Why were Jews the most hated people during the Great Depression?
During the Great Depression, Jews were often scapegoated for the economic hardships faced by many, as they were falsely blamed for the financial crisis and associated societal problems. Pre-existing anti-Semitic stereotypes and prejudices were exacerbated by the economic turmoil, leading to increased discrimination and violence against Jewish communities. Additionally, extremist political movements, particularly in Europe, exploited these sentiments to gain support by promoting conspiracy theories that depicted Jews as responsible for society's ills. This scapegoating ultimately contributed to a climate of intolerance and hatred against Jews during this tumultuous period.
Russia's historical animosity towards Jews stemmed from a combination of religious, social, and economic factors. Jews were often scapegoated for societal problems, facing discrimination and violence, particularly during the Tsarist regime. Anti-Semitic stereotypes portrayed Jews as outsiders and threats to Russian identity, exacerbated by economic competition and their roles in urban professions. These tensions culminated in violent pogroms and the promotion of repressive policies, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
What Anti Semitism was at Council of Nicea?
At the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, anti-Semitism was primarily reflected in the tensions between early Christians and Jewish communities. The Council sought to define Christian doctrine and address issues such as the date of Easter, which highlighted the growing rift between Christians and Jews. Some early Christian leaders viewed Jewish practices and beliefs as a threat, leading to the marginalization of Jewish influence in the developing Christian faith and the promotion of negative stereotypes about Jews. This laid groundwork for future theological and social animosities between the two groups.
Was the theologian Calvin antisemitic?
John Calvin, the 16th-century theologian, expressed views that can be interpreted as antisemitic, particularly in his writings where he criticized Jewish beliefs and practices. He believed in the theological superiority of Christianity over Judaism and described Jews in ways that reflected the prejudices of his time. However, it is important to contextualize his views within the broader historical framework of the Reformation and the prevailing attitudes toward Jews in Europe during that period. While some of his writings contain negative portrayals of Jews, the extent and nature of his antisemitism are subjects of ongoing scholarly debate.
I'm no Bing Crosby expert, but I've never read anything that would lead me to believe he was racist. Especially in context of the day and age in which he lived, when views on many issues were quite different than they are now.
I assume you raise the question because he performed in blackface on a few occasions. There is a clip of one instance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAHSTbD4A5M along with some interesting commentary below.
Some assert that Bing, like Frank Sinatra, stood up for his fellow musicians who were black. Others discuss the history the of minstrel show and blackface tradition, which they claim was actually, in some ways, a positive force for race relations. That is hard to grasp for most of us today, but I found the discussion interesting as I knew little of the tradition, which was gone by the time I was born.
In any case, Bing would probably be pleasantly surprised to learn we have an African-American president. America is supposed to be about progress, and doubtless by the time you and I are very old and gray, many things will have come to pass which we would not have dreamed.
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Bing Crosby was definitely not a racist. He produced albums with Ella Fitzgerald ("Christmas Jump & Live" to name just one of them).
The big band/swing artists of that era seemed to not care about race as much as their parent's generation. Take the Rat Pack for example. Sinatra and Dean Martin would not be the rack pack without Sammy Davis, Jr., a black man.
Besides, Bing Crosby was a jazz singer. Jazz is a black tradition. He's in black territory--so he better not be racist. It'd be like a white racist from Georgia wanting to live in Harlem. Doesn't happen. Crosby was not a racist. (Neither of the two men with that name were racists.)
Answer 1
This is an important question. Why is there so much antisemitism (hatred or prejudice against Jewish people) in the world now, and why has there been in the past?
Here are some opinions from various contributors1. We don't know.
2. They have set themselves apart. Jews have been remarkably good at maintaining communities within communities. They have maintained their ethnic and religious identity over many generations instead of becoming part of the cultures in which they live. Groups that set themselves apart always attract prejudice. For example, Italian and Irish immigrants were hated for various reasons by many native-born Americans in the 19th century. As they assimilated into the mainstream American culture they did not face the same prejudice (if for no other reason, just because they can't easily be identified as different). Minority groups that do not or cannot assimilate tend to attract prejudice.
3. They have been very successful. Their cultural values encourage education and material success, and so many of them become wealthy and powerful. This naturally attracts the envy of people who are less successful. Instead of respecting other people for their success, many of us find it easier to think that they had some unfair advantage, or there is a conspiracy, etc. (However, at various times and in various places, such as Eastern Europe in the period c.1800-1945 they were despised because of their poverty!)
4. Not everyone hates Jews, although they certainly have their problems with others in this world. I have Jewish friends and have worked for several Jewish bosses, and they were absolutely wonderful to me. You don't have to believe in another's religion (I'm Protestant) but I always love to see some of the ceremonies of different religions if I am invited and consider it an honor.
5. For a long time the Jews were excluded.
It says above, "They have set themselves apart". This needs comment. In Europe, where antisemitism started, the Jews were for several centuries excluded from ordinary society, shunned and in many countries they were forced to live in small, designated areas of towns called ghettos. They were also banned from most occupations. Of particular significance until a little after 1800 was the fact that they were banned from agriculture, which was by far the most important sector of the economy before the rise of industry. Moreover, they weren't just excluded from mainstream society, they were demonized. All kinds of absurd conspiracy theories were invented about the Jews. They were set apart.
6. Conflict in the Middle East
More recently, conflict between Israel and other countries in the Middle East has led to the rise of anti-Jewish feeling in that region and further afield.
7. Misunderstanding, prejudice and jealousy
The same reasons why some people hate other nationalities, other sex orientations, other religions, etc, etc.
8. Antisemitism is self-perpetuating
It has become a kind of tradition. In particular, conspiracy theories about Jews are often seen as interesting and spicy (even if they are not believed), while conspiracy theories about most other groups are just seen as downright boring and get very little attention.
Answer 2
Joy Hakim, the author of the History of US, suggests some possible beginnings of anti-Semitism, which are:
Comment
Answer 2 merrily mixes possible reasons from a wide range of periods. As for 'high economic status', often in many places Jews were despised for their poverty - for example, in Tsarist Russia.
Who wrote Racism Antisemitism and Psychoanalysis?
The book "Racism, Antisemitism, and Psychoanalysis" was written by Earl Hopper. It explores the intersection of these topics and how psychoanalytic theory can shed light on racist and antisemitic attitudes and behaviors.
How is antisemitism internalized?
The unquestioned use of stereoypes and the unthinking acceptance of fanciful conspiracy theories play a key role in such processes of 'internalization'; also, then only seeing or noticing things that seem to fit the stereotype and the fashionable conspiracy theories. Or, to put it simply, never exploring but just seeing what one wants to see.
What can you do to stop Anti Semitism?
There is no simple formula. I think it can only be done within the framework of a broad campaign against racism. Key elements include getting to know more about the people ... For example, many anti-Semites know nothing about actual Jews, only the stereoypes and caricatures - and malicious stuff on the internet.
Why do Non-Jews sometimes feel threatened by Jews?
Among non-Jews, it is essentially Christians who have a history of persecuting Jews. Edward Gibbon (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) says that in spite of repeated insurrection by the Jews, the pagan rulers were very tolerant towards their beliefs. The New Testament tells Christians that the Jews opposed the teachings of Jesus and were responsible for his death, and arguably incites anti-Jewish sentiment.
What does the term anti-Semitism mean and when was the term first used?
The word antisemitic is slightly older and the first reference dates from 1865. The word antisemitism dates from 1879. The antisemitic word means anti-Jewish. The term antisemitism was first used by Wilhelm Marr for his anti-Jewish political movement. He was fed up with being called a Jew-baiter (Judenhetzer) and wanted to show the world that he, too, had an ideology or -ism to solve the world's problems.
Most likely not. Rudyard Kipling used a swastika on the first editions of his books, but this was before the Nazi party adopted the swastika. He used the swastika because it was the symbol of good luck. Before the Nazi party came to power he had the engraver remove it from the printing block. He did not want it to seem like he was supporting them. Hence he was probably not antisemitic or a Nazi sympathizer.
Was Charles Dickens anti-semitic?
There is no indication that Charles Dickens ever was anti-semitic. Some have argued that he was, based on the fact that he had made Fagin, the villain of Oliver Twist, a Jew. Dickens had however based Fagin on a real person who had been convicted - in real life - for doing the exact same things (recruiting and training children for pickpocketing and other petty crimes) as Fagin: the - Jewish - criminal Ikey Solomon.
Charles Dickens is on record as stating: "I have no feeling towards the Jews but a friendly one. I always speak well of them, whether in public or private, and bear my testimony (as I ought to do) to their perfect good faith in such transactions as I have ever had with them" and he later removed almost all mentions of Fagin's Jewishness from the text of Oliver Twist when he found that these gave offence to his Jewish friends and acquaintances.
Why was Roald Dahl anti-semitic?
There was some controversy over this because he had made some anti-sementic remarks over the Isareli invasion of Lebennon. However, he went back and corrected what he said and apoloized for the remarks and said that it was taken the wrong way.
Roald Dahl told a reporter in 1983, "There's a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity ... I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason." He never apologized for this horrible racist remark. It is hard to see how it could be taken "the wrong way".
Factors leading to the Nazi Holocaust
What was the chief reason for adolf hitlers anti-semitism?
His group fought pitched street battles with the Bolsheviks (90% J e w s) who wanted to make Berlin into the spearpoint of Communism for all of Europe. That was one thing. There were many more, one being the tides of pornography, produced by J E W opportunists that were being pushed into Germany after it's loss in WW1. The chief reason though was the fact that in 1933 world J e w r y declared a financial war on Germany and this is documented in a New York newspaper.
Why do people who do not hate Jews hate Israel?
Answer 1
They're afraid of Israel because they fear another terrorist attack from another country.
Answer 2
Israel has engaged in a number of policies in violation of international law. Israel is not reticent for performing such acts and claims that it violates those laws because they are prejudicial to its rights and interests. If other countries did the same, (Iran is a great example), they are sternly reprimanded by the international community and forced to toe the line. As concerns Jews that hate Israel, there are various theological reasons to be Anti-Zionist which stem from the "Purpose of the Jew in the World" and the "Nature of the Exile".
Please also see the Related Question below, but obviously excise the Anti-Semitic Answers.
Many Egyptians are strongly Anti-Zionist. This leads to a lot of rhetoric conflating Zionism with Judaism. However, Egyptians, as Muslims, are duty-bound to respect Jews and their culture. This leads to a form of doublethink where Egyptians will believe Anti-Semitic nonsense that comes along with the Anti-Zionist feelings they have while believing simultaneously that they are respectful and courteous to Jewish people because of being Muslim. Of course, both of these opinions cannot be right. The degree to which an Egyptian truly likes Jews is directly related to how little or much of the Anti-Semitic garbage he believes.
Do the Germans still hate the Jews?
Unfortunately, yes.
As a general rule people who hate a particular race, religion or creed do so because of fear or ignorance. It is also encouraged by people with an agenda against that group, using propaganda, half truths and lies. Hatred also underlies much violence in the world. If people stopped exerting so much energy toward hating people who are different, they might just have the energy to rebuild this world to be a happier place.
The reasons for Jewish hatred have remained unabated. To see some of these reasons, check out the Related Question: Why do people hate the Jews?
Where in Europe was anti-semitism found?
There were a large variety of antisemitic modes and mechanisms that operated in Europe.
Modes:
Religious - Christian organizations banned Jewish participation (this included everything from employment to recreational societies to salons) because they refused to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Racial - Jews (even if they converted to Christianity) were in some way physically impure and therefore banned from Christian organizations
Mechanisms:
Jewish Laws - Many states had codes as to where Jews could live, whom they could marry, whom they could do business with, how efficaciously they could travel, what political aspirations (if any) they were allowed to have, and what weapons or rights to self-defense (if any) they were allowed to have.
Pogroms - Typical in Eastern Europe, violent attacks perpretrated by non-Jews against Jews resulting in both large and small massacres'
State-Led Attacks - This includes tribunals like the Spanish Inquisition that targeted Jews to Government-sanctioned ghetto-raids. Generally during wartime, it was considered "more acceptable" to plunder from a Jew than a Christian.
Financial Disadvantage - Jews were banned from a vast number of occupations and taxed to a greater extent than equivalent Christians. Jews were almost never nobles (there are rare exceptions to this, especially in the UK and the Ottoman Empire).
Note: there are far many more varieties, but this should give you a flavor.
There is no enmity between Jews and Croatians. Many Jews speak highly of Croatia, especially as a place to vacation. There is, of course, anger over the actions of the Croatian Ustaše during World War II that led to numerous Jews in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia being sent to die in either Ustaše camps or in Nazi camps. However, most Jews either do not know about this or do not fault the current generation of Croatians for it or have forgiven the Croatians for the malfeasance.
Was Shirley Temple anti-Semitic?
No credible sources can be found that suggest Shirley Temple was anti-gay. There is an interesting discussion on the site at the Related Link about the subject, though.
No.
No one can truly know the mind of another person, but Emma Watson has made no statements denigrating Jews, made any negative remarks about Jews (as a group), or implied any negativity towards Jews. It is highly unlikely that she is Anti-Semitic.
Why was Walt Disney accused of being anti semitic?
With the arguable exception of the(Song of the South) no Disney movie or cartoon from the heyday of the (Mousetro)- he died in l966 had Black Characters, live or cartoon. There were no Blacks in the Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeers, it should be noted these were paid cast members, unlike the so-called Peanut Gallery of the (Howdy Doody)- while Arabic locales sometimes pop up as in say, Aladdin, Blacks are nearly always out of the focus.Disney evidentally either did not like Black People or felt they were too controversial for (Clean Family entertainment) it should be noted outside of such things as (Julia) they were rare on Television sitcoms with the exception of the ubiquitous Radio operators on one service comedy, one spy drama, and a science fiction series.
Disney also produced WWII films that depicted Japanese as yellow, buck toothed idiots, and Germans as homosexual idiots.
***I find this answer kind of interesting, since you don't consider the time period or the general feeling Americans had as a whole back then. You just decide to put all the blame on Walt Disney. If he hated the Japanese so much, them why did he hire men like Iwao Takamoto as artists, right out of internment camp at Manzanar? Obviously he wasn't to racist to recognize someones talent and abilities. Maybe you should read a little further into something before you start throwing accusations around. ***
Sick and Tired of the racist word.