Should Confederate leaders remain on places like Stone Mountain, or should they be erased?
Rubenstein says in a preview.
Rubenstein also talks about the future of monuments and what makes them iconic places.
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On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is designating the latest national monument to honor Emmett Till and his mother.
DEADLINE: First off, the Stone Mountain episode.
You said that this may have been the most exhilarating and even an eye opener.
I worked for the Carter campaign in 1976.
So I didnt really know much about Stone Mountain.
I never had visited before this.
It does seem a little strange, doesnt it?
DEADLINE: Especially when you look back at the history and how it was connected to the KKK.
The racial consciousness of the country was dramatically increased when the George Floyd death occurred.
It was really a slavery related phenomenon.
DEADLINE: What gave you the idea for this series?
DEADLINE: Are you surprised by how little Americans know about history?
Two-thirds of Americans cannot tell you the three branches of government.
Twenty-five percent of Americans think that Eisenhower was a general during the Civil War.
Its just stuff you just kind of roll your eyes.
But we dont teach civics very much anymore.
We dont teach American history anymore of any consequence.
I think probably in China, people know more about our history than people in the United States.
DEADLINE: Lately weve heard so much about the this debate over monuments and symbols.
And I often hear the phrase woke and anti-woke.
How much of a concern was there that this series would be dragged into these debates?
The truth is I have nothing to do with the tours.
I basically put up the money.
I did say, though, Make the thing realistic.
And if there were slave quarters in a certain place, build them out.
In this world, if you give a shot to do anything, youre always going to be criticized.
And the best way to avoid criticism is to do nothing.
And if you do nothing, though, whats the point of life?
So I always take a stab at say, What can I do that could be helpful to country?
RUBENSTEIN: Thats true.
It had nothing to do with immigration or welcoming immigrants.
So its amazing how these symbols change.
I should add, by the way, on Stone Mountain.
I know that some Confederate monuments have been taken down.
I think you dont have to destroy every monument or memorial.
Sometimes its a good thing to remember what other people thought, as a warning sign to some extent.
And did your view change over time?
RUBENSTEIN: Well, yes.
But take the Washington Monument.
There have been some people saying the Washington Monument or Jefferson Memorial should be taken down.
Because those were slave owners.
Those monuments were not put up because they were slave owners.
They were put up for other reasons.
Would it be a good idea to take the Washington Monument down?
So I think it depends on why the monument was put up.
DEADLINE: The Stone Mountain episodes goes into great depth about the origins of the Civil War.
Why was it important this episode to point out that slavery was the reason?
You go back and look at actual documents.
RUBENSTEIN: The Lost Cause concept developed in the early 20th century.
They were treated well.
And its not true.
And I think thats more accurate history than to say that the South was fighting for states rights.
DEADLINE: Shifting a bit to the Hollywood sign episode.
Had you been there before and what surprised you about its history?
RUBENSTEIN: I had not gone up to the top of the Hollywood sign before.
Theyre made in Burbank or other parts of the Los Angeles area.
And Hollywood just became a symbol of the movie-making world.
But if you actually go to downtown Hollywood, theres no movie studios there.
RUBENSTEIN: Not really.
It has some fences around it, but it’s possible for you to get pretty close to it.
But I dont think thats a big problem.
The issue is really, what is it about the movie making world that makes peoples peoples hearts flutter?
Whereas if I introduced the five people that won the Nobel Peace Prize, they probably wouldnt care less.
DEADLINE: Do you think that political polarization will make it more difficult to create new monuments?
They can protest it.
It may be blocked.
DEADLINE: You have helped with the revitalization and repair of so many of these monuments.
Are there more on your agenda?
But I have a couple that I hope to be able to do in the near future.
Theres an infinite number of monuments and memorials.
DEADLINE: What do you think will happen to Stone Mountain?
RUBENSTEIN: First of all, its the state of Georgia owns it.
And the state of Georgia legislature is not likely to want to make a change in it.
So I dont think anything will happen anytime soon, or anytime ever.
But I think right now, theres just too much political opposition to getting rid of the memorials.
And I think its probably not a good idea to get rid of.
DEADLINE: What makes a monument an iconic place for people?
RUBENSTEIN: It means something to them.
For example, the Washington Monument, its a very simple building.
Its not all that complicated.
Take the Vietnam War Memorial.
That was very controversial.
Many people didnt want it to be built, certainly in the design.
Then it turned out to be one of the most popular monuments in Washington.
When the Eiffel Tower was built people thought it was the ugliest building ever built.
Now it is sort of a symbol of Paris.
Rubenstein is executive producer of the series, which also is available online and for streaming.
Other executive producers are Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre, Joshua Bennett and Sam Pollard for Show of Force.
John F. Wilson is executive producer for WETA.
Bill Gardner is the executive in charge for PBS.
