UPDATE: In response to one reader who seems to have taken broad offense, I would suggest that perhaps Rosen's impressions come from the preponderance of New Yorkers in the Jewish population of the US. Had he grown up in the South, for instance, he might have come to a different conclusion. In any event, nobody's claiming that Jews are genetically abrasive. I leave it to the rest of the readership to determine whether that reader's comment is evidence for or against Rosen's proposition.
Colorado Media Matters continues to provide jobs for those who could be better employed building an extra lane onto I-70 West. Now, they've put Mike Rosen's comments about the stereotypical Jewish personality being "abrasive" under their "Race Issues" category.
After fasting all day yesterday, I was in a mood to send them an abrasive email myself, since truth is a complete defense against slander. Rosen's comments are 1) substantively true, 2) proportionately trivial, and 3) not a matter of race. As David Harsanyi has pointed out, a trip to Israel will reveal Jews of all complexions. You tell me that Ethiopian Jews are the same race as Natan Scharansky.
In the past, I have been guilty of claiming that there was a racial component to Judaism. In effect, there's a genetic component to the people we call "Jews," because the number of converts and descendents of converts is so tiny compared to the total number of Jews.
However, it would be more accurate to claim that, aside from conversion, one's Jewishness is inhereted. Judaism is a religion, and the Jews are a people or a nation, but not a race.
While I've managed to clarify my thinking on this matter over time, apparently such sutbleties are too much for Media Matters.
Comments
Sure, Jews are abrasive. Hispanics are lazy. And all Asians work really, really hard.
Seriously, you're defending this? Rosen's a racist, regardless of the nuances around "race" as it relates to Jews.
What you wrote is a shonda.
Posted by: QuacksLikeADuck | August 4, 2006 12:10 PM
Jews aren't a race. This isn't a nuance, it's a fundamental definition.
As for abrasive, have you ever tried getting near the whitefish at kiddush? What I wrote was at least a little tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted. I'd suggest one sense of humor and call me in the morning.
Rosen, by the way, is Jewish, and not even remotely self-hating.
And, by the way, at least you know where to reach me. By putting a comment here from work, without your email address, you've identified your employer without identifying yourself. Nice.
Posted by: Joshua Sharf | August 4, 2006 1:37 PM
Hey, just found you. Are you coming to the Rocky Mtn. Blogger Bash?
Posted by: Stacy | August 5, 2006 11:51 PM
Which part of what you wrote was "tongue-in-cheek?" I re-read it, and don't even see an attempt at humor, but perhaps I'm thick.
(Anonymous commenting was your decision, not mine. Why do you need to email me? I thought these comments were where conversations took place.)
Posted by: QuacksLikeADuck | August 8, 2006 10:48 AM