At the risk of being somewhat ornery, and with some discomfort to be writing about this, I wonder why other British trans bloggers are not protesting Lucy's casual bigotry? There was a hue and cry at Julie Burchill's willfully insulting characterization of transsexual and transgender people, but when Lucy Melford asserts that "enough" Jews have hooked noses for that derogatory stereotype to remain "true" - I'm the only one who points out how offensive such caricatures are?
I noticed I was the only one who objected to Dru Marland's use of "Jews Ears" awhile back; I tried pointing out how offensive that was - and yes, I know that's the traditional name for that fungus, but that doesn't make it any more 'correct' to use it without providing a context. Dru was also casually and unwittingly offensive in her words. (At this point, I believe that while Lucy's anti-Semitic remarks were casual, they were not unwitting.) I don't find those things offensive simply because I married into a Jewish family; the characterizations are offensive even at face value - even though their contemptuous deprecation goes much deeper than that.
Where is the line on such language? Is there a line? Why is "chicks with dicks" offensive, and "hooked nosed Jews" not? Why is "trannies" hurtful and "Jewish race" not? Why is Lucy's characterization of Jews, and her astonishment that a member of that "tribe" deviates from some mythical racial feature acceptable, and the derogatory generalization of "transvestites and drag queens" not? Is it because the insult is not directed at you? Is it because some, many?, people in Britain, in particular, haven't figured out there's no "Jewish race"? That they do think of Jews as a distinct race? Unlike Christians. Is it restricted to Jews, or are Muslims a distinct race as well? Or is it just that all Semitic peoples have hooked noses? Or is it because the insult is not directed at you, and hey, who cares, it's only Jews being insulted? Perhaps you don't think it's an insult at all - perhaps that's how you think of Jews? Because, hey, stereotypes exist for a reason, don't they?
Where does it end? Does it? Where is the line where you will realize that such racial profiling, blatant racism, is offensive? I'd settle for that, to be honest. The realization that racial stereotyping is wrong because it's the basis of racism and that's wrong and immoral. The acknowledgment that individuals deserve respect simply for being. That such insolent generalizations have no place in decent conversation. To be honest, I'll settle for simply knowing that "hooked nosed Jews" is deeply offensive. You can work on figuring out why it's anti-Semitic and racist later, if you wish.
As I've said, I've heard those particular and profoundly offensive canards more often in England than anywhere else.
Carolyn Ann
Interesting points... As for a stereotypical transsexual. Yes, there is the stereo type and unfortunately it does exist for a reason. I've met too many people who reinforce it.
ReplyDeleteI've met many, many more who don't - but as they fade into the background they don't change the stereotype in peoples heads, except for those people who know them personally.
An example of this would be an information evening at the gender clinic which is looking after me. There were maybe 5 or 10 people who were stereotypical transsexuals. And they were the ones who all the families and friends who attended saw.
Not the other 100 or so that were in the room.
Add in the UK media's view of transsexuals and you can see how it gets perpetuated.
On your other points... I have two issues with it. one, you say it was a racist comment, but also say there is no Jewish race. That's a logical impossibility. If there is no race, it is not racist. Bigotry yes.
The other is that some orthodox Jews perpetuate the impression that there is a Jewish race. I worked with an orthodox Jew for many years, and we had lots of discussions on it. He was quite open on a few points that shocked me. There are many rules that are not there for a religious reason, but there to ensure that the his Jewishness remains pure. Rules that make it hard or impossible to socialise with non Jews - because that could lead to watering down the Jewish blood. That implies that his orthodoxy believes that there *is* such a thing as a Jewish race.
Don't get me wrong, discrimination on *anything* is wrong (Which is something that his Orthodoxy didn't believe, I must add - as they thought they were superior to all other people). People are exactly that, people. And they should get treated as such.
I'd just like to add that I am not trying to defend anything here.
DeleteBut I think that wording *is* important, as is knowing that the Jewish Race comes from more than just outsiders.
I would like to reiterate my final point: discrimination from anyone to anyone is wrong; full stop.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete(Oops. I pressed "Publish" a tad too soon.)
DeleteHi, Stace!
I understand you're not defending anyone.
The Orthodox perception of a " Jewish race" isn't what you perceive it to be. It's not as a distinct, separate, race, but as a way of life, an identity, a cultural and religious identity. It's typically demonstrated through a "separateness", a sitting apart, if you will.
Many Orthodox Jews can trace their heritage to East Europe and the Steppes; that's a veritable smorgasbord of peoples! But not all Jews, on the other hand, are Semitic or Caucasian. Also, there's as much diversity of opinion and piousness among Jews as there is among any religious group. That alone precludes there being a "Jewish race"!
It's not a "race" per se as much as it is an identity, a shared identity, common between, among, adherents. There's a shared, common, cultural and often ethnic identity. there's no "Jewish race" just as there is no "Amish race". Just as there's no "Islamic race", "Christian race", "Buddhist race" there's no "Jewish race". That's why it's racist to assert there is - the asserting that there is a distinct racial identity, as opposed to an ethnic or cultural one, simply based on someone's religion is racist. Religious belief, in short, does not equal race.
My assertion that it is racist to assume that there is a "Jewish race" is based on that understanding of what constitutes a race; that English has little in the way of words to explain such concepts is a failing of the language, not the specific logic or the more general idea.
And yes, some within the Orthodox community are known to assert there is a "Jewish blood", etc. But it's not extended to any viable assertion that there's a specific Jewish race; there is an assertion that there's a specific Jewish identity. It's as much a political claim as it is a religious one.