This item about the South Carolina GOP officials’ “penny-pinching Jews” remark was posted yesterday as a reader comment on David Klinghoffer’s BELIEFNET “Kingdom of Priests” blog.
Presumably because it placed Klinghoffer’s fellow conservatives
in a bad light, he quickly “unpublished” it. But then, he ‘unpublishes’ most reader comments which expose the errors in his
thinking.

Would it be hateful to say “those African-Ameicans sure can tap dance well” ???

Y’all are a-takin’ all this way too serious. They just were opinionifyin’ what they are good money manajers. That ain’t no slight.

Sorry, but stupidity and hate are close cousins. When you find one, the other isn’t far behind!

As a Jew, (not a wealthy one, quite yet), it does not offend me to read the comments made by the Republicans (hey, some of my best friends are Republicans!). Had it been phrased hatefully (“he’s Jewing us down”, or “this guy is like a penny-pinching Jew”), I would be very offended. But this is an analogy, and I’m not offended. In fact, it is a sideways acknowledgement of how Jews are thought of as being shrewd with money and business. I’m actually flattered, although I also know that a vast majority of Jews are not wealthy financially, and struggle like everyone else. Being Jewish is not an automatic silver spoon whatsoever. And, the real truth is, that most Jews are giving and generous, even if they are not financially strong. It is one of the underlying principles of Judaism to give charity, no matter what.

Would that all of our Representatives follow that saying in their actions for the American people. An Old Englsh saying is ‘penny wise and pound foolish’ and our Congress epitimizes it. They tell us how much they are saving us in the small things, then go out and waste
Trillions without question as to where it is being spent.

NoCrime,
I wish to point out that your post contradicts itself.
Firstly, to say that that someone is a ‘penny-pinching Jew’ has no substantial difference from ‘Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies.’ Does the well-kept home of someone hateful make them less so than the hateful person in the run-down shack? Language is like pretty paint- it covers, but doesn’t change the nature.
Secondly, you state you are not offended because it is a ‘sideways acknowledgement of how Jews are thought of as being shrewd with money and business.’ So because it can be seen as positive, it is less a stereotype, and less likely to be twisted into notions that Jews control the world’s money, or that we are cheap? When you state that you are flattered by the notion that Jews are good with money and at the same time state, ‘although I also know that a vast majority of Jews are not wealthy financially, and struggle like everyone else,’ you show us that you wish to claim a false stereotype because it makes you look good.
How about we encourage the world that the religion to which we belong and the faith which we practice is what we share, and that the diversity found in any set of people is found in the world’s Jews. Some of us are X, some of us are Y. Jews are not anything, other than Jews. We do ASPIRE to be some things that the Torah teaches us is good, some (many?) do TRY, as we hope do many people, TRY to stress education as a way to thrive, but let’s help the world see the difference. Let’s not welcome stereotypes of any kind.

A friend of mine once said to me she Jewed down the price of something and when I said I was offended she said she meant it as a compliment. I think it is surely time to rid ourselves of stereotypes, flattering as some may believe them to be. I think the intent of language like this is to belittle a peoples and not to bestow a compliment. Yes, hate and stupidity are close cousins.

The comment, try as you might to dress it up in a positive way, comes from the same place as a comment in another context that is ugly and hateful. Today, someone might be good at business but tomorrow they are unscrupulous. A very small step between the two.

If you want to see how we are treated in one of South Carolina’s poorest county sit in on one of magistrate C. Williams courts. Her favorite saying, which refelects the South Carolina political attitude, “It is not my problem”.SAD!

This is hate, pure and simple. Itmay be based on ignorance, but that is no excuse for a “mainstream” political leader. That is, if the GOP is still considered a mainstream party with racist, homophobic, anti-libertarian talk and action the new “norm”.
There is no other way to spin it!

Being non-Jewish, I can hardly comment on how a Jew should feel regarding the remark, but the saying that “if you take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves,” is an old one. Up to now, however, I have not heard the “Jew” connection.
As a retired college teacher, I have often said that if you want a class that is on its toes, a couple of Jewish students are likely to make that happen. Not only do they tend to be better read and more aware than most, but even if they are not top-notch students, they will usually make up for that in hard work and persistence.
I always meant that as a compliment and a simple statement of fact. Is it in any way offensive?

Comments of this sort(from political leaders) should be left for the comedy shows.If one finds he can not refrain from such idiosyncrasies,I suggest going into another field.
Many distorted comments breeds from insecurities within one’s self.

It is to me, Ben. How about, “If you want a strong workforce on your farm, you should get some of those black fellas to work for you. They don’t seem to mind the sun and they have so much experience.”
Taking care of the pennies is a general statement, ‘jewing someone down’ is a Jews-are sterotype. As is ‘Jews are well read and hard workers.” As it has been stated above, ‘good’ stereotypes are not good at all.

I have NO idea on this green Earth why South Carolina is going out of its way to come across as possibly the REDDEST of the Red States.
Speaking from experience, it’s a wonderful place to visit, but probably not to live, if one is a Moderate or Liberal.
This isn’t the 1st they’ve said something offensive in the eyes of the rest of the nation. Probably not going to be the last…..

wasn’t it Ben Franklin who said, “a penny saved is a dollar earned”?

Michael, perhaps I should regret saying that the Jewish students I have known over a period of more than 30 years in four universities were often pacesetters who kept their collegues and teachers on their toes. However, my experience indicates that a majority of such students has a strong desire to excel academically.
Ny conclusions may not be politically correct,but it is also my belief that political correctness is too often an excuse to avoid reaching any conclusions or making any value judgements or doing much of anything execpt patting oneself on the back for being so politically correct.

Are you kidding, or what? Stupidity is exactly what breads hate.

How wonderful to hear that those students you were aware were Jewish were well represented, but I don’t think it is all political correctness to say that while your experience is worth noting, it does not, in any verifiable or useful way, teach us anything about Jewish people. If I was mugged three times and two of my muggers had red hair, should I say that two thirds of muggers are redheads? That Redheads are more likely to be criminals than others? I, for one, would answer, ‘Of course not.’ Good or ill, generalizations based on one person’s experiences do not have the weight of truth behind them. Do Jewish families breed smart, pacesetting children as a matter of genetics? Has a history of oppression led to a culture which places value on education to be prepared for whatever life throws at you? Do ALL Jewish children hear the same messages at home? There are many questions to ask and answer, Ben, not to be politically correct, but to delve into the source of one’s conclusions and generalizations. But, hey, that’s just my opinion. (Best not to say that the Jews you have interacted with on line challenge the notion that Jews have common personality traits. You just tell them that this guy said it.)

Wait, wait — don’t straw man me. I’m just observing some facts about a group of students I have known. Wouldn’t and didn’t purport to give deep, penetrating, universal, and historic insights into any worldide group of people — that would be a tad too much of an inductive leap. Using your mugging analogy, if you were mugged three times, twice by redheads, you could observe fairly and convincingly that of the people who have mugged you, two-thirds were redheads.
I once knew a Jew who demonstrably could neither read nor write, but I refused to decide that all Jews are illiterate. He was about two days old.

Mg1lbert – Only you would know what was in your heart when you said that… but then where would you have learned to single out that particular talent when there are so many to choose from? I think that Gwyddion9 has put things into a good perspective, “stupidity and hate are close cousins”. Ignorance and hate are twins – you don’t see one without the other, but their cousin Stupidity stands alone. When someone says that someone is acting stupidly they are assuming that the other person knows better. So, IMHO, we would need to know what these people have taught and told their children – we can be pretty sure of what their parents taught and told them. In this day and age you would have to live in a hole in the ground not to know that stereotyping is hurtful.

Oh, oh- sorry. For some reason I took, “I have often said that if you want a class that is on its toes, a couple of Jewish students are likely to make that happen. Not only do they tend to be better read and more aware than most, but even if they are not top-notch students, they will usually make up for that in hard work and persistence.” as a pretty broad statement.

You cant buy brains!!!!!!!!!!!!

The image of Jews being clever with money was a bit tarnished when all those Jews got taken in by Bernie Madoff.

The image of Jews being clever with money got a bit tarnished with so many Jews being taken in by Bernie Madoff.

When someone talks about penny pinching Jews one day, the next day they usually talk with pride about “Jewing someone down”. I think we can’t label all remarks as ignorance or stupidity. Scratch them and there is an anti-Semite. These are supposedly educated people…..

As Forest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Stupid and unthinking don’t necessarily go hand in hand. But, as Anna Mae writes, one remark may be indicative of a an undercurrent polite society would not tolerate. Who knows what is said in the privacy of an office?

NoCrimeToPennyPinch brings to mind something my father once told me; “You may judge the stature of a man’s character by the size of that which draws him to anger.”
Finding insult in the simple wisdom of a saying about minding pennies is aking to viewing “a stitch in time saves nine” as a slight against seamstresses.
Well put, NoCrimeToPennyPinch.
Or, as my zeyde used to say, “You save a penny here, a nickle there – the next thing you know, you have yourself a dime.” He was the most generous man I ever knew.

my cousin who is jewish married a gentile. she has a a wonderful life, big house, pool, a bunch of mink coats, and a condo in florida they own and a boat. they have been married 27 years. she owns her own in-house business. when she first said “all the jewish customers try to jew it down”, it really, really hurt me. she enjoys the rich, “jewish lifestyle” how dare she? but i think my cousin agreed w/ her. he may not have said the words but she wears the pants in the family. that was the first time i ever heard anyone use that expression. i’ve heard it plenty of times since. i always say “everybody wants to save money!! “don’t they?” some guy said it to me the other day already knowing that my religion was sensitive to me. i hung up on him!!