ideas through a modern lens. But it makes no sense for the characters to use that interpretation. Feminism went through many fazes before becoming what it is today. A feminist in the 1940s would not be arguing for total equality between the sexes. Because the very concept of feminism in order to exist must define female. And if male and female are the same, then they no longer mean anything, and the idea of feminism as a movement becomes meaningless. It was only recently when feminism became inter-sectional, that it evolved beyond simply promoting women's issues. Egalitarianism is not feminism, some mistakenly conflate it as proto-feminism, since many of the early supporters of feminism did so under the banner of equality. This is much the same with race. All these issues evolved separately. The race debate predates the very concept of race itself. When the constitution of the United States was first signed,slavery was a hot topic even then. But for the sake of keeping the peace in a time when the Union was very weak, the issue was dropped as a concession. But the debate continued on, until finally it caused a civil war. Modern interpretations try to explain these dialogs not by reading you the works of people of that time, but by recreating those events using character's from our own time. This does not do history justice. The issue of slavery had nothing to do with race. We applied that label after the fact because the two issues share alot in common. But the people of that period never had any use for that term. The reality is that the enlightenment philosophy of egalitarianism predates the concept of race, and like all belief systems was not universally understood or shared. There were many different interpretations within every movement and time period, and only the leaders of these movements gave them their single voice. In this same way, the nazi party was made of a coalition of different interested parties. There was not, nor is there now a single jewish identity. It is only a gross generalization used for the sake of brevity that we refer to jews as such, and only when it is applicable. Despite this, there were and are still jews who refer to themselves in this way. The nazis did not invent any of this, they simply capitalized on the already existing antisemitism rampant all over the world. The reason these clashes of culture occurred in the first place was because pockets of isolated groups, that prevously never made contact started to mix, as the world became more interconnected, and travel became available to more and more people. Much of this was not known then, and much of this is ignored by people who generalize about history today. Everything I've said thus far is a generalization of some sort or another. Its necessary to speak in general terms for the sake of time. My point being, is that this game has literally volumes of subject matter it could dive into, but instead glosses over everything, and is heralded by some as artistic genius simple for telling them what they want to hear. This game touches on nothing, it completely ignores all of human history, with not even an attempt at explaining it's own lore, and instead focuses on a character drama that for all it's merits has nothing to do with the subject matter the game is most famous for. Its depiction of nazis is chartoonish, its depiction of jews, blacks, even the mentally disabled, all just caricatures. There is no nuance, no subtlety, and no realism to be seen for miles. Its total crap.

[@bjornhartmann6839]

@@Fabrizio_Ruffo well spoken. The old wolfenstein games had at least some atmosphere and historic inspiration, but the new ones are just anti white power fantasies.

[@SophiefromMars]

My one favourite thing about Wolfenstein: Youngblood is the resolution. There's a lot wrong in that game, but the way that the twins confront Blazko, who thinks he's gonna just open a portal to get into the "correct timeline" and tell him "no, we have to fix this world" is so fucking good. It was so obvious an easy for them to follow through with Set's alternate-universe travel, considering that the audience knows that the Nazis winning is the "wrong" outcome, but the writers actually thought about what message that would send, and they made it send the appropriate message instead

[@Crlarl]

Nazis are here, it's our job to get rid of them.

[@Crlarl]

@Terry A. Tiger I didn't called you a Nazi nor an authoritarian.

[@KevIn-ns4jw]

Tiger dafuq u on?

[@someblackguy7371]

@@KevIn-ns4jw Game is trash though, I just pretend the only Wolfenstien games that ever existed are the ones with BJ in it

[@someblackguy7371]

@@kakroom3407 As Protagonist

[@odintdk4489]

My dear good jewish brother.. as a muslim, I am deeply thankful for the entirety of this video. Not just because I love the Wolfenstein series, and not only because you write so fucking well. But also because of that genuinely thoughtful bit you added there at the end alongside the credits. What an incredible human being you sir are.

[@mariammontaser7843]

Same , hugely respect that from him

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “A believer is not a taunter, curser, obscene or indecent.” He also said: “Beware of obscenity and swearing, because Allah (swt) does not like obscenity and vulgar speech.” And he said: “Surely obscenity and vulgarity are not compatible with Islam.”

[@beardedskyrim8652]

@@user-op8fg3ny3j The arab country was also siding with Hitler in the war. Wonder why?

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@beardedskyrim8652 yes, Iraq sided with the axis because they were being occupied by Britain but their independence was short lived as it was squashed just as the Allied power invaded Iran in WW2

[@Frostgiantbutsmall]

​@@user-op8fg3ny3j Hello, I'm Christian and have respect for Islam, and I'm curious about the meaning of the "()" after you say the Lord's name, especially since they were different each time?

[@roman_nfkrz]

I’ve never even played Wolfenstein but this video is incredible, thank you

[@otakusnorex3724]

What are you doing here

[@febreezusjesus]

@@roundduck7005 strangest thing is nobody asked

[@Sablus]

Give it a try if you can, it's a pretty great game as well as its sequel. Youngblood is kinda meh though game play wise...

[@aweirdredguy3885]

you know,if you were living in a timeline like that,you'd either never have been born because your grandparents would have been killed,or you'dbe living as a slave of the germans

[@bugsybomb]

bruh what

[@dayegilharno4988]

It's surprisingly unsurprisingly soothing to have the words "Fascism Is A Loser Ideology" printed in large friendly letters on the screen...

[@dayegilharno4988]

@//// Aah, proving me right big time, aren'tcha!?

[@Mutant_X98]

Looks like this is gonna be my new laptop screensaver. Time to start reminding myself how badass being of Jewish blood really is.

[@Lthethird]

@@Mutant_X98 those palestinians don't stand a chance!

[@Andriej69]

@@Lthethird Yeah, bombing defenseless civilians with white phosphorus is so badass!

[@thomasffrench3639]

I would argue that Nazis is a loser ideology. I think that it’s hard to call Italians Nazis

[@motorcitymangababe]

Wolfenstien= positive masculinity

[@leon6777]

100%

[@YourPetSnake]

:)

[@fuzzytheduck6821]

Positive👏masculinity👏is👏killing👏nazis👏

[@joaop4585]

Fuzzy, who decides who is a nazi (nowdays)?

[@motorcitymangababe]

@@joaop4585 well if you study what fascism its easy to identify and then you just look for neo nazi iconography

[@Youraveragesillygoober-s6p]

"First they came for the communists, i did not speak out because i was not a communist, then they came for the socialists, i did not speak out because i was not a socialist, then they came for the trade unionists, i did not speak out because i was not a trade unoinist, then they came for the Jews, i did not speak out because i was not a Jew, then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemoller

[@woahcoolio8830]

Womp womp

[@Youraveragesillygoober-s6p]

@@woahcoolio8830 i know you did not just womp womp that

[@richardmillhousenixon]

​@@Youraveragesillygoober-s6pman deadass just womp womped that

[@11omit]

i never rlly liked this poem bc while it obviously does want u to speak out for other people it feels like it’s only leading u that way because ‘you may be next’ instead of like.. not wanting other people to get targeted

[@ekyanso4253]

​@@11omitthe people who don't want others targeted for no reason have a moral virtue, and that means they don't need a poem addressed to them.

[@theenglishman]

"Jewish game characters: Moses, Jesus" You're forgetting Rabbi Stone from the point-and-click adventure game The Shivah.

[@slithra227]

Peter Parker is also Jewish!

[@MuchKoku]

*aggressive clapping*

[@M3X1C4N_T4C0]

@Winston Smith doom guy is catholic

[@Guciom]

@Winston Smith Jewish is not a ethnicity.

[@dkskcjfjswwwwwws413]

@Winston Smith wait is doom guy jewish? as dooms universes religion doesnt really resemble anything, especially with all the khan maykr stuff

[@SCZDN]

I think the tragedy of him being disconnected from his heritage in NO and NC by way of the fact that yes, he is Jewish, but he doesn't express it because he sees himself as a weapon. As a weapon he can rain hell upon the world that he sees as unjust. I think near the end of Young Blood it's revealed that he's picked up the language from Seth's notes, but even that is for the war effort. He's a soldier in a world at war, and whatever kindness he is able to give is only in his quiet moments. I posit that the Jewish person is able to grow into the heritage at rest, when identity is not supressed by priority. They're trying to kill him, he will eat later.

[@mattd5240]

Except in the older Wolfenstein games in which he eats while fighting nazis.

[@lilowhitney8614]

Except part of being jewish *is* being a fighter. It's fighting for your identity and fighting for your life when people try to snuff it out. Hannukha isn't some knockoff christmas, it's a story about resistence, about the few against the many and pushing back the dark even if it's just one candle flame at a time. "Every one is a small light, and all together we're a tremendous bonfire." It's the core of the holiday, part of the legend, part of the songs. It's something he would know about even in the kind of home he grew up in because passing on the stories is also a part of being jewish, those are his childhood bedtime stories. The stories many real life jewish partizans thought about when fighting the nazis in ww2. But even aside from all of that, the resistance are fighting for their right to individuality, their right to be a person. Growing as a person, *being* a person, is the biggest fuck you he could give to the nazis and we see all of that. We see all the cast having those human moments. How come he has time to fall in love and develop a relationship but doesn't have time to learn about judaism? There are many bits and pieces of it he could ask about and learn about when there's spare time. He could learn the Shema in less than 10 minutes and that's if he has a bad ear for languages, since the short version of it is literally one sentence. Do you know how much of a fuck you it would be for him to charge nazis while calling the Shema like countless other jewish fighters before him? A huge steaming pile of fuck you, and isn't that what he's all about?

[@kevinprzy4539]

Considering he didn’t grow up Jewish, he simply isn’t, he grew up as a Christian.

[@GrrrlStyleNow]

I have had an entirely wrong perception of these games. I totally thought that they fell into that "American History X" trap of being anti-nazi in name and intent, but mostly adored by alt-right types who thought they made the nazis look cool. So glad I saw this and know better now.

[@JacobGeller]

hahaha if the comments on this video prove anything, boy do they *not* love this series.

[@GrrrlStyleNow]

@@JacobGeller I'll definitely be checking them out now. Thanks so much for the great job you did on this vid! 👍

[@spartanking9807]

@@GrrrlStyleNow but the Nazi designs DO be looking cool tho

[@GrrrlStyleNow]

@@spartanking9807 Try not to cut yourself on that edge there.

[@hre2044]

There's a scene of the nazis parading on the Texas level and it's been used by right wingers. It's up on bit chute, it's epic. The devs made the nazis look awesome aesthetically.

[@sophiatalksmusic3588]

I have never played this video game and probably never will, given I'm not a gamer. But I've come back and watched this essay at least four times now; it's one of my favourites on the internet. The phrase "fascism is a loser ideology" has been a serious comfort for the past year or so, and I greatly appreciate you sharing your perspective. Thank you for your great work, Jacob.

[@badger6882]

Thanks for this comment!

[@EpicZurg]

@sophiatalksmusic3588 if you haven't watched yet, I do strongly recommend to search for and watch a no commentary playthrough of Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein 2. The second one could be a Tarantino written cinema, it's genuinely great, all about of it. The writing and pacing is amazing and really well acted/animated and voice acted.

[@aGORILLA-g7l]

Define fascism.

[@starkjet2197]

@@aGORILLA-g7lA loser ideology

[@HoxMouse]

@@aGORILLA-g7l Define why you haven't licked my ass yet.

[@laurenbastin8849]

can’t believe wolfenstein of all franchises developed so much depth, it still saddens me that Bethesda basically flushed all that down the toilet in favour of producing a co-op live service to print money with

[@MaxMiller94]

Bethesda flushed a lot down the toilet over the past five years or so. You hate to see it.

[@Natalietrans]

There will probably be another good wolfenstien, just wait

[@julianaeaglehorse9422]

Oof, the race and census usage reminds me of how my tribe didn't necessarily have last names. To categorize them the U.S. government just assigned names to them. We didn't fit in their criteria so they just made stuff up for us. My mother told me the story of her grandfather, as just a kid at the time, and how he didn't make it to the registration of tribal members. The government associate asked where he was and a tribal member mentioned he lives over by the creek. Instead of going to ask for his last name he was given the last name Creek. Not sure where I was going with this but I wanted to share a tidbit of my families history with the U.S government as a native.

[@ericsalscheider4961]

@Carnivorus then change your last name to Creek

[@ericsalscheider4961]

@Carnivorus That comment literally does not make any sense but if theres nothing wrong with forcing someone to change their identity, then you should have no problem with it happening to you.

[@slow_ae2676]

@Carnivorusidk about the US. But what if i told you that from now on you belong to place x, because the gov said you're x. Meanwhile your family belong to place y because the gov said so. And you can't really change that because, i dunno? The threat is the fucking gun and the law? Doesn't sound very murderous to you?

[@Wr3clessShark]

@Carnivorus I bet you're one of those closet racists who says "All lives matter" right now. Dumbass

[@slow_ae2676]

@Carnivorus that's the thing, doesn't make it okay

[@thewindysage1538]

Little thing but I like how Hitler uses a very old ,possibly WWI pistol when killing Arizona guy It was probably just an heirloom from his time in the trenches but it also encapsulates perfectly how nazism holds on to an old and decrepit mindset in effort to harken back to a supposed past glory ,even though the present can offer so much more and much better things

[@OfficialSuede]

Fun fact: Arizona Guy is canonically Ronald Reagan

[@cheddarcheezit2647]

​@@OfficialSuede I'm struggling not to laugh rn bc that's the most poetic fate for Reagan I can think of. Only way to make it better would be to take down Thatcher, too.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

My good man the US has been using the same exact M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun since the first world war this is reaching of the highest order.

[@h0rn3d_h1st0r1an]

@@OfficialSuede Lol that's kinda funny

[@Joe-cc9it]

@@Ballin4Vengeance yeah and the luger (which i think is the pistol being used) was used by germany until the mid 50s irl, and in france until the mid 70s among police forces. so definitely a kinda mid reach. Honestly the luger is, to me almost symbolic of nazism. Every fictional nazi officer bears a luger etc.

[@pikachucetthesecond4296]

Interesting fact-the guy who says "No Mein Fürher, I'm from Arizona!" is Ronald Reagan (although Reagan wasn't from Arizona IRL)

[@hylobateslar4151]

And Reagan never got a chance to meet his Idol IRL either. I'm sure they know each other well now down below.

[@Person0fColor]

@@hylobateslar4151 the irony of NC trying to point out American anti-semtism... They couldnt make BJ jewish today he would be boycotted 🤣 by the same people who were cheering this on. This is why you cant make your games too political they age really bad. If BJ was jewish they would call him Nazi 🤣 dripping with irony

[@TimdeVisser86]

Honestly Jacob, I keep coming back to this one. It's just so good in every way. The writing, the editing, the relevance of it is almost timeless.

[@TimdeVisser86]

@stillness God you keep saying 'Germans' but from context it's clear you mean 'nazis'. And if you think they were the last free thinkers I can't help you.

[@TimdeVisser86]

@stillness God you do know you are talking to a descendant of a survivor of several nazi prison camps, right? You do know that Europeans know what WW2 was like firsthand? That I don't need a history book to know my father was named after a child killed by nazis? That not all germans were nazis, and that nazis certainly would have killed me because I'm disabled? This is not something the media made up, my grandparents barely survived it. But by all means keep lying, the engagement is good for Jacob's channel, and I live knowing this argument is spreading his work through the algorythm.

[@TimdeVisser86]

@stillness God keep going, nazi.

[@TimdeVisser86]

@stillness God nah not really I don't think debating fascists is worth anything. Turns out if you're committed to wiping out millions of people it's pretty easy to lie, argue in bad faith and manipulate people. But again, I do want to drag this out so Jacob gets more traffic.

[@TheSwolOne]

@@TimdeVisser86 ayy bruz, just thought you should know he deleted all his comments lmao. I can gather some of what he was saying from yours, but could you try to summarise it if you remember it?

[@rickydo6572]

*Race is a really slippery concept* As a Brazillian dude let me tell ya, It really fucking is. I've met plenty of people who consider me white, I've met plenty of people who consider me black, I consider myself neither since I identify as pardo, goes to show that it is a social construct, and some of us even get to pick depending on the situation and the people we're dealing with.

[@danielnicola7826]

Brasil porra aeeee kkk eae mano não esperava um br

[@berniekatzroy]

Brazil is a very multicultural in its roots but I understand given I've travelled there and all my friends from there.

[@hre2044]

Taxonomy is a social construct. Species is a social construct. Can the average person tell 2 subspecies of brown bear apart? No. Do zoologists still use subspecies when defining them? Yes. Same goes for race. You are mixed race.

[@hre2044]

@Jean Sanchez The difference phenotypically between 2 brown bears is less than the observable difference between any 2 races lol. There are biological differences, not just on the genotype level, but also our entire phenotype is different. Mixed race people can be classified as a new race as they look phenotypically distinct from other groups. I can tell someone is Hispanic by looking at them.

[@hre2044]

@Jean Sanchez Latino is just an ethnicity. I didn't use the term latino I used the term Hispanic. Hispanic is more of a racial term but it hasn't been adopted as such. When someone says they're Hispanic they typically will be a mestizo or Castizo looking person. I don't think black latinos identify as Hispanic. Hispanic has a more phenotypic standard that the term latino.

[@juliovictormanuelschaeffer8370]

Fun fact: BJ is Commander Keen's grandpa, and Keen is the DOOM Slayer's father. And all of them are polish. You know what that means? Yes. WHEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED, COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE!

[@elcatrinc1996]

Does that mean Slayer is also Jewish? (oh boy, i need to draw slayer with a hussar armor now)

[@firetarrasque4667]

I can't tell if this is a joke or canon

[@elcatrinc1996]

@@firetarrasque4667 its my headcanon now (both the jewish and hussar)

[@brown-eyedcheese5440]

Nazis go to hell where Doom guy does what Doom guy does best

[@elcatrinc1996]

@@brown-eyedcheese5440 FULL CIRCLE TO FUCK NAZIS

[@user-me5fh3yu1j]

As a rabbi's kid who has a complicated time appreciating his own judaism just because of how weird and embarrassing it can feel sometimes, you're a real inspiration to me and I find this kind of thing really cool.

[@albusdumbledore4416]

Super cool religion bro don’t feel embarrassed

[@afatman3678]

@@albusdumbledore4416 worst abrahamic religion ngl

[@Natalietrans]

@@afatman3678 actually the first Abrahamic religion

[@yehudayisrael7910]

@@afatman3678 nah...It's the best because it's true.

[@siervodedios5952]

@@afatman3678 How is it the worst Abrahamic faith if you don't mind me asking? I'm curious

[@Barytyrannus]

Honestly, this has completely changed my impression on these games. I always thought they were just generic nazi shooters and I always prefered the Doom games, but WOW. Just.....WOW. This video had me glued to the screen. So fascinating. Nobody ever seems to talk about WWII in a more nuanced way then "nazis bad, lets kill the fuck out of em". Its good to see a more accurate discussion here.

[@rockbandicoot84]

Nazis are bad and we should kill the fuck out of them. There is no counter discussion. BJ Blazkowicz agrees.

[@PANDA-vm3tt]

They are just generic Nazi shooters, they shoehorned all they backstory in during the last game.

[@andymontanez56]

If thats all you thought about em, did you actually play them?

[@kevinsundelin8639]

@@andymontanez56 Most likely not

[@kevinsundelin8639]

@@PANDA-vm3tt So they're not, then

[@Tabby3456]

"If you were not aryan, you would of went for the gun" Me as a blue eyed blonde german: ...

[@Tabby3456]

@@Floral_Green the diffrence is, im "white" and no other religous or racial affiliation i took the gun and shot her (which some know the gun is fake)

[@durstloscher2362]

Im german too but with black hair and greyish-blue eyes with a typical german face. My voice ist dark but somehow a lot of people think im russian or polish (Well i got polish roots...) I wonder how they would specify me

[@wisemankugelmemicus1701]

@Durst Löscher There were plenty of dark haired Germans even in the Third Reich. Vast majority of them in fact (outside of regions where it would obviously be more common like Brandenburg). You would’ve probably just been picked on. At worst you would’ve been categorized as Western European like the British or us Americans and the French.

[@caesarvalorvmsheevpalpatin8755]

@@durstloscher2362 Well if you have polish roots you would have been considered a half-breed

[@Morpho-5.56]

@@caesarvalorvmsheevpalpatin8755 Possibly but there were quite a few notable rather high ranking Nazis with Polish roots. One that comes to mind is Otto Skorzeny. I'm guessing they were willing to make exceptions. They also were keen on basically abducting "aryan looking children thought to have German heritage" from Eastern Europe and raising them as Germans despite the likelihood of those children having non-German roots being rather high.

[@Spookybluelights]

You got me teary eyed with "It would mean the world to me." because I have that feeling deep in my bones when it comes to gay characters in games. While we've had exponentially more representation in video games, it still feels so ancillary and treated with very little thought outside of indie games.

[@theviewer6889]

I felt that too, though for me it was being a trans man.

[@Pazliacci]

the saddest part is when we get people that are like us in any form of media it's always protested even though it's the most bare bones representation..

[@namename-mz1je]

@@Pazliacci Remember that tiny ass trans flag in one picture in a hat in time that EVERYONE complained about :\

[@Pazliacci]

@@namename-mz1je (I think it was Celeste) and I think it's also seen in another scene where Madeline has a picture of herself as a kid and her Grandma. Where you can see that the picture is from pre-transition. AND it actually makes sence in the greater context of the game, knowing that Madeline is a trans woman makes the scenes where her anxiety comes out of a literal mirror make a lot more sence, as it's an experience a lot of my friends have with being trans.

[@namename-mz1je]

@@Pazliacci Ah. Celeste not a hat in time. I haven't played either lol

[@Aondeug]

The bit about BJ drawing on his heritage and specifically learning about it made me tear up and cry. I've recently figured out after years of looking into it that my family's Jewish. Specifically ones who ran from the 1918-1921 pogroms in Ukraine. It's something I've been questioning since I was a child and learned my family spoke Yiddish and also that they were running from something dangerous that was never specified. And I recently learned that a Jewish woman I knew as a child for several years believed very strongly I and my family were Jewish, which recontextualizes the nostalgic yearning I have for holidays like Passover and foods like latkes. I don't know many things. I know more than several of my non-Jewish friends know, but what I know is still very little. But I feel a need to learn more because I mean my family survived. They had to hide the Jewishness to do it but they survived and I'd like to be able to help the Jewishness be reborn in the family. So I think seeing a character like BJ learning bits of Hebrew and such as a way of drawing on his heritage would just mean the world to me. But it's not the character he is. It's definitely the character I wish he was given my life history and my recent exploration into my heritage.

[@neuteredmedic2077]

my great-grandparents on my grandma's side were also jewish refugees from Ukraine who ran around that time and hid their identity! my family recently found that out and me and my mom are trying to reconnect more so i totally feel you :)

[@Dorne_is_the_GOAT]

@@neuteredmedic2077 How do you Urks feel about how Ukraine glorified and celebrate monsters like Stepan Bandera and many other Nationalists in Ukraine who committed many of the worst atrocities in human history. Ukrainian Nationalists during World War 2 were so heinously monstrous that even the Nazis themselves were horrified by the genocides of Poles, Jews, and other minorities in Ukraine.

[@lukayaroslav9914]

As a Chinese-Indonesian, I relate to your comment a lot. In Suharto's era, he eradicated our culture in order to turn us more "Indonesian". We are not allowed to use Chinese names, open Chinese schools, celebrate our culture, and speak our languages. Back in May 1998, a riot which targeted many ethnic groups which included Chinese-Indonesians happened. This riot caused many Chinese-Indonesians to flee their homeland in order to find a safe place. Those Chinese-Indonesians were persecuted for the similar reasons why the Jews were persecuted in western countries. That is because they were more prosperous than the majority ethnicity at the time.

[@PoliAstroN]

אתם תמיד מוזמנים בארץ הקודש 🤍💙

[@MegaXXSomeoneXx]

You should think about taking a birthright trip. If you are unfamiliar, it is for people with Jewish descent to get a trip to Israel paid for by their govt & other benefactors to help connect Jewish people to their heritage. Either ways cheers from a half Jew!

[@brettpiggott2664]

After watching the video "Does Call Of Duty Believe In Anything?", this Wolfenstein video popped up. I was completely enthralled with this video and stayed through the credits. Thank you!

[@jerrymandarren]

“The war ain’t over look at all the Nazis walking around”. BJ Blatz. Legendary

[@hikenjeager8874]

BJ “It aint over till the Nazis is dead” Blazkowicz

[@hochimane6535]

@Mark Donald no, just fascists

[@kluhnahgoh5911]

@mark donald ok edgelord

[@AbstractTraitorHero]

@Mark Donald Said by the fascist who want to kill billions.

[@maschaorsomething]

@Mark Donald "Guys, I'm not the edgelord for defending Nazis, you are! ): "

[@stan6297]

Interesting fact: In US history Latino people have been categorized many different ways. Until 1930 we were just as white as an Englishman according to the census. In 1930 we were given the label Mexican. In 1940 we were considered white again because FDR wanted to improve relations with the Latino citizens and Mexico. This was in part a ploy to get Mexicans and other Latino people to join the military because now they are “accepted”. In 1970 we were finally given a full set of options; Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, and Other Spanish. In modern censuses there is a weird mentality about making sure people specify their relation to Hispanic or Latino ancestry. People that are not Hispanic or Latino have to check a box that says that they aren’t. It’s ridiculous. Edit: To answer some questions people have. My comment has to do mostly with the US Census. How the US Census viewed you and how your neighbors viewed you were at times very different and that caused problems. My problem with what FDR did is that he made the census imply that Mexicans and other Latino people were indistinguishable from “true Americans” when that was not the case as can be seen by learning about how Mexican American soldiers were treated after their service. At various times the US census included a “Colored” option, take from that what you will. I do believe the options for race are much better now. I want to identify myself as the race I am and I want that for everyone else. I am a Mexican American. This is the only land I have known as home. I am a beautiful shade of brown, not white passing by any standard. My interest in how the US government throughout history viewed Mexicans and Latino people comes from learning about how my grandfather was treated after returning home from WWII army service. He was so passionate about joining the war effort that he lied about his age to join at 17, he carried the lessons the army taught him throughout his whole life and was proud of his service. Despite his genuine love of his country and the army, he was denied admittance into certain restaurants and other places of business while in his cherished uniform. His country did not love him.

[@dmggaming2656]

@@peterpanther8627 Idk who you're talking about, but most Latinos joined/join the military because they love their country. Those that might think it's a ploy probably think so because there's a recent history where Latinos who served got nothing in return and some have even been deported, despite being allowed to serve.

[@paxanaparsons8054]

​@@peterpanther8627 they said "ploy". ploy is relatively value-neutral, I could use a ploy to get someone to go to dinner with me, even if I don't think there is anything wrong with going to dinner with me. there is however something wrong with the military.

[@dojokonojo]

And if your ancestry is from the continent of Asia, you only have the Asian box despite Asia being a very large continent with tons of distinct ethnic groups.

[@ZeroEx131]

There isn't even an Hispanic option anymore in California. Don't worry, you're white again I guess.

[@xavierrodriguez2463]

@@marcusjackson5837 for fucks sake mate, learn to spell or shut the fuck up

[@treepigg7967]

9:35 There's something about calling the worst monsters in human history something as petty as "losers" that just makes me giggle. If you had said "Fascism is a losing ideology" my face would have been straight as it was for the rest of the video. Unless that was intentional, it seems like an odd word choice.

[@Vlugazoide]

He is purousefully ridiculling nazis. They don't have any serious arguments, no rationality, no logical arguments. Just look at Himler, at Hitler, at the "model heroes of the reich", they were absolutely pathetic idiots. Hitler was an illiterate imbecil, Himler was so pathetic his only future could come from oppressing others, and even Goebels' propaganda couldn't get the soldiers facing reality to believe in it's bullshit. Fascism isn't just wrong, it's a pathetic ideology that convinces insecure people that they're the best.

[@hallamhal]

It's literal too though - they lost WW2

[@karenamyx2205]

You dont find any justice in reducing them to something pathetic to laugh at? They didn't just lose, they embody the meaning of a "loser". To me, treating them with any kind of reverence is odd.

[@ianbyrne465]

I think it's fitting. These people thrive off of seeing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. A boogeyman in the closet. But really, they're fat and stupid. They're the dregs of people. They are, by all accounts, losers

[@zkkitty2436]

They were definitely not the worst, ever heard of what Belgium did to the people of the Congo? Or the United States and its own genocide and fuckin chattel slavery? Or Churchill starving the people of the indian subcontinent while poaching their population? There have been many genocides throughout colonial history and all of them are unimaginably horrific, not just the ones that happened to people now considered white

[@ugadugaga4972]

"They tried to kill us. We lived. Let's eat" Beautiful

[@dynawesome]

Purim, Passover, Hanukkah, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut are all like this Most of the minor holidays are “They tried to kill us. We died. Let’s fast.”

[@ugadugaga4972]

@@dynawesome it's very sweet and how I wish to celebrate holidays in such spirit :)

[@Natalietrans]

@@dynawesome fasting makes the break-fast taste better

[@lanaleyloay864]

I'm usually very sceptical of media depicting fictionalized versions of the nazi regime because the subtext tends to be pretty sussy, but this video convinced me to check out the game.

[@Kaipyro67ALT]

The game is phenomenal. Wide cast of brilliant characters, fun action, and great story. Also, you get to kill Nazis! Fuck Nazis.

[@theEndermanMGS]

@@Kaipyro67ALT Getting to kill Nazis is always a huge plus. Doubly so when the game in question refutes Nazi ideology as hard as Wolfenstein does.

[@grassgeese3916]

I think that you are putting in what you can to fight fascism, racism, sexism, and homophobia. I think that your holistic approach to cultural concepts, especially your focus on video games (which are usually a fixed narrative, yet interactive) is very critical, especially with how things in the world have changed in the last twenty years. You might not be fighting a bloody fight, but you see the humanity in other religions, other races. I firmly believe you are teaching some people. You've definitely taught me how to express myself a little more clearly. Your videos really touch my heart, and I am grateful for your contributions to antifascism and cultural change in the States. They tried to kill us. We survived. Let's eat. Happy Lunar New Year. Fuck nazis.

[@YourPetSnake]

Fuck Nazis

[@YourPetSnake]

@@UltimateGamer-vg3nh is this sarcastic or are you actual an idiot or racist?

[@harrisonpeterson3733]

Thanks for this. We all deserve the best we can get. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. :)

[@YourPetSnake]

@@UltimateGamer-vg3nh damn, well I apologise. Sarcasm is sometimes hard to detect online. I would disagree, racism isn’t really thrown around loosely. Well, it is I suppose but this is often said by actual racists to convince others that’s it’s the SJW’s coming to cancel them or some bs. I would say some people are quick to call racism but there are also a lot of racists quick to deny their actual views. :D

[@YourPetSnake]

@@UltimateGamer-vg3nh I am aware who you jokingly called an SJW. I don’t really care anymore nor do I think you’re racist or anything like that so on that note, have a good one (:

[@donnyexoduz3356]

I am glad in the first game that he was able to connect with his Polish heritage as well, seeing him try to learn Polish was really heartwarming.

[@Seraph.G]

Just thought you would appreciate knowing I am about to cite this video in an academic setting, so thank you for doing such a fantastic job with the research and presentation. It has stuck with me for years since I first watched it.

[@danjordan3607]

I’d love to read it if it’s something that you’re happy to share!

[@sssprejer2831]

@@danjordan3607 Same, please Sarah if youre reading this respond

[@simple-commentator-not-rea7345]

@Sarah Grace I can understand not wanting to share an academic essay online, but at least tell us if you got a passing grade

[@brutallyhonest123]

Of course you are. Hope your fellow comrades enjoy

[@BronanTheDestroyer]

The absolute state of modern academics. You will never be a woman by the way

[@unfortunateTimetables]

This is fantastic. I understand citing a bunch of history can feel boring on paper, but your writing and presentation Is amazing. I really appreciated the in depth thoughts on Jews in America.

[@blarg2429]

@@TomYawns Show me the gene that makes a person a member of a specific race, then. Prove to me that all members of said race and only members of said race have said gene. Yes, we come in a range of shapes, sizes, and colorations, and some of our genetic predispositions to things like certain diseases are indirectly linked via ancestry to membership in an ethnic group. However, when we say "race is a social construct," what we mean isn't that it doesn't exist, but that the cultural associations (stereotypes, as you say) are arbitrary and don't actually meaningfully follow from the genes or, more precisely, the aggregate expression of many genes which collectively form the "[race]-passing" visage. The actually important things about race are social, and the social aspects are all in our heads, not our genomes. You'll never see me equating "in one's head" with "not real or meaningful," but the distinction needs to be drawn even though-in fact because- both sides of the line are worthy of examination.

[@blarg2429]

@@hayden8491 I'm supposed to trust the scientific claims of someone who addresses me as "bruh"? Not that it's an inherently dumb word or anything, but context matters. In any case, if you can cite any sources for this that weren't funded by white supremacists I'd be surprised.

[@jacobberry5138]

@@blarg2429 Isn't bruh a social label, like you said? Then you mock him. And why is everything against what people like you believe 'white' supremacy? Are you implying that there are not those that aren't 'white' that don't consider themselves superior? That is some hateful bias and ignorance.

[@KatarinaBohtana]

@@blarg2429 ​ It seems like he didn't read all of it... I'm not surprised.. it's probably more science than he's read in months.

[@blarg2429]

@@KatarinaBohtana Life's like that sometimes.

[@369destroyer]

I could imagine a scene where he's presenting a huge Hannukah feast to the whole resistance, and while acknowledging that they are not also Jewish that what the holiday represents is something every single one of them can relate to. The struggle to survive against an enemy fueled only by hatred, and the hope to never fault innthe face of it. I think that could make for a beautiful moment that could also represent unity as well as showing BJ embracing Jewish heritage.

[@Hsaelt]

yeah because leftist propaganda is what you need in a universe with mecha hitler

[@369destroyer]

@@Hsaelt How is this leftist propaganda? If your idea of the right that you follow says a scene where people celebrate a holiday together is "propaganda" you are part of the reason the right is viewed as prejudice, racist monsters, when I know for a fact most are not. Based on the story in the game this video is talking about a cutscene like this would fit in perfectly with the tone this game was going for. I just presented the idea from the point of view of a writer who thought it would be a touching scene.

[@moonie1825]

why would he embrace a heritage that he has almost nothing to do with? Is it because he's a biological jew and therefore should represent broader jewish values regardless of if he personally cares about them or not? It just seems strange to me to complain about his character not being "jewish" enough. Am not saying a representation of these traits shouldn't occur in media but I don't get why complain that they didn't attribute them to BJ specifically. As if being a biological jew made it more inherent in his nature to have expressed these qualities. It just gives off those they didn't make this black character "black enough" vibes

[@Hsaelt]

@@moonie1825 remember when they made a polish character into a jewish one because of the left wing agenda in media? Oh wait...

[@369destroyer]

@@moonie1825 Thing is, nothing says where his religious beliefs lie. Unless a writer specifically says that he's jewish, christian, atheist, etc. that specific part of his character remains a blank slate. A writer could say that religiously he does beleive in judaism and it wouldn't conflict with any other part of his character thus far.

[@haydenw7981]

SuperJew rouses from coma to the scent of Natzi scalps and decides to Rip and Tear til it's done

[@Exodon2020]

13:19 "...who can't even say 'Dankeschön' correctly" *procceds to utterly butcher that word

[@johnburt7935]

@Miko Gallego Heh, right: "I meant to do that"....

[@STARBIRD3000]

Hey, should I slap you or your assistant for making my rocket wiggle?

[@Andysgal797]

*13:17

[@moredetonation3755]

You're butchering my beautiful languagr

[@willquick5090]

Dank e shon

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

As a german, as someone with no religious affiliation I can only say: Thank you. More people need to see this, need to hear and learn about the backgrounds and how dirty the world was in general at that time. Yes, our people did horrible, unforgivable things, but we are far from the only ones with dirty hands. We humans as a whole have to learn from history, because that is how we prevent those things from happening again. All of us.

[@locomaverick1755]

Nah

[@edwardzita3479]

Yup, we should learn from history and the way those horrible ideals have changed too so we can fight it still.

[@stitches768]

@@locomaverick1755 Well you do you and do nothing, we'll just keep living our lives and hopefully make the world a nicer place. Have a good day

[@bugdracula1662]

@@locomaverick1755 with this insight we can all agree racism is dead

[@albusdumbledore4416]

Personaly I jus wouldn’t of added the but 🤣🤣

[@LifeDeath27]

This video has been out for two years, but I keep coming back to it at least every two weeks, just to cry and the thought and care you've put into making this. Particularly, as a Muslim, your penultimate message on the similarities between Antisemitism and Islamophobia and even just the fact you delayed its release after the Christchurch massacre. Thank you so much, much love and Judeo-Islamic solidarity!

[@MutohMech]

I mean, didn't the video make you stop and reflect a little bit about your own faith? How it also has treated people of other faiths abysmally, specially if they weren't monotheists. How it has served to further Arabic supremacy and erase local cultures. How the Islamic faith has apartheid systems built into it from the time of Muhammad, with Muslims always being given preferential treatment, and which led to the Armenian and Greek genocides by the Ottomans (which Turkey still won't recognize as a genocide today, even though Germany recognized the holocaust). And this is still happening throughout the Muslim world, with minority faiths being killed and denied their rights everyday. Isn't Quran 98:6 dehumanizing enough? How did you square all that with all that the video says?

[@MutohMech]

@@charliewinkelmann9397 I'm catholic as well. However, we can make a feasible case that Christianity has nothing to do with the bad things committed by catholics (I don't count the crusades among them, by the way, because as a descendant of Iberians they're the reason why today I don't speak Arabic or venerate Muhammad and I'm thankful for that). But you can't make the same case for Islam. As I mentioned in my previous comment, the bad things of Islam are built into the religion. Muhammad was a warlord, unlike Jesus. The Apostles spread the gospel by preaching, Muhammad spread his message by conquest. Jesus didn't sexually abuse children, Muhammad married one. The things that terrorists do today aren't different from what Muhammad and his companions did. Let's stop pretending Christianity and Islam are on the same level, because the way to prevent Christians from doing bad things is to go back to Christianity's roots and the way to prevent Muslims from doing bad things is to forsake Islam's roots.

[@MutohMech]

@@charliewinkelmann9397 by the way, I'd rather not go off on a self-righteous tangent about Christianity. I'm willing to bear the sins of other catholics if that brings greater glory to Jesus Christ who bore my sins on the cross despite being perfectly innocent and me being unworthy of salvation, so the point is moot. Much of the criticism against "whiteness" presented in this video applies perfectly well to Islam and we're still coddling Muslims with such a victim mentality that any direct criticism of Islam, no matter how fair or unfair, is regarded as prejudice towards people instead of a questioning of ideas. Without presupposing ignorance or disingenuity, however, I want to know how he squared the critique of the video with his own faith. It's that simple. Simply pointing out he doesn't necessarily support any of specific events I mentioned will not cut, it simply pushes the question a further level upwards, because then I'd want to know how he squares this rejection with his own faith.

[@joaovitor9673]

@@MutohMech Thank you very much for your comments. Dominus Vobiscum.

[@MutohMech]

@@joaovitor9673 et cum spiritu tuo 🤝

[@AoroCH]

Chad Jacob: >makes a video about judaism and whiteness >leave the comment section open.

[@Person0fColor]

BJ could never be Jewish today, he would be boycotted who is the hater here exactly? 😂

[@TheBestElectricToaster]

Red, white, and blue. Of course, the french flag.

[@rexremedy1733]

Ah the french! I wouldn’t go to france...

[@nathancarter8239]

Nyet, comrade. Is the Russian flag.

[@att2075]

@@nathancarter8239 tf you talking about mate he's clearly talking about the good ol union jack

[@grugamersriseup7299]

Yes I too I would also like to fight for Chinese kaomantag

[@benedekhorvath7191]

The single most common tricolor combination for flags

[@user-br8jc8tf1p]

Risky click given KZbin's usual discourse, but great video. Subbed, keep it up

[@kevind3974]

Not just that. The intro quote got me worried. That’s one of thouse quotes you can misinterprete. But nope this was worth the risk

[@LordVader1094]

@High Definition What do you mean by "one of these videos"?

[@kallekajander624]

@@LordVader1094 He propably means dumb sjw videos

[@cavemann_]

@High Definition Same. All those labels seem to be dividing us, and people keep using them for whatever reason. Why can't we just say "human"?

[@Anon-fd8ui]

@@JazukaiX You speak of unity, yet generalize and denounce millions of people you've never met. Interesting.

[@logan77777771]

his dad scared the shit out of me. seeing him sitting lonely in that house. the game hints at him living elsewhere but still. the whole idea of him selling out his wife like that, holy shit!

[@KnightSlasher]

This makes me realize that B.J. Blazkowicz could've joined the nazis but he decided not to because of what he has been through and his morals. It makes me realize that he is written better than I thought

[@Person0fColor]

? They couldnt make Bj Jewish in 2024 he would be boycotted. They wanted to make a point about anti-semitism in America and now in 2024 if those same people tried to make Bj jewish the game would be boycotted and every comment would be calling them Nazis and Free Palestine 🤣

[@Paddy656]

Stop making me want to play games. I can't afford it.

[@stm7810]

we're all comrades here, you can pirate.

[@mattkuhn6634]

I can understand that. I will say that both Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein: The New Colossus are 100% worth a purchase. They're incredible games, Jacob mentions in the video how all of the characters are minorities, groups that the Nazis and the US persecuted, and the game addresses that directly many times. I would say it's a focal point of the stories. While the first game (The New Colossus) doesn't grapple much with the legacy of hate in the US, the sequel (The New Order) digs deep into that. Both are amazing games from a story perspective, and also excellent from a gameplay perspective. If you like FPS games, I cannot recommend them enough. You will definitely feel like you got your money's worth in both cases. I haven't played Youngblood yet, so I can't comment on it, but the first two are definitely among the best games to come out in the past few years.

[@Paddy656]

@@mattkuhn6634 yeah but I don't have money

[@Exel3nce]

but they are so cheap ^^

[@napoleonbonaparteempereurd4676]

@@mattkuhn6634 New Collosus sucked compared to Old Blood.

[@simonpeter5032]

"There aren't many jewish game characters" List: Moses Okay, that's not bad.. *Jesus Christ* Jews: _ooooo......_

[@amitdavidov9142]

I don't think Moses is Jewish. He came before the Twelve Tribes of Israel, which from one of them the Jewish people came - from Judah.

[@scutumfidelis1436]

The Talmud speaks highly of Jesus, they put him in hell boiling in excrement and his mother is considered a (God forgive me) whore.

[@tastefulavenger]

He's being a bit hyperbolic with that statement took me a quick 5sec google search to see there are a fair few probably more but poorly documented seeing as all the characters I saw where from AAA projects. Surprise to me I learned Otacon from the Metal Gear series was one.

[@simonpeter5032]

@Tynox 01 I fall in the same boat as you, and the talmud is absolutely awful, incorrect, immoral, and most of all counterproductive.

[@Dust514rocks]

@fuggggggggggg um, no the romans targeted him because he was jewish (which were being persecuted by the romans) and a very influential one at that (christianity at this time, before they took power, was just an unorthodox sect of judaism).

[@BababooeyGooey]

"Jewish game characters: Jesus. Moses." i am ded

[@rethall2308]

But Moses and Jesus were jewish according to the Bible.

[@ToaHurlak52]

No quote

[@rethall2308]

@@ToaHurlak52 Jesus is literally called the King of the Jews. Moses was jewish adopted into an egyptian family and led his people (the jews) through the desert.

[@ToaHurlak52]

@@rethall2308 quote/verse?

[@rethall2308]

@@ToaHurlak52 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus,_King_of_the_Jews John 19:3 And Moses is in the old Testament which narrates the biblical origin of the Jewish/Hebrew people, he's a jew and guides the Jews, and I don't need to quote anything because that's in the basics of the story. I don't follow any abrahamic religion but solely through a vague understanding of any of them you'd know Moses is Jewish/Hebrew

[@ThunderBunny30]

I also enjoyed the piece in the prequel “The Old Blood” where BJ and a Jewish teenage girl who looks similar to Anne Frank were discussing Purim (Jewish Holiday commemorating the Jewish community surviving an attempted extinction by the hands of a ancient Persian viceroy). Wished the series would have BJ reflect more on his Jewish identity. Well Done video good Sir.

[@marvin2678]

what do you mean yb jewish identity ?

[@koalafiedmistake5507]

@@marvin2678 I mean, I think the video talks about it but presumably it would be touching on the historical and cultural heritage they have.

[@capt.jackaubrey5281]

Seems all Jewish holidays commemorate their genocide of other peoples.

[@Person0fColor]

@@marvin2678 he is jewish you dunce 🤣

[@Person0fColor]

the same people they tried to pander to in this game by making Bj Jewish and trying to talk about American anti-semtism would boycott this game in 2024 and be calling him a Nazi. let that sink in

[@TheSwolOne]

I thought Wolfenstein was DOOM with nazis instead of demons (which I would be fine with tbh) but this video makes me see so much more. I think my wallet is about to start crying.

[@smoll_fly6654]

i mean historically it was the other way around, wolfenstein came before doom

[@NYG5]

The first two new order games are good, the rest are cash grabs

[@trueyeahf]

@@NYG5 old blood was very very boring, the new order and new colossus were amazing. And young blood is downright fucking awful

[@NYG5]

@@trueyeahf oh I thought Old Blood was ok as a DLC, reminded me of BloodRayne as an FPS. TNO was the best, Colossus was cool but didn't feel as grounded as TNO, like it tried too hard to be funny and got too wacky.

[@trueyeahf]

@@NYG5 yeah old blood was ok but it was nothing like the new order or collosus

[@beepot2764]

My wife is just beginning the process of converting and her first meeting with the rabbi she was asked, basically, why would you want to be Jewish when we are persecuted and targeted. That question made me think of this video. I just shared it with her and look forward to talking about it when I get home from work.

[@flowrepins6663]

are you blck or white? were christian?

[@beepot2764]

@@flowrepins6663??? Why does that matter?

[@saintadolf5639]

@@beepot2764 He asked a fair question. And im going to ask another: Why does it matter that your wife cannot keep her own religion? Why does she have to convert to Judaism for the two of you to be married?

[@beepot2764]

@@saintadolf5639 wow making a lot of assumptions aren't ya? I'm not apart of any religion. My wife and I were married long before she began the conversion process, at the time neither one of us practiced any religion. And as far as my race, my wife's race, our religious history, ya that's none of your business.

[@mikhailschipani2018]

@@beepot2764 fasch tried to jump all over that, and they were wrong on all fronts.. Kinda funny... Besides ya know, I know what they were trying to go for.

[@LainKaplan]

I only just now saw this, halfway across the world from my hometown and family in a place that doesn't know Jews, or Nazis, or the inhumanities. It's almost sundown, on Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah. And as an educator, part of my job is fighting ignorance and banishing fear and distrust. And this video just hit the nail on the head and what 2019 has handed us. Jacob, you worked your ass off to make this, and you clearly care. And that passion and dedication came out and made this video so helpful. You're amazing. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@blank4227]

A place that doesn't know Jews, damn... some day that will be every place.

[@caesarvalorvmsheevpalpatin8755]

@@blank4227 lol

[@blank4227]

@WW1 German Stormtrooper Israel only exists because of white guilt and christian folly. When those dry up, so will Israel's cash flow.

[@blank4227]

@WW1 German Stormtrooper Good then let's stop funding them then. We'll get to see how long they last! :)

[@blank4227]

@WW1 German Stormtrooper That "deal" you describe is literally a scam. And if the US wants out of a deal with some essentially powerless nation-state, then there's nothing to stop them. Except for, of course, corrupt politicians.

[@ModernRascal]

As a biracial black American it is always a humbling and connective experience when I hear a Jewish person talk about their experience as an American. It always strikes me that being made to be other is always functionally the same process. Whether you're black Jewish lgbtq or otherwise just know that you're not going through it alone, and also that just surviving, making it, living is enough. There's space for you, keep looking and you'll find it.

[@adamzahavi1230]

Your solidarity is deeply appreciated, especially in these times I think it is more important than ever for different marginalized groups to come together in the fight against white supremacy and fascism. Viewing anti-semitism as an isolated issue, inherently separate from other forms of racial discrimination is why a fascist apparatus like Israel could come into existence in the first place. For Jews and all other marginalized groups to truly be free from hate and violence, we must join forces and fight as a unit against bigotry and systemic injustice.

[@benjaminzarkhin1293]

I, an Israeli-Russian jew, can bond over and recognize the mistreatment of my biracial South African friend.

[@raam1666]

Yeah right. Poser.

[@iiiiitsmagreta1240]

Trans girl here, just wanna say fuck yeahhh, preach that solidarity!! Don't let the fascists of the world divide and conquer us ✊

[@raam1666]

@@iiiiitsmagreta1240 ew

[@agentofxehanort]

Speaking as a black man, the fact that the Nazis learned how to use systemic racism from the U.S. doesn't surprise me, but it does piss me off.

[@flowrepins6663]

the only racism we got is antiwhite

[@JimmyNails27]

@@flowrepins6663 I don't know what delusion you live in, but you should snap out of it.

[@flowrepins6663]

@@JimmyNails27you only saying that because im white. anti racist is a codeword for anti white. africa for africans. asia for the asians. white countries for everyone.

[@TheCreamCheeseArmye]

@@flowrepins6663 good god bro get the fuck out with your bullshit “ethnostates” the world for humans

[@HuxLegends]

@@flowrepins6663 keep at it brother, don’t let them drag you down.

[@El-RaShahzad]

*To Bullies, Equality sounds like Oppression*

[@gallanonim3328]

To 100 000 000 bodies equality was oppression.

[@CheapSkateGamer96]

@@gallanonim3328 You want a shorter workday? What about the 100 million. Higher wages? I bet the 100 billion would have been fine with the wages you're getting now. Safe work environment? 100 trillion people died in gulags, the occasional lost finger is nothing. Stop being so selfish!

[@gorillawhale1046]

@Adam Zahavi yes they are, socialism is socialism. no matter how you try to reword it.

[@jerrodshack7610]

@@gorillawhale1046 I love how you guys get pissy when people say nazis are bad because you somehow feel attacked, but then you go "ALL LEFTISM IS STALIN COMMUNISM BAD" without a hint of irony

[@redbaronace19]

And this is why 2 political party’s don’t get along in the US always pointing fingers at the other calling one more morally evil than the other just to get an advantage and popular vote yes the nazis were a right winged party but were also left winged at the same time and example of this was when hitler was getting elected in 1933 he had posters of himself making himself look like a father figure much similar to Stalin in his propaganda socialism and communism are the idea of everybody getting everything equally but due to the laws of human nature that is impossible so the government steps in and becomes a dictatorship and the kkk and confederate states actually had affiliations with the Democratic Party for a couple of times the confederacy tried to medal with the elections in the civil war and it just so happened that many on the Democrat side sympathized with the confederate state and with slavery and even though the KKK did messed up stuff to people who were black or other ethnic groups the Black panthers did not help society at all they taught violence with violence and just as innocent blacks were murdered innocent whites were Murdered one soul in estrange for another does not solve solution but worsened it Martin luthier king JR was very close to ending the radial divide until he died and the people that came after him instead of calling for peace called for blood it came so bad that the black panthers at one time stormed the capitol of California the governors building with rifles in their hand ready to kill everyone who was there until it was stopped and because of that more gun restrictions were made in the US instead of solving the problem Humanity has always had this one group that has saw them self’s to be better than others either by race politically or morally and those groups will do anything to ensure them self’s as better even if it means belittle the others so take a word of advice study your books study the history before pointing fingers at people and belittling them while putting you on a pedestal.

[@kadebrockhausen]

I like that Wolfenstein fills its cast with black, gay, disabled, Jewish people because it makes it really hard for the dudebro gamers to complain about forced diversity, because then they'll have to say "yes I agree with the Nazis that these people don't deserve a place." Granted, they do, but it's a lot harder for them to publicly admit that with this game in particular.

[@Schnokers]

Also a pregnant slavic woman, a single mother, a woman with an atypical body weight and a young soldier with PTSD and Depression. The perfect team to stick it to fascists really. Id software really tried their best to piss off the Gamers™

[@tonytwonukes7272]

@@Schnokers Machine Games made this, not id.

[@its_beepus2962]

@@Schnokers single mother? I thought grace and super spesh were together, even if speshie was a stepfather. Also you forgot the angry Scottish man

[@danieldimov8625]

@@Schnokers While i am one of the people that absolutely despises forced diversity and political correctness in video games (mainly because it doesn't feels genuine and more so just for the brownie points), I don't really mind it in Wolfenstein 2. It's not to a point where it ruins the story or even affect it that much. Grace is a hated character by many since she comes in shouting and being bossy, making herself the leader after Caroline's convenient death. However I don't mind her either, she is loyal to their cause and proves to be a good leader. What i do mind however is that one readable that basically called the president at the time of the games release an idiot. I don't like real life politics inserted in games, no matter which side they're on or what view they have. Thankfully it was just one readable. Also a woman with atypical body weight? You mean the main antagonists daughter? She is the only overweight character in the game as far as i know. This is a genuine question, I'm curious as to who you mean, as the cast is indeed very diverse.

[@Schnokers]

@@danieldimov8625 cope

[@Dis_Dis]

Man wakes from a 16 year coma. First thing he does? Kills a Nazi. His first words? Nazi scum! My favourite character ever.

[@Person0fColor]

But he is Jewish arent they the German Guys now? If NC came out in 2024 the real antisemites would boycott the game 😂

[@MarkiusFox]

I'm certain someone else has likely brought it up already; Henry Ford, author of _The International Jew_ , was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle. The specific type he was awarded being the highest class in the Order of the German Eagle at the time, and was the highest award a foreigner could be awarded by Nazi Germany. Only Benito Mussolini would be given a unique higher class, the Grand Cross of the German Eagle in Gold and Diamonds, before the order was expanded in the early 1940s. People can argue about whether or not Ford actually held those views, court testimony says he didn't, very intimate friends of Ford say otherwise. The fact is that he was awarded the Order for his contributions towards dehumanizing Jews and was practically mandatory reading for Germans at the time. That adds a particular weight towards Ford holding those views, instead of the opposite.

[@MarkiusFox]

@Lee Joyner Not in the slightest.

[@MarkiusFox]

@@Surteronarto Follow your leader, fascist.

[@jordilizaola8304]

I love henry ford now!

[@Kyran1996]

Disturbing how all of the replies to this comment are shameless fascists.

[@MarkiusFox]

@@Kyran1996 It is amazingly coincidental that you replied to this comment at this precise time. The video I'm currently watching (Antisemitism: An Analysis by Philosophy Tube) was just talking about Henry Ford.

[@radicalrazel9156]

"The war ain't over, look at all these nazis walkin' around!".... too accurate of a line. We've survived them before, and we will again. Take strength in that, khbrim. Never let your head fall, or feel ashamed, or afraid because of your Jewishness, because that is when they win.

[@disposablehero1235]

Yea cant wait to bash a commies head. Like spain did.

[@limesandlemons1367]

@@disposablehero1235 ?

[@skeeter5076]

@@disposablehero1235 us commies are not the enemy

[@commanderclown8620]

@@skeeter5076 you're the enemy of everyone that's not a commie.

[@anhero2377]

@@skeeter5076 Commies who say they aren't the enemy aren't making the targets on their heads any smaller.

[@Mutant_X98]

As a man of Jewish descent who’s grown up pretty sheltered and distant from my heritage, you’ve single-handedly inspired me to learn about where half of the blood in my veins comes from. I’ve always known I was of Jewish heritage, and there’s always been a part of me that wanted to learn, but it is inherently because of the treatment of my ancestors (and many others that were considered minorities just the same) that had put me off, because of the strongly anti-other that I have witnessed around me, because of todays treatment of others that don’t fit “the mould” as it were all across the world. It is because of these factors that have led me to blend in, to hide that side of my heritage, and remain voiceless. But no more. I remember first witnessing the footage of that tragedy in New Zealand, it shook me to my core and reminded me just how active anti-semitism is in the world. But then I remember how far we’ve moved beyond those views over time, how views have progressed, how mindsets have evolved and changed over time and restored my hope I’m humanity. I can understand that because of how - I guess you could say - out of touch I am with my own ancestry, my lineage, and my culture, that this could come off as a little preachy, like it’s going nowhere, and well, offensive to those who are more in touch with this kind of thing. Believe me, that is most definitely not the intention, but I just wanted to take this moment here in these comments to reiterate that this part of my being is important, and that understanding just where I came from is important, and that your video essay, the Wolfenstein games (primarily the new iterations and their development of BJ as a character), and a general curiosity into who I am has set me on a path of self discovery. So thank you for unknowingly giving me the push I needed to start my journey.

[@mrmanjonis6997]

Wow, as someone who is a bit out of touch with his Judaism this is extremely comforting to hear. Thanks for this comment.

[@yaboidre5672]

Young black American here. Evil never wins, but evil never quits either. The free people May have won the war, but the Nazis remain among us to this day. I encourage you to learn more about yourself and all of the things that schools don't teach. Tyrants want to defy reality and create their own world. Education is what prevents them from succeeding.

[@miracledev2656]

I discovered my Jewish heritage not too long ago. My parents always told me we were German and Czech, which isn’t directly untrue, but my last name is distinctly Yiddish and my family is from the Rhineland, the historical epicenter of Jews in Germany. Then again, this is my dads side of the family so I’m not technically Jewish, and my family had probably assimilated before they left Germany for the Midwest in the 1830s-1840s, and maybe I’m just reading way too much into a bunch of coincidences. However, the idea of being apart of the Jewish community, ironically, makes me feel safe. I fit into other historically marginalized groups but the communities surrounding them are often dispirit and not ones I feel comfortable in. But even just reading the Torah as someone not explicitly religious, even just interacting with my Jewish friends as though I am one of them makes me feel apart of something, apart of a people who love and appreciate me in a way I’ve never felt in any other space. I hope to convert at some point, reform most likely unless something crazy happens. I’m hoping these experiences in the following years, the people I’ll meet, the lessons I learn, will restore my faith in the world and enrich my life with the tradition my family has strayed from. I haven’t talked much about this to anyone, I’m a little embarrassed to be so assertive about my heritage armed with only incidental historical facts, but it all just feels right. Tohdah, internet stranger, for providing me a place to do my little rant. I hope life treats you well.

[@JewMMA]

Judaism is like gravity. Whether your connection is ethnic or spiritual, it pull you in. Go find out who you are and decide if it resonates with your principles. I’m Jewish ethnically and have always grappled with the existence of G-d. One tenet of Judaism that has always resonated with me to my code is Tikkun Olam - “healing the world.” Whatever you decide is your path in life, just be a force for good in the world. That’s what matters the most.

[@marvin2678]

youre talking a bit too much about blood for my taste haha

[@Hactavish]

first time I played New Order when J said "you were the nazis" i was like "bruuh" and when u said the nazis inpired by US system it blow my mind even more. it's all started with America anyway and if other countries does it the other countries are the enemies. Even their so called enemies changing through times, the Indian, the Mexican, their own people (still), the african american, the jews, the nazis, the communist, the muslims, the chinese etc... could they even stop picking up enemies ?

[@jonathanguzman3044]

Whatever the nazis did to the jews, the USA has done the same or worse to blacks and native Americans. However, there's nobody coming to defeat America and liberate them like the jews were liberated

[@rskl8083]

I mean American banks literally funded the nazis

[@DogDogGodFog]

Well tbh the communists were somewhat equivalent to the Nazis. Speaking as an Eastern European here. They would kill or at least toruture+imprison those who were against them. I mean, we all know of Stalin. But the story doesn't end there, cause the Eastern Bloc + Mao's China existed too.

[@marvin2678]

why you ? hes part of it

[@xra1750]

I will never understand how someone can fall into such a rabbit hole of racism and hatred. To me, hatred is heavy baggage and only makes life miserable for everyone.

[@MissPoplarLeaf]

I think the most common explanation is, when people feel weak, scared or hurt, they tend to gravitate toward things that make them feel powerful. And sometimes, hating someone else makes you feel powerful.

[@crabohato4954]

@@MissPoplarLeaf not only people that feel weak, scared, or hurt. But also people that see stuff that they do not understand and become confused. But then again, they probably later become scared or weak.

[@zannchristo]

Hate can be spreading by many, many ways my friend, you just happen to find one you like and that doesn't seem hateful and before you realize, you're supporting these ideals. Manipulation is one hell of a thing.

[@crabohato4954]

@@zannchristo not also manipulation, but gullibility.

[@ToxicBastard]

Nobody thinks they're unjustified, tell a man "these people control everything, they oppress you, have privileges and think of you as dirt" all his life and he'll soon gladly commit acts of violence, spew hatred and support bigotry thinking he's fighting his oppressors.

[@ZombieOfun]

WWII feels like the mythology of the modern day. There are gods, devils, heros, villains and symbols of pure evil

[@blank4227]

that is more true than you will ever know

[@lucasterrasemnomezuado3785]

Well, it was more like a war between a gang of robbers, a rapist, and a murderer

[@SongbirdOfficial]

Hero worship seems to be common in US society in general. See the holding up of presidents, war veterans, police officers, etc. on pedestals.

[@SongbirdOfficial]

@Nightman Ah yes, someone selling drugs or making porn means the government is justified in killing them. It's all fine and dandy as long as they're destroying the rights and lives of someone who's not you.

[@SongbirdOfficial]

@Nightman I didn't need to be told it because I watched the body cam video. I heard the cries of a dying man as a police officer, someone who is supposed to be sworn to serve and protect, choked him to death. Have you watched the video? Because I don't see how you can interpret it any other way. And his death was ruled a homicide by this system you seem to trust to mete out executions. Do you not trust its judgment here?

[@cultofgoose1942]

You know, like a lot of other comments I always thought this game was “ultra American nazi killin game!” Oh my god I’m glad this video showed me how truly wrong I was, I’m going to get the trilogy now. Thank you.

[@Rendar77]

The story is MUCH deeper than you would expect it to be.

[@caleb688]

I wouldn’t bother with Wolfenstein Youngblood, though. That game has… problems.

[@loovlehcuppatea2830]

Check out the older games too like return to castle Wolfenstein, it's awesome. Same with Wolfenstein 2009. A little less story but yea

[@puppyqueen5688]

Bj is the kind of guy who might dead name or missgendering you by accident but would stop and correct himself. Head a bit confused but he has the spirit

[@theregalproletariat]

​@@crasnicul3371 It's called caring about other people's feelings, dear.

[@crasnicul3371]

@@theregalproletariat yeah but I wouldnt call a schizophrenic an alien if thats what he wants lol, just like I wouldnt call a deranged man a woman. reality matters more.

[@mothman7786]

That's what I love about the character, growing up in 40's US, he's forced to face the reality that the america he grew up in wasn't perfect, that the america he fought for had segregated and treated many of the people he fights alongside with as undesirables. He often struggles to bear these facts at first, but he always opens up to learn about his allies' identities and their struggles, and he's given the opportunity to not just return to the way things already were, but to fight with them for a world better than the one he grew up in

[@edoman6933]

you mean their birth-given name?

[@puppyqueen5688]

@@edoman6933 not necessarily, they could have changed their name before coming out and that is also their Deadname

[@tychoazrephet3794]

"The monster never dies, just sheds its skin and changes form." -BJ Blazkowicz Honestly this video is a marvel, being stuck at home these past few weeks I fell back into Wolfenstein, the series is a fucking triumph of narrative, characterization and exploration of political themes. BJ has quickly become one of my favorite video game protagonists because of his subversive nature, his warmth and humor and humanity, and his conflicted reality as an American Jew fighting against fascism when his home country is so steeped in it. Wolfenstein is starkly relevant to our contemporary world, as much as it our historical world, America is so sickeningly good at revisionism it's no wonder people keep falling into the same cultural pitfalls. This country genuinely wants to forget it's awful past, but in so doing, only allows the monster to continue weaving it's evil, its bigotry, it's oppression into our present and future. The America BJ fights for in his mind isn't real, and this is what anti-fascist adherents in America must recognize, there is no fight to "restore" anything. There is no going back to how things were before the racists took over, the racists have always been in charge, and our society is built on top off centuries of discrimination and hatred. The real world resistance, much like the resistance of Wolfenstein, must fight to create something different. Something better, something wholly dissimilar and in inherent opposition to what came before it. A New Colossus.

[@Void_Wars]

Tycho Azrephet furry 🤢 🤮

[@politure]

@@Void_Wars Get over yourself ^^

[@tychoazrephet3794]

@@Void_Wars Better than having an icon that looks like a rejected Annoying Orange cameo.

[@Void_Wars]

Tycho Azrephet 😔 damn, that’s tough man

[@loopysausage]

What a load of drivel...

[@theproletkulttn]

After watching this video again, I'm nearing tears. As someone who is an "other" in most respects, I really resonated with BJs character being a something that you know little about and struggle to be an anything at all.

[@brandonmorel2658]

too bad for you. You dont have the requisite to be normal. next time try not to be the" other " a joke.

[@r.coburn3344]

@John Sosa seeing all these nazis die while everything they hate beats them back tooth and nail brings tears (of joy) to my eyes

[@herpydepth1204]

Even though I’m a straight white guy I always understood how scary fascism is because my family is made up of mostly catholic Italians and Irish so I fully understand that for most nazis, once the Jewish and black people are out of the picture, I’m next. I think that’s something more need to realize because I feel like a lot of people have the idea that “even if this stuff gets out of control I’ll still be fine” but no. That’s not how this works. I like how you brought that up with the KKK scene

[@Awwwsktskt]

The “at first they came for the communists” quote by Martin Niemoller formed much of my thinking on this subject. Not to get too current eventy but that’s why I chose to go out and support the BLM movement and donate to bail funds for people. I know that if any authoritarian state forms I’m first up as a southern German Catholic. They hung people like me for not wanting to secede back in the 1860s, killed some more in reconstruction and will always look for the Catholics after they’re done with the others

[@Awwwsktskt]

@Heiliger Katholik shut up fascist

[@SutekhTheDestroyer]

Never let conflicting ideologies get in the way of a good virtue-signal.

[@herpydepth1204]

@Heiliger Katholik wait a second, all the other bs you just said aside, capitalism is Catholic now? Have you forgotten about the cleansing of the temple?

[@herpydepth1204]

@Heiliger Katholik wow so Jesus doesn’t like it when you try to profit off of religion, like what you are doing right now?

[@dacksonflux]

"Do you know what my 3 favorite things to kill are? The first was the Turks. The second was my father. Can you guess what my third is? NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS" ~ Alucard (the good version)

[@psltmtir]

Is that a reference to something or do you have a link? It sounds very funny.

[@opera_ghost8504]

@@psltmtir it's from the abridged version of Hellsing Ultimate

[@basicsimp8798]

A lot of the real history that was stated here should be present in every school..... Sad to think that a lot of people really think that learning about the truth about America's history is harmful and is too "Woke"

[@hiddensquid7048]

@John g hmm, what do you think crt is?

[@hiddensquid7048]

@Punished Biggie Cheese propaganda? Literally just saying we should teach history more.

[@hiddensquid7048]

@Punished Biggie Cheese hahahahahahahaha ok buddy

[@hiddensquid7048]

@Punished Biggie Cheese you're the only one talking like a redditor here bud.

[@basicsimp8798]

@Punished Biggie Cheese "You literally believe in the Holocaust" Thank you for proving my point, and for dismissing your earlier comment about propaganda too, since you're clearly deep into one. Self burns are rare. And a brainwashed person changing to be someone better is almost impossible, but I hope you educate yourself more instead of just listening to propaganda and conspiracy theories.

[@arychutkan2066]

I just periodically come back and rewatch this video because it is honestly excellent, and the phrase "ethical removal of fascism" always sticks with me every time. Thank you so much for making this!

[@javaplum8364]

thats how i feel as well!! every couple months i sit down and prepare myself for this video.

[@irishdc9523]

I love that the clip he says "ethical removal of fascism" is BJ punching a Nazi unconscious

[@greytging]

@@irishdc9523 I mean that's how you ethically remove Nazis, with hyperviolence and no mercy.

[@foodistzen]

@@greytging🤓

[@theravenousrabbit3671]

This is the type of language that creates genocides, by the way. The nazis said the exact same thing about jewish people.

[@anmolsharma3148]

This is a very nice video essay that shows a different part of the war. I found it intresting how you made parallels between America and Germany. I like how you went in depth for a game many would consider a “Nazi Killing Similator” when it has more to offer. I would like to give you my thanks for educating me in this subject

[@JacobGeller]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@thomasffrench3639]

But are these Nazi killing media just trying to distract us from the racism that exists in my country?

[@seekoutguy]

The fucking cut to "Fascism is a Loser Ideology" had me cracking up like a jackass

[@marvin2678]

insensitve tot he victims

[@davemiller638]

@@marvin2678 Victims of facism? I'd say they probably wouldn't mind insulting facism

[@famitsus987]

Jews seem to be doing well with it with the palatine stuff

[@arizonaicedcoffee]

the cut to “race” was the one that really got me

[@Person0fColor]

@@famitsus987 there it is. If they made this game today they couldn't make Bj Jewish it would be boycotted. They did that to make a point about American antisemitism and if they did that today the same people they pandered to would boycott this game and compare the Jews to Nazis that is so fuckkking rich