Jews: Why the animosity towards them?

[Noncommunist]

Agreed. I mean,why do we have to divide the world into black,white,arab,etc.? We're all human. That's where I leave it.

Even though we do often discriminate based on skin color, it's not like we were definitely going to do so as we don't discriminate based on whether someone's earlobes are attached or unattached and rarely on eye color. We just have to make skin color as insignificant as eye color.

[Vuk]

Even though we do often discriminate based on skin color, it's not like we were definitely going to do so as we don't discriminate based on whether someone's earlobes are attached or unattached and rarely on eye color. We just have to make skin color as insignificant as eye color.

Is it anymore so? Look at the different white people and all their differences. The ancient Germans hated the Romans, so they called them short and dark haired, and the ancient Romans made fun of the Germans for being tall and blonde/red haired.
When people hate people, they use everything they can to justify it, including any physical differences.
When I went to camp as a kid, I used to be made fun of cause I was tall...by the same people who made fun of my friend for being short.
It doesn't have to do with acknowledging differences, but with justifying your hate with them.
I acknowledge the difference between me and my GF (who I probably think more highly of than anyone I know). I am tall and have dark hair and skin, she is VERY short and has red hair and pale skin. (and I think she is the most beautiful girl in the world)

You know when bullies pretend that they do not see a kid they do not like, and won't talk to him, and ignore him? That is what you are doing to people of another race when you do not acknowledge their race - image how they feel.

Vuk

[TinCow]

We just have to make skin color as insignificant as eye color.

And yet the color of your eyes was an important factor in determining whether you were part of the Nazi's superior 'Aryan' race. There is no physical feature on the human body which is exempt from discrimination. We discriminate against other people for reasons entirely separate from physical appearance. The appearance simply becomes a convenient method of differentiating the 'good' from the 'bad.' If there is no obvious physical feature to use, like skin color, less significant aspects then become the target of derision.

[TosaInu]

And yet the color of your eyes was an important factor in determining whether you were part of the Nazi's superior 'Aryan' race.

Reminds me of a movie I think to have seen years ago.

It was about a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany and he was trying to blend in to survive.

There was a scene with a teacher in the class and he was talking about the anatomical differences, skull measurements, what made a real Arier and that he would immediately see who wasn't one. Then he slowly walked down the class and stopped at our boy: "Now look at him'. ... "While he doesn't have blue eyes, he's a real Arier, he's brown eyes like our Fuhrer'.

[Vuk]

Reminds me of a movie I think to have seen years ago.

It was about a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany and he was trying to blend in to survive.

There was a scene with a teacher in the class and he was talking about the anatomical differences, skull measurements, what made a real Arier and that he would immediately see who wasn't one. Then he slowly walked down the class and stopped at our boy: "Now look at him'. ... "While he doesn't have blue eyes, he's a real Arier, he's brown eyes like our Fuhrer'.

LOL! And the funny thing about it is, that the "Fuhrer" was so wrong about himself and his origins. The Germans and white people were not desendants of Aryans at all, and Hitler himself may very well have been Jewish. :P I wonder what he would have done if he woke up one morning and found that out. "ARRGHH! I am an evil Jew trying to ruin your country and people! A stab in the back! Lock me in a concentration camp and burn me!!"
lol, fun being poked here was at the short guy with the mustache, not supposed to cheapen or make fun of what the Jews went through in WWII. :P


EDIT: I learned where the word "Fuhrer" comes from in my german class today. The german verb "to lead" is "Fuhren". It was turned into a noun and became "Fuhrer". lol

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

LOL! And the funny thing about it is, that the "Fuhrer" was so wrong about himself and his origins. The Germans and white people were not desendants of Aryans at all, and Hitler himself may very well have been Jewish. :P

It is a fact that he was probably a quarter Jewish, through his grandmother. He had to have known it too - I wonder what made men like Reinhard Heydrich (half Jewish, to my knowledge) do things that they did to people of their own religion?

It's an interesting discussion, to be sure.

[TinCow]

The movie TosaInu is talking about is Europa Europa, the true story of a Jewish boy who survived by pretending to be a true-blood German. He even joined the Hitler Youth. A fabulous and moving story.

[Caius]

It was about a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany and he was trying to blend in to survive.

There was a scene with a teacher in the class and he was talking about the anatomical differences, skull measurements, what made a real Arier and that he would immediately see who wasn't one. Then he slowly walked down the class and stopped at our boy: "Now look at him'. ... "While he doesn't have blue eyes, he's a real Arier, he's brown eyes like our Fuhrer'

Europe Europe is the movie, right?

I think that person was still alive, at the end.

[Mangudai]

I can partially explain how the money-grubbing stereotype arose. My main source is James Mitchner books.

In most of Europe Jews were not permitted to own land, so they were not employed at farming like 90% of the population. Usually most lucrative commodities markets (salt, beer, etc) were monopolized by a king or local noble, so they were excluded from those. Anti-semetic nobles and bishops often forbade them from practicing other trades as well. Most Jews in Europe were poor ghetto dwellers. Somehow they maintained their cohesion and tradition, and those few who prospered economically had to find innovative ways to do it.

For most of the middle ages the Catholic church was opposed to usury. On occasion they banned usury altogether, but the need for a credit system was strong enough that they adopted a work around. Bishops decided that it was sinful (read illegal) for a Christian to charge interest on another christian. But, Jewish people were exempted from these statutes.

[Spartan198]

Even though we do often discriminate based on skin color, it's not like we were definitely going to do so as we don't discriminate based on whether someone's earlobes are attached or unattached and rarely on eye color. We just have to make skin color as insignificant as eye color.

In my view,skin color already is as insignificant as eye color,or hair color (though I do have a certain fondness for redheads in particular,but that's not exactly a discriminatory thing...),religion,and so forth.

[Tribesman]

I'm not sure what the original reason for this law is, since it's been a long time since I attended Temple.

There is a sound basis for the old law , even if the husband is Jewish it doesn't guarantee that he is the father of the child .
However the process of giving birth is a pretty good indication of who the mother of the child is

[KrooK]

As Ludwik Gumplowicz wrote into XIX century
there is no clear race nowadays. Races mixed themselves - Jews could be good example, same like Poles, Russians, French and Britons.

[carbz]

race is a political concept and battleground more than anything, but as a concept is of no less relevance because of that.

Which brings us back to why jews were persecuted, they have long viewed themselves as "the chosen" and aggressively defended their own, which pisses people off.