Is Judaism a culture of aquisition and superiority?

[crimzonsol]

Judaism is more than a religion, it has become a culture.

Now, here I agree. It has become a culture of acquisition and superiority over other people.

Is Lasher right? Have any of your expriences with Jews lead you to believe Lashers analysis of Judaism? Have any of your expriences with me led you to believe that I think of myself as superior to you? Atleast when I was not joking.

[Scorpion]

I see Judaism as a political religion in that Israel adopts many of the tenets of Judaism in its government.

I see Jews as being proud, resourceful, intelligent, protective and compassionate. Jews exude an attitude of self reliance which some might mistake for superiority.

Crim, you don't seem superior. Intelligent with a clear understanding of your take on politics.

[lily]

Is Lasher right? Have any of your expriences with Jews lead you to believe Lashers analysis of Judaism?

It's typical sterotyping, which if you look at some of his sources might expalin why.


Have any of your expriences with me led you to believe that I think of myself as superior to you? Atleast when I was not joking.

Superior in knowledge is about all I see you being. Makes me jealous you know so much more than I do and proud that we have someone like you posting here.

Without letting any secrets out........if Lasher only knew!

[crimzonsol]

Good all I need now is a liberal and he won't be able to refute a claim that a Liberal, Conservative and an Independent all agree on. Thats got to be a record or something. If I could get a Democrat, a Repubilcan and a Libertarian on board it would definatly be a record.

[Newscaster]

How about a contribution by a liberal Democrat Jew? I interpret the original statement as a negative. I say this because Mr Lasher neglects to include HISTORY in his pronouncement. Ever since the time before the crucifixion, Jews have been targets. Because their faith is strong and unmoving, they have rejected demands from pagans, Christians and others that they abandon their faith in favor of some other religion. As a result, they found their lives had become tumultous. The most obvious was the constant blocking of Jews from engaging in various and sundry careers or from membership in specific career organizations, such as the grange system, mostly in the midle ages. They were barred from civic positions or other positions of influence.
As a result, Jews found that to be able to make a living and support their families, they had to be smart, tough and ingenious. As a result, education became their second biggest concern, next to faith in God. And they learned. And their created careers such as the beginnings of modern day banking and loans. This brought them to the place where they could obtain property. But to chracterize them as practicing acquisition and superiority is simply not true. What acquisitions have they achieved that have not been achieved by countless other groups? I cant think of any. No, the State of Israel was not an acquisition. It was given to the Jews by the United Nations after world war two. The land was called Trans-Jordan and belonged to no one. It was part of the British Mandate which earlier had been part of the Ottoman Empoire and before that, the Roiman Empire. But there had never been a universally recognized govenment, language, national set of laws except those imposed by the Romans, Turks and British. And when the UN declared Israel a Jewish State, the Jews of 1948 called on the Arabs of the area to join in building a new nation. The arabs rejected that offer and instead declared war.
Is that superiority? Maybe, if winning a war means you are a superior fighting force. But it was not acquisition because Israel did not start the war.
Anything that Jews have achieved has been the result of education, hard work, initiative and creative talents and to intimate anything less is less than valid.

[AnnEsthesia]

Nope, none of my Jewish relatives are like that.

My husband's parents, however, would agree. They were screwed in a lawsuit by a Jewish attorney (not sure the details) and feel that all Jewish people are greedy bastards.

[Newscaster]

Well Ann, I dont know your relatives and I dont know the particulars of that alleged screwing they got in a lawsuit but ANSWER THIS...WERE THE PEOPLE SUING YOUR RELATIVES jEWISH? Was it possible the lawsuit was justifiable? And mostly...are all Jews attorneys? I would say your relatives are just PO'ed at losing thre lawsuit and picked on the faith of the lawyer as being at fault.
If your relatives were my relatives, I'd have to say it would be more than a little disappointed at their inability to find a better reason for losing than that.

By the way, did you say anything in support of your Jewish relatives about Jews. Lets face it, a wing of your husband's familiy just called them greedy bastards. Is that okay with you?

[Scorpion]

I never understood the need to characterize a Jewish professional as a Jewish doctor, Jewish businessman, Jewish car dealer, etc.

I'm Catholic and no one calls me a Catholic Physicians Assistant.

[lily]

I think that goes back to Newscaster's post about the Jewish people being more educated at least that's the impression I get when I hear someone say he's a Jewish doctor.[/b]

[Newscaster]

I didnt say Jews are better educated. There are some I know who are as dumb as dirt but even with a great deal of schooling, there is no guarantee that you will be better than anyone. I said that as the Jewish culture was developing, people became aware of the need for education to get where they want to go. But not everyone heeded that advice and of those who did, not all benefitted.

[lily]

Newscaster......i said that's the impression I get when I hear someone say he's a Jewish doctor.

Getting back to me taking your education statement wrong.....I've found that people who have to strive harder, put more stock into educaion. Now the trend seems to be Asian and Indian. Back in the day it was Jewish.

[Newscaster]

Lily, to be absolutely truthful with you.....I have never heard a Jewish doctor describe himself as a Jewish doctor.

[AnnEsthesia]

Well Ann, I dont know your relatives and I dont know the particulars of that alleged screwing they got in a lawsuit but ANSWER THIS...WERE THE PEOPLE SUING YOUR RELATIVES jEWISH? Was it possible the lawsuit was justifiable? And mostly...are all Jews attorneys? I would say your relatives are just PO'ed at losing thre lawsuit and picked on the faith of the lawyer as being at fault.
If your relatives were my relatives, I'd have to say it would be more than a little disappointed at their inability to find a better reason for losing than that.

By the way, did you say anything in support of your Jewish relatives about Jews. Lets face it, a wing of your husband's familiy just called them greedy bastards. Is that okay with you?


Nope, it is not ok with me. They know very well where I stand and on most issues, we are completely opposite of each other. I am a democrat and they are very conservative republicans who told their kids when they were first registering to vote that they had to register as republicans. They also have issues with blacks, hispanics, liberals, gays and a host of other people.

As for the lawsuit, I think the attorney was representing them and not only lost the lawsuit but then took their fishing boat when he presented them with a huge bill for having lost for them. But as I said, I am only vague on the particulars as it was 25 years ago and I really do not care to rehash the issue with them.

[lily]

Lily, to be absolutely truthful with you.....I have never heard a Jewish doctor describe himself as a Jewish doctor.


I heard it on TV..........so it has to be real!

[Newscaster]

Yeah, right.

[Tsky]

I think blanket stereotypes suck. However I do believe there are tendencies and patterns unique to certain cultures. I believe from my experiences with different ethnic groups and religious groups that certain patterns emerge consistently and that leads me to believe that that those thought patterns or actions occur more often than not among that group. And really, it's not just among ethnic groups, it can also be narrowed down to sexes.

With that being said, of all of the Jewish people that I have had religious conversations with, I find that Newscaster is pretty fair. What I'm trying to say is you are one of the few people that I debate with that doesn't make me secretly wish I could pimp slap you after a discussion. :-)

[Newscaster]

Tsky, thank you. I appreciate those kind words and I feel the same way after chats with you too. Most stereotypes are based to varying degrees on reality which is understandable but the stereotyper runs into trouble when an agenda rises to the surface. One stereotype that annoys me is thr cartoon that depicts a Jewish man with a large nose. I dont have as large nose nor do any member of my immediate family. But watch the films of people in Saudi Arabia, especially the Royal Family. Now, those are noses!!! And they are depicted as such....I just wonder if they get upset. Now, are the Saudi noses reality or stereotypical? As for me........
my nose is perfect for my work......nose for news and all that.....

[PatrickHenry]

Newscaster? An apologist for the evils of Israel.

There are many Jews that do this and also many that don't.

I would not characterize "Jews" as anything like acquisitive or superior. That's categorizing and is very bad sociology.

There is an element of Jewish Supremacism abundant in Jewish culture, but it's not universal. There's also an element of humility and humanity.

My Jewish friends are cool...

[Newscaster]

Patrick before you call me an apologist for anyone, I suggest you find out just who you referring to and my background. I apologize for no one and to no one.

[Lasher]

Tsky, thank you. I appreciate those kind words and I feel the same way after chats with you too. Most stereotypes are based to varying degrees on reality which is understandable but the stereotyper runs into trouble when an agenda rises to the surface. One stereotype that annoys me is thr cartoon that depicts a Jewish man with a large nose. I dont have as large nose nor do any member of my immediate family.
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Aw, come on, you're just used to looking at it, and it doesn't seem so big.

But watch the films of people in Saudi Arabia, especially the Royal Family. Now, those are noses!!! And they are depicted as such....I just wonder if they get upset.
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There is no difference, racially, between a Jew and an Arab. They are both Semites. The reason some Jews don't have that huge hooked proboscises is because they have interbred with the Caucasian Europeans for centuries and acquired some of their good features.

Now, are the Saudi noses reality or stereotypical? As for me........
my nose is perfect for my work......nose for news and all that.....

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Lots of Jews are in newscasting, aren't there? Makes it easy to get a viewpoint across to the unsuspecting public.

[Newscaster]

Maybe Jews gravitate to careers like journalism or medicine or law because they can make a better living that way and they dont have to grovel in dirt, mud and other stuff like that. Maybe Jews gravitate to those cereers because they took the advice of their parents and studied hard and have the college degrees to qualify. But remember, there is not a damn thing keeping non-Jews of which there are thousands in those fields from becoming doctors, lawyers, etc. Stop blaming us because we made sure we qualified. If you are not a lawyer and doctor, dont ask me why not...ask yourself.[hr]As for you, Lasher, I have no idrea what you spent your time doing as a kid but I remember spending many hours studying in high school, graduating cum laude from college and achieving a double masters degree in graduate school. I did it because I had a goal in life. And I apologize to no one for achieving my goals. And you diminish yourself by complaining that I did and you either didn't or couldn't. But jumping on my for doing something you didnt is a pi-- poor way to fo thru life.....blaming or crticizing others