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The Life of an Anti-Semite

Susan Quinn
@SusanQuinn
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Early in my life I was exposed to anti-Semitic hatred. While in grade school, I beat a boy at tether ball, and he called me a dirty Jew. Another time, I was selected over another girl to be an emcee at a school fashion show; she used the same slur. It’s hard to describe my reaction to both of them; I can still feel the hurt. I knew them both from our classes, but we weren’t friends. Why did they say these ugly words? I suspect it was because they were angry, hurt and embarrassed, and they were upset that they had “lost.” And they wanted revenge. So, they picked a slur that they knew would wound me.

They chose well.

courtesy of unsplash.com

Some people have been indoctrinated in anti-Semitism. One boy I dated briefly was taught by his family that the Jews (especially in Germany) worked to control the world, especially the banks. We even have at least one person at Ricochet who believes that Jews in this country do the same, as well as control other industries. They assume that the Jews “control” these entities, rather than acknowledge that they have proved to be creative, entrepreneurial, passionate and industrious. Those attributes will take a Jew far. In fact, they will take anyone far. But when Jews as a group are successful, some people assume that they must be exerting some insidious and powerful strategies. They have manipulated, misled, stolen or used other deceptive means to move ahead in the world. How else could they succeed so overwhelmingly?

I guess what is most disturbing for me regarding anti-Semitism is the damage it does to relationships. It reflects one person denying another person’s humanity. It insists on demeaning a person’s achievements in order to overcome one’s own insecurity and losses. It requires a level of cruelty that turns the Jew into an aberration of the human species. And makes it impossible for a person to see who we truly are. Anti-Semites are pre-occupied with creating monsters in their minds rather than mensches.

So, I hope you’ll forgive my little rant. I’m incredibly blessed to have loving people in my life, Jew and non-Jew, who recognize me for who I am.

And know that we are all kindred spirits.

This post was promoted to the Main Feed at the recommendation of Ricochet's members.

Discussion (54)

  • Rodin@Rodin

    Your description of what motivates anti-semitism reminds me of Heinlein’s quote:

    Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

    This is known as "bad luck”.

    People really are uncomfortable in the presence of excellence if they are not themselves strivers. And non-strivers look to blame anything other than themselves for their failures.

  • Susan Quinn@SusanQuinn
    ReplyingtoRodin

    Rodin (View Comment):

    Your description of what motivates anti-semitism reminds me of Heinlein’s quote:

    Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

    This is known as “bad luck”.

    People really are uncomfortable in the presence of excellence if they are not themselves strivers. And non-strivers look to blame anything other than themselves for their failures.

    That is an excellent quotation from Heinlein. And I agree with all your points, Rodin.

  • Painter Jean@PainterJean
    ReplyingtoRodin

    Rodin (View Comment):

    Your description of what motivates anti-semitism reminds me of Heinlein’s quote:

    Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

    This is known as “bad luck”.

    People really are uncomfortable in the presence of excellence if they are not themselves strivers. And non-strivers look to blame anything other than themselves for their failures.

    I think you've nailed it, Rodin. I also think that at least some of this is spiritual - I think there is, at a mostly subconscious level, resentment towards Jews as God's Chosen People.

  • Bob Thompson@BobThompson

    Possibly some sort of pattern emerges related to why and how stereotypes and negative reactions emerge among those not members of a given minority group such as Jews, Asians, and African-Americans. Take a guess at what is the pertinent pattern element in each. I'm not even sure there is one for Hispanics or what to say about America's historic majority Anglo-Europeans.

  • CarolJoy, Not So Easy To Kill@CarolJoy

    Here's a basic question, Susan.

    Over the years whenever I referred to those who are Jewish as being part of an ethnicity, my Jewish friends would chime in with "Being Jewish is not involved with any specific ethnicity. Anyone who converts to the religion is part of a religion. It's not about any ethnicity."

    So were they wrong?

    If they were right, then where in the world does the "anti-semite" expression's use come from?

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