For years Joseph Hirt has been conveying his first person perspective of surviving the Auschwitz concentration camp. Educator Andrew Reid had a real problem with this. But only because the story was untrue.
This week’s TDQ Q&A is with teacher Andrew Reid, who recently uncovered the lies and fraud being perpetrated by Joseph Hirt, a purported Auschwitz concentration camp escapee in New York. Mr. Reid spoke to us about the response he’s gotten since outing the fraudster, how he became a teacher and historian and who he’s lobbying to play him when the film version is made of this whole ordeal. Here is this week’s TDQ Q&A with Andrew Reid:
The Daily Quarterly: How did you hear about thedailyquarterly.com?
Andrew Reid: They cyberstalked me via email.
TDQ: How excited are you that The Daily Quarterly asked you for an interview?
AR: I don’t get excited – I’m a happy pessimist (things never turn out as bad as I imagine they could).
TDQ: What made you want to be a teacher?
AR: There were no other jobs for someone with a History and English degree.
TDQ: Who was your favorite historian growing up?
AR: Doc History – that is what we called our high school history teacher who had his PhD and always wore a 3-piece suit.
TDQ: What was your favorite subject in school as a kid?
AR: Literature.
TDQ: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever gotten?
AR: Don’t smile ‘till Christmas.
TDQ: What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever gotten?
AR: Anything my father-in-law tells me.
TDQ: Who are your influences?
AR: John Calvin and local breweries.
Andrew Reid (artist’s impression), who has been described as looking like Jason Statham with a long goatee, was The One who decided to Turn It Up and run a Fast and Furious research Blitz on the claims make by Hirt and make the truth known Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Reid wasn’t looking to be a Mean Machine and does not count Hirt as one of The Expendables but, rather, felt a Call of Duty on a Cellular level to reduce the Collateral damage that these false claims may cause. Like the old saying goes, if you don’t like the message you shouldn’t kill The Transporter of said message.
TDQ: Who are you hoping will play you when they make a feature film of this whole ordeal? Hanks? Affleck? Damon? We may know people who may know people who may know people.
AR: Jason Statham – we have similar haircuts and I lived and studied in Britain for several years, so I think I should have an accent.
TDQ: You took your daughter to go see Mr. Hirt speak, as well as encouraging your students to go see him. At what point did you tell her about your suspicions about that veracity of Mr. Hirt’s story? Was it that night, or after you had done a little digging?
AR: I started digging that night (15 April). I was positive by mid-May Mr. Hirt’s story was largely fabricated. I told my daughter the night before I told the rest of the students and then released my research (8 June). She knew something was up but I didn’t think an 8th grader should have to bear the burden of keeping this quiet – I was working since mid-May to notify the innocent parties who had unknowingly promoted Mr. Hirt and his story before it became public so they could be prepared to respond to the media.
TDQ: Aside from being harassed by people like us, what sort of feedback have you been getting once your investigation into Mr. Hirt has gone public?
AR: Out of the hundred plus emails and letters I received in the past few weeks, only one was negative. I deleted that one. Apparently I am also quite popular with neo-Nazis at the moment.
TDQ: You have spoken to him on the phone after your findings. What do you personally think Mr. Hirt’s motivation was for his deceit?
AR: This is the only question I am going to shirk – I believe there were mixed motives.
TDQ: What do you tell your students (and your daughter for that matter) about people who commit fraud of this nature?
AR: “Trust but verify.”
TDQ: Isn’t your career really all downhill from here after this interview runs?
AR: I am always looking up so my perspective probably won’t change.
TDQ: Better source of news using social media? The Daily Quarterly fan page on Facebook or @dailyquarterly on Twitter?
AR: I am also a proud neo-Luddite (no Facebook or Twitter in my house).
TDQ: Now that Mr. Hirt has apologized for his lying, what do you hope happens to him?
AR: I hope he embraces reality and lives a quiet life.
TDQ: You’re welcome for our time
AR: Thank you for extending my 15 minutes.
Read more about Andrew’s exposure of Joseph Hirt here. If you have a subscription, you can read the story on Lancaster online also.
