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What is often referred to as racism is actually groupism. Racism is the belief that certain races, with all their members, have specific inherent attributes and which begets a certain treatment.
Groupism is the idea of lumping a group together and drawing (mostly negative) impressions on the group based upon individual observations. This is fanned by confirmation bias.
There is an inherent, human desire to downgrade any threat to peace of mind. This is usually a healthy way of not letting obscure, freak incidents get in your way. However, this kicks in as well when coming upon something that makes you feel compelled to change. The natural reaction of dismissing the Mussar, or the guy who ‘got ahead’ is like the immune system fighting healthy cells.
Those who chance upon someone who is more sincere, or more successful, often find themselves judging themselves or the other guy. Either the other guy isn’t really sincere or I am indeed behind.
Even just simple otherness is cause for judgment, speculation, and suspicion.
This brings about the bias to accept or even promulgate certain stereotypes.
Most of what you hear as anti-Semitism is indeed groupism, perhaps fanned by feelings of inferiority (for whatever reason). Unfortunately, this same drive is at work within the Jewish community as well. How often have you said, ‘oh all these: {Satmerers, Modern Orthodox, Belzers, Litvaks, Chasidim, Gerers, Yerushalmis, Tzfasers, Chabadzkers}’? Do they really not get the chance to have individual personalities? (Yeah, I’m saying this ’cause I’m a…)
Two threads on this forum bring this to mind. I’ve seen people of sound logic suddenly go rouge because of predisposed ‘unlike’.
Think about it, is the only thing holding you back from being an anti-Semite the mere fact that you are Jewish?
You Leviim are all alike.
It’s silly to think differences among groups dont exist. That isnt to say that every, say, satmerer is the same or that they all follow every carecteristic of the group. Butit is equally foolish to say that in spite of them having a certain shitah, living together, haing their own school system etc… There is nothing that combines them together as a group. Of course there is. For example. As a group Satmar opposes the Zionism, that does not mean that EVERY Satmerer feels that way. But if you meet a Satmerer Chasid it isnt “groupist” to assume he didnt say Hallel On Yom Haatzmaot.
Admitedly there is a fine line between the above and being anti said group. But there is a line
It’s not called “groupism”
It’s called stereotyping.
Yes. There is a Jew that I hate, so, I suppose, I am an antisemite.
The Wolf
Who?
So when someone says for example that Jews are holy people that should be called grouping or stereotyping too because its a fact that not all jews are holy. Its gotta work both ways.
It’s a fact that all Jews are holy. And that all Jews are the Chosen People, chosen over all non-Jews.
Who?
If it’s all the same to you, I am not going to identify him. He knows who he is and he knows exactly why I hate him. And no, there is no real chance at changing this. He is a horrible person who is a rasha and (as Joseph often likes to point out), it is a mitzvah to hate him.
The Wolf
C”V! As you know, for years I’ve been calling him a tzaddik nistar. I often speak to him with the bakovedik title of Reb (and only because of his shunning being called Rabbi) despite he in his great anivus and tzidkus trying to discourage any honorifics.
C”V! As you know, for years I’ve been calling him a tzaddik nistar. I often speak to him with the bakovedik title of Reb (and only because of his shunning being called Rabbi) despite he in his great anivus and tzidkus trying to discourage any honorifics.
Either I was unclear or you misunderstood me.
My point was that you often make the point that it’s a mitzvah (I believe you quote the Chofetz Chaim on this, but I could be mistaken) to hate a rasha. I did not mean to extend what you said beyond that. The rest (regarding the identity of the person I hate) was my commentary and not meant to be attributed to you at all.
My apologies if that was not clear.
The Wolf
There are “anti-semites” and self-hating Jews. I can identify with the latter having been labeled as such many times here on YWN for expressing a viewpoint that is somewhere between anti-Yeshivish and borderline apikorsus (sometimes both). None of the textbook definitions of “anti-Semitism” is especially helpful in the context of trying to fit the term within the umbrella of “groupism”. About 2 weeks ago, there was a very interesting Congressional hearing (archived on C-Span) about proposed legislation to define “anti=Semitism” for purposes of allowing DOJ to prosecute hate crimes. Among the 5 noted law school professors and reps from ADL etc., there was a mixed view of whether such a definition was either feasible or useful.
There is only one person I can really say I hate with all my heart – and he is a jew. I don’t hate him for his being a Jew though, more for the actions he has taken and the reasons he has done them (which I know better then anyone else).
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