Re: Now I know why you are so contrary

Now that the racists are gone, can we talk about the Jews?

pawacoot · 2025-06-27T04:56:25.740Z

I mean, I just don't get the historical animus. It always seems based on stereotypes. But then, stereotypes can't be stereotypes without some element of truth, so where IS the truth here? Is it the whole 'God's Chosen' thing? Is it because they really ARE cheats and swindlers and money lenders? Is it because they're pretty darn smart on average, therefore inviting jealousy? These are questions I've asked many people, including my poker buddy, Jeremiah Katz. Never a straight answer, ever. Why not?

Imagine you live in a country in Europe in the 1300's (say Spain), that is run by a Catholic king, who adheres to the catholic church doctrines. As such, in your country, collecting usury (interest on debts and loans) is illegal. The Pope, and the Catholic church say usury, charging interest on loans, is evil and enslaves the borrower.

Ok...so you fall on hard times in Spain. Your family is starving, literally. You need money to buy food, clothes, bread, wine, etc. So in desperation, there is only one way to get money. You go to the jewish enclave 20 miles away and take out a loan. Abraham agrees to loan you $100 jibblets, with the agreement that you are to repay him, over 2 years, $150 jibblets. Desperate, you agree. 2 years pass, you get a new job at the sword factory, and pay Abraham back the $150 jibblets you owe him. Now Abraham has 300 jibblet loans on his books at any given time, and has amassed a FORTUNE of $30,000 jiblets, more jiblets than any other normal Catholic in the region has. And here you are, barely getting by, earning 5 jibblets a day at the sword plant, when Abraham sits on his rear end, lives in a nice estate, doesn't work, and collects interest payments (usury). Living better than anyone else, save the King.

Makes you kinda hate him for what he does. The ENVY (a deadly sin) is palpable. One day the Catholics storm Abraham's estate, kill him and his wife and kids, and take all his jibblets.

This is the root of most antisemitism in Europe, and the world really. The religious antisemitism is mainly in the muslim world.

gosmitty

Dynasty Maker [3389]

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A mix of religious, economic, and academic things....

Jun 29, 2025, 10:07 AM

There's of course the old Blood Libel nonsense and Christ-killer accusations that are rooted in some sort of religious hatred. This stuff started back many many centuries ago.

There's the stereotype of Jewish bankers. People hate Bankers, and Jews were disproportionately bankers, even though the majority of Jews were not bankers, and many Jews in Europe were poor prior to WW2.

There's the envy that some people have of Jewish accomplishments in academia, even though most Jews aren't PhD's.

There's the stereotype of Jews being communist agitators in early 20th century Europe, even though most Jews weren't communists, and many were in fact capitalists.

Basically, Jews have always been a scapegoat for any problem societies might have, an easy group to point the finger and persecute. There aren't many of them, and it's one of the world's oldest hates. It started as a religious thing, and it morphed into a general hate for many reasons.

In old Europe, I'm thinking of Eastern/Central Europe, Jews were often not allowed to have & farm their own land. So, they gravitated toward merchant & banking type roles, in order to survive. People became resentful of Jewish wealth that was accumulated via banking, retailing & other services (typically, non-farming).

In Eastern Europe, there was particularly a lot of antisemitism. Many Jews were forced to live in the Shtetl, which was an area of largely Jewish villages in the Russian empire. Think of it like a reservation, and many Jews in these villages spoke Yiddish, and were poor. They were basically often banished to these areas in order to avoid Pogroms. And anytime you have what amounts to segregation, you get hatred.

It seems that antisemitism is growing in the US. That's something I thought I'd never see...until about 10 years ago.

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Now that the racists are gone, can we talk about the Jews?

Re: Now that the racists are gone, can we talk about the Jews?

Re: Now that the racists are gone, can we talk about the Jews?

Re: Now that the racists are gone, can we talk about the Jews?

Now I know why you are so contrary