Racism and Anti-Semitism

When I was a fairly young kid, it was virtually incomprehensible to me that Jews could be racist, and that blacks could be anti-semitic.  After all; Jews knew what it was like to have others hate them and wish to exterminate them....  How could they then, in turn, be biased against an entire race of people?  And blacks knew what it was like to have people view them as sub-human and believe that they could own them like property....  How could they then, condemn and entire collection of folks?

Well, I learned that some could, and some did.  And part of how I learned it was from what happened in front of my very eyes.

While I teenager, I worked at one of my dad's friends companies where large signs were designed and manufactured.  The company did a fair amount of business, but the office department was small enough that everyone knew everyone else.  Betty, the smart and charming lady who ran the switchboard magnificently, happened to be black.  (Yes, I am such a dinosaur I really worked in a place with a switchboard!)  Everyone loved Betty, period.

One day, while in my carpool, one of the salesmen, a Jewish guy around my dad's age, started spewing some racial garbage.  Having developed my big, outspoken mouth at a young age, I began to fight back.  In addition to straightforward data, I said to him, "Well, what about Betty?  She's everything you say that blacks cannot be - yet she is wonderful."

It would have been impossible for the guy to deny Betty's great worth - so he didn't even try.  Nevertheless, I got this retort, "Betty is an exception."

I see.

Yep, I saw how bigotry works.  Even when you try to present the racists and the anti-semites with evidence of how wrong they are, they will answer "those are the exceptions."  Never mind that the "exceptions" significantly outnumber the poor examples!

I like to think that we have come a long way since the days of my teenages years.  Still, unfortunately, bigotry is still a scourge.  My friend Duane at Black Informant does a wondrous job of trying to battle it, but - as you can see, it has not gone away.

Comments

[orinocle]

It amazes me the depth of jewish racism against black folks it is much deeper and widespread that I ever imagined. Since the majority of jews in the USA are white they often try to hide thier racism under thier costume of being white. Many black people who are racist usually are reacting to the whiteness of jews not thier religion of course jews no this truth but instead they perfer to play the anti-semetic jewish card whenever this topic surfaces..

[Orinocle]

Peg , You are a phony you said NOTHING to object to that racist white jewish carpool friend until he mentioned a colored who was working the phones, your selective indignation is tyical and quite revealing..

You are a coward it is obvious..

[Peg]

Huh? Orinocle, apparently in addition to your fierce biases, you have difficulty understanding plain language.

My friend said nothing about the woman who worked at the switchboard. I was the one who mentioned her, as but one example of people who have all sorts of great qualities - and are black. That he said something stupid in response isn't my fault.

Try again, Orinocle. And if you could unload some of that hate you cart around, that might help, too.

[Orinocle]

Peg,

Hate?? I have passion for my people as a white jewish person your failure to understand that reality is your shortcoming not mine. "Your friend" was a white jewish bigot stop making me the villan becuase I have dared to point your selective indignation..

As I have stated many times the discord between Blacks and jews the trigger is your whiteness not your religion ...it is tragic to witness white jews playing the antisemitic card when they know it is thier white racism which is causing the problems not thier religious beliefs