One of my friends is a teacher at an expensive Los Angeles private school. He is also one of the few black faces at the school. This has never been a problem for him. He has never faced racism or anything like that at the school. This school is very liberal in orientation. In fact, its curriculum is based on teaching the students about diversity (even though there isn’t much of it in the student body). Still, my friend always has amusing stories about how even the most liberal of liberal parents sometimes can’t get over the color of his skin. If anything, he is treated nicer because of his color, just so parents can tell themselves that they have no problem with him being black.
During the Michael Jackson trial, some parents and teachers always made sure they were careful about what they said. Whenever my friend was in earshot, they were sure to say that "all the evidence isn’t there yet," just in case he would feel as if one of his "brothers" was being attacked – as if most African-Americans didn’t think Michael Jackson was a nut job also.
When the school decided to do a special assembly program on Martin Luther King, all eyes turned to my friend, waiting for his approval and opinion, as if he had some purer psychic connection to Dr. King than the several older white teachers who had actually marched during the 60′s. My friend tried to remind them that during the 60′s, he was mostly a kid watching "The Brady Bunch" on TV.
Although we laugh about this, I’m not saying this kid gloves approach is necessarily bad. Most of these parents and teachers are well-meaning in wanting to show respect for "the outsider." It certainly is better than old-time discrimination. But not all minority members want to be spokespeople for their "people."
I’ve heard of this sort of over-politeness occurring with other ethnic groups. One Chinese-American friend (born in Seattle) says that whenever she goes out to a Chinese restaurant with co-workers, everyone turns to her to make sure she approves of their orders. No one dares order something as "unauthentic" as Chow Mein, which might hurt her ethnic sensibilities.
Again, I’m not one of those people out to knock "political-correctness." It just never really happened to me… until last week.
Sophia was invited to dinner at a client’s house in Orange County, and I accompanied her. During the dinner conversation, attention turned to Sophia and the fact that she was from Russia. This happens all the time when we meet new people, and I know the dialogue by heart. After you’ve been married a while, you know exactly what the spouse is going to say in every social encounter.
When did you leave Russia? Blah blah blah. What was it like? Blah blah blah. What do you think of the current situation in Russia?
Sophia hates this last question. I always have to kick her under the table to remind her not to be rude. In so many ways, she is more American than I am. She’s been out of Russia for years, left as a teenager, and hates it when she is thought of as the one with a hand on Putin’s pulse. She doesn’t even like most Russians that much.
Then the conversations turned to Sophia and I being Jewish. Having mostly lived in New York and Los Angeles, most non-Jews I know can name every minor Jewish holiday by heart. I know for a fact that there are plenty of Jews in Orange County. I just think this couple had never met one.
"Jewish people are so smart."
"One of my co-workers is Jewish. And he’s the smartest one of the company."
Now I know that it is common knowledge that Jews are smart. There’s even been a recent controversial paper published by the Journal of Ashkenazi Intelligence stating that genetic selection in the old country created a Jewish people with an extremely high IQ. There’s no doubt that this tiny minority group produces a large number of doctors, lawyers, professors, and Nobel Prize winners. Jewish people are proud of this. But let’s be honest. There are a lot of really really stupid Jewish people. And Japanese people. And I’m sure there are even Indian kids that would never make it past the first round of a spelling bee.
So, here I was, sitting at this Orange County couple’s dinner table, being told how smart and wonderful my "people" were. I made some stupid comment about them having never met my family.
"Then I’d like to see if you have the same opinion," I said.
The Orange County wife laughed and said that Jews are always so funny, too — like "that Seinfeld guy."
From now on, if you ever see me talking with a Japanese woman and asking her if she owns a kimono, please bop me in the head.
UPDATE 10/05 — New York Magazine tries to sell some magazines with this Are Jews Smarter? topic.
I worked with a woman who was supposed to be my friend. But she was also very small-minded and would constantly talk about “YOUR people” or “Jewish doctors are the best… I’ll only see a Jewish doctor…”
I gave up trying to put her in her place! Probably ’cause I’m such a smart Jew!
Reading this thread reminds me how stupid and fake people from LA are. It is as if you live in some oasis where your only problems are traffic and ackward dinner parties. It sounds like a good life, but I could never dumb myself down to live like that. The Jews who could live for long periods of time in LA must be Sephardic or naturally selected stupid Jews who could not make it in New York. How is the weather?
In Re your actual conversation: I would rather be PCed to death than unhired or uninvited or assaulted because I am Jewish. And it is not the poor WASP’s fault they have to dance around like idiots, the screaming minority leaders (who never speak for the minority they claim to represent) created the atmosphere of political correctness that is sure to backfire by a racist outburst.
Here in Italy jews are like Extra Terrestr, weird people come ou from a legend. Usually if you’re a good jew, the one that all the people know and love you’re a Shoa surviver ore a fiddler on the roof if you are a bad jew, you’re are the one that doesnt accept to be insultated for your opinion.
I’ve been looking for comments on the subj. of what I call, for lack of a better term, “racism on the flip side of the coin.” Your site so far is the closest I’ve found. I think all the “compliments” described are based on ignorance, just as are “negative” comments. At best, such people have not thought very deeply about racism in themselves, gone only as far as “it’s not good to be racist,” not realizing that they are being racist by trying not to be! I just had an experience similar, when my landlady said that her son is working with a Jewish fellow with “all the Jewish characteristics” and he really likes him. He wanted me to know.(!) And he is a bright, educated guy! Needless to say, I didn’t actually act overjoyed. (“Gee…I thought you’d be glad to hear this…” my landlady said.) But, perhaps I am taking this too much to heart. I love all the hilarious responses! Don’t stop!
You are ridiculous AND SO FUCKING PC!!!!!
This woman observed that Jews DO seem to be really fucking smart and funny. BOo hoo hoo is that so fucking bad. Jeez.
She did not say ALL fucking Jews are smart. She implied that there are alot.
Is there not??????
Fucking moron.
Fashion, Retail, Food, Movies, Television, Medicine, Science, Publishing, Philantropy, Finance, Writing, Comedy, Law ETC…ETC…ETC…DOMINATED By jews.
So this woman fucking said something. SO WHAT?!
Fucking Cries alluding to anti semitism when anyone who is not jewish recognizes this.
These are facts and jews should be proud and this woman should be allowed to say this without your stupid posturing. Dumbass
Jewie — You are forgetting the blogosphere, which is dominated by smart, witty Jews like myself. Little by little, my aim is to take over the internet, converting all of my readers to the ONE TRUE RELIGION, and expanding Hanukkah to TWELVE DAYS, forever putting Christmas into second-place status!
Some info about ethnic groups and IQ at http://statisticsoftheworld.page.tl
I am looking Jewish doctor in Salt Lake City Utah.. Does anyone know of one?? Help pls!!
well i wanted know wh jewish folks cant marry outside there race i actually like jews but becuz iam a black girl mixed with chinese, i wanted to attend a jewish school but i heard these folks are racist so…. thats why i think i dont wanna go
Deneica — Thanks for commenting. We aren’t that bad. Jews really aren’t a “race” and plenty of them marry all different types of people. Jews are a very small minority, so there is some concern about so many of marrying “out” and their children losing the religious identity, or not identifying as Jews at all, which happens often. There are similar feelings in both the Chinese and black families sometimes when they marry someone white. Jews are more of a religion/nationality, like Christians or Canadians. Why did you want to attend a Jewish school? The food usually is terrible at those schools. And you’d be surprised to learn that are black girls mixed with Chinese who ARE JEWISH.
“Fashion, Retail, Food, Movies, Television, Medicine, Science, Publishing, Philantropy, Finance, Writing, Comedy, Law ETC…ETC…ETC…DOMINATED By jews”
Food? Philanthropy? ahem. The only thing that I have a problem with is that there even is a “Journal of Ashkenazi Intelligence”, I mean outside of that one paper, what else are they going to publish, that black people are dumb? It just seems weird that such a Journal would even exist. And think about it, what would happen if it weren’t “jew” but “white”? Would it still be ok to say? It’s true, there are smart jews, there are smart people of all configurations. But hard work has more to do with it than anything else. That’s how you get to the top of anything. You can be as smart as a whip, but if you sit on your ass all day long and do nothing with it, you won’t amount to anything, no matter who your parents are.