Made in 1945 by the National Conference of Christians and Jews, “The World We Want to Live In” is an important film that reflects upon the tumult of 1930s and 40s, which saw oppression and death in Europe, while presenting the idea that the America of the future must renounce hate, bigotry and intolerance. The film begins by showing how hate speech and anti-immigrant ideas fomented terror not only in abroad, but created an environment in the USA where racism and marginalization was tolerated. At 3:12, a KKK rally is seen in the USA, and at 3:22 the tract “The Bloody Trail of Romanism” is seen being printed. (This anti-Catholic book examined the Albigenses, Waldenses, Huguenots, as well as of the Inquisition, the Crusades and Rome’s bloody trail through the centuries.) At 3:30, a man speaks about America being for “whites” and “Anglo-saxons”. At 3:47, a man says “Hitler has the right idea” and at 3:57 a man, probably Jewish, is denied a job and sees that many want ads are for “Anglo-Saxon” and Christian applicants only. This is contrasted with the ideas of the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln.
At 4:49, a Rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister share the microphone and state their mutual admiration for one another and the American way of life. At 6:10, children are shown being educated to embrace tolerance. At the Institute of Human Relations at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, men and women educators are seen gathering to present ideas about the moral character of “The World We Want to Live In” with an emphasis justice, liberty, citizenship and charity. The film ends with a montage of a Jewish synagogue, Christian church, Lutheran church, and images of African-American and Asian American students in a classroom with white students.
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