a question about the jews .

IndianSummer

If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of smoke lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning, are also way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all ages: and has done it with his hands tied behind him.

All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?


- MARK TWAIN.

---

so whats the answer??

Ahnimus

The answer is anti-semitic, haha :(

No, seriously, I think I understand why. But I can't tell you.

It goes back to the Pharisees and kind of evolves from there.

sponger

Their secret is that they have the best of both worlds. They are white, yet they are still non-white. This means that they can use their appearances to blend in with various levels of society, but still have a distinctive bond amongst one another. This makes them careful and calculating in everything that they do. They are a network within the network.

I liken it to the Irish in the US. Because of their white skin and other aryian features, they were able slip through the invisible barriers. But, all the while they had an unspoken allegiance amongst themselves in the form of their Irish heritage. They ended up dominating american politics and probably still do. GW is of Irish descent I do believe.

Ahnimus

sponger wrote:

Their secret is that they have the best of both worlds. They are white, yet they are still non-white. This means that they can use their appearances to blend in with various levels of society, but still have a distinctive bond amongst one another. This makes them careful and calculating in everything that they do. They are a network within the network.

I liken it to the Irish in the US. Because of their white skin and other aryian features, they were able slip through the invisible barriers. But, all the while they had an unspoken allegiance amongst themselves in the form of their Irish heritage. They ended up dominating american politics and probably still do. GW is of Irish descent I do believe.

That's kind of where I was coming from. Jews have been tightly knit for a long ass time, going back to the Pharisees who taught them to hate Gentiles and bond with each other. If I recall correctly, when usury was first invented it was totally acceptable for a Jew to use it with a Gentile, but not with another Jew. So if a Jew came into Herr Rothschild's bank and got a loan, it was interest free, anyone else paid through the nose. I wouldn't say it's anything like it was in the time of the Pharisees, it's gradually reduced and the modern Jew seems to respect Gentiles, but it did impact the social standing of the Jewish lineages. It was also unheard of for a Jew to wed a Gentile, that still occurs today, though their is bigotry in all ethnicities.

I don't know what it's like today, but it was written in the Talmud that if a Gentile had any part of the wine making process, a Jew should not drink the wine. This applied to many things. It was also written that if a Jew put a Gentile in a hole in the ground and the Gentile died, it would not be the Jews fault. So, if you look at the culture 2000 years ago and what it is now, you can see how it evolved. Some what like the white people of North America.

That's what I've read though, there will be plenty of people to tell me I'm wrong.

yosi1

Ahnimus wrote:

It was also unheard of for a Jew to wed a Gentile, that still occurs today, though their is bigotry in all ethnicities.

This is kind of a ridiculous thread. "Most Jews"? The kind of Jews you guys are talking about are religious Jews, of which they are a minority of all Jews in the world. Most are secular. Also, I believe that the statistic is half of all Jews now intermarry. And if not half, it is a very large percentage. Please be a little more wary of hasty generalizations about Jews (or anyone else).

Ahnimus

yosi wrote:

This is kind of a ridiculous thread. "Most Jews"? The kind of Jews you guys are talking about are religious Jews, of which they are a minority of all Jews in the world. Most are secular. Also, I believe that the statistic is half of all Jews now intermarry. And if not half, it is a very large percentage. Please be a little more wary of hasty generalizations about Jews (or anyone else).

I think you misinterpreted that. I was speaking historically. And in the context of now I stated that it wasn't that way, at least no more than other races.

IndianSummer

Ahnimus wrote:

It goes back to the Pharisees and kind of evolves from there.

only post-exilic judaism goes back to the phareesis.

Ahnimus

IndianSummer wrote:

only post-exilic judaism goes back to the phareesis.

So, the rest don't use the Talmud?

IndianSummer

Ahnimus wrote:

So, the rest don't use the Talmud?

i meant that, pre-exilic judaism has little to do with the phareesees.

the face

your really going to start one now. expect some ejections real soon. this will bait the haters so fast they wont be able to sto themselves. lets see if the regulars take this bait....

the face

Ahnimus wrote:

The answer is anti-semitic, haha :(

No, seriously, I think I understand why. But I can't tell you.

It goes back to the Pharisees and kind of evolves from there.

hater #1. your fast man. i knew youd make the list but you have the distinction of being #1. congrats to the fastest fascist on the board

redrock

the face wrote:

hater #1. your fast man. i knew youd make the list but you have the distinction of being #1. congrats to the fastest fascist on the board

You're trying real hard to get banned, aren't you?

Ahnimus

IndianSummer wrote:

i meant that, pre-exilic judaism has little to do with the phareesees.

Oh ok, same people though right?

Scubascott

sponger wrote:

Their secret is that they have the best of both worlds. They are white, yet they are still non-white.

That is one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard. I think a couple of million Sephardi Israelis would agree with me.

catefrances

IndianSummer wrote:

All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?


- MARK TWAIN.

---

so whats the answer??

oh please we're gonna sit here and debate what a writer said about some people as if it were fact? i don't think so.

IndianSummer

Ahnimus wrote:

Oh ok, same people though right?

yes same people, but now working under talmudic guidelines, the luxury of which they previously didnt have.

IndianSummer

catefrances wrote:

oh please we're gonna sit here and debate what a writer said about some people as if it were fact? i don't think so.

do you know about their history and achievements??

Truthmonger

I think its a valid question to ask. If you're at all interested in sociology, or how people function in this world, then it's a curious phenomenon. Conversely, why do blacks struggle so hard to find their footing, and why is this true irrespective of where they live in this world ? That's partly a rhetorical queestion, though not completely. Some answers stand out, others require more digging.

One of the first things you read in Soc. 101 is that the Jewish community is the most isolated ethnic group in Canada (or at least in Toronto).

dayan

How about this answer. Because of two thousand years in which Jews were persecuted they were forced into certain modes of behavior. In the absense of the Temple in Jerusalem learning became the central focus of Jewish religious life. The result is that entering the modern world Judaism as a culture put much more of a premium on study and literacy than other cultures, which in turn made Jews very well prepared to take advantage of the changing circumstances of modernity. Simply put, we (Jews) place a greater emphasis on education in our culture.

CorporateWhore

They're the chosen people!

the face

redrock wrote:

You're trying real hard to get banned, aren't you?

I dont really give a fuck. If the mods on this site ban me from speaking my mind about this subject, when I know its contrary to the views of these uninformed mongers, so be it. I think it is ridiculous that offensive posts that support one view are allowed, but those that take a contrary one have to worry about being banned. I made some observations about a handful of people on here, and im sticking with them. If you and the Mods dont like it, ill go to a board where people dont have all these hate issues. In fact there are a number of them out there that just deal with the music. Remember, this IS a music board. Perhaps the mods should just ban this political thread altogether so that people can come here and just talk about the band and not their crackpot radicial politics....

lalalalaaaaaaaa

IndianSummer wrote:

If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of smoke lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning, are also way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all ages: and has done it with his hands tied behind him.

All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?


- MARK TWAIN.

---

so whats the answer??

I'm sorry, what was the question?

hippiemom

the face wrote:

I dont really give a fuck. If the mods on this site ban me from speaking my mind about this subject, when I know its contrary to the views of these uninformed mongers, so be it. I think it is ridiculous that offensive posts that support one view are allowed, but those that take a contrary one have to worry about being banned. I made some observations about a handful of people on here, and im sticking with them. If you and the Mods dont like it, ill go to a board where people dont have all these hate issues. In fact there are a number of them out there that just deal with the music. Remember, this IS a music board. Perhaps the mods should just ban this political thread altogether so that people can come here and just talk about the band and not their crackpot radicial politics....

The mods don't have any problem with talking politics. You can insult political figures until your fingers fall off. In the interest of civility, you are not supposed to insult fellow board members. You can tear their opinions all to pieces if you care to (and are able), but you can't insult them personally. Those who frequently resort to insults and name-calling do so because they don't have anything else. They're incapable of arguing their point, so they stoop to childish tactics. If you're one of those, no one will miss you when you're gone.

catefrances

IndianSummer wrote:

do you know about their history and achievements??

no no no you misunderstand me. i wasn't debating their achievements.nor their history, with which i am familiar. i was directing my comment at twain's apparent 'secret of his immortality' tag.

redrock

the face wrote:

In fact there are a number of them out there that just deal with the music. Remember, this IS a music board. Perhaps the mods should just ban this political thread altogether so that people can come here and just talk about the band and not their crackpot radicial politics....

Then go to 'The Porch', 'Given to Fly' or 'Other Music'. Only band/music related threads there. The MT is for discussing politics, current events... (as it says!). You don't need to be on this thread if you don't want to.

elmer

IndianSummer wrote:

What is the secret of his immortality?

america

sponger

Scubascott wrote:

That is one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard. I think a couple of million Sephardi Israelis would agree with me.

I'm sure you know the difference between a sephardi jew and a ashkenazai jew. And I'm sure you know that in the time of Mark Twain, the sephardi jewish population made up only 8% of the world's jewish population.

So, that's why it baffles me as to why you even bother bringing them up as a point in this discussion. This thread is about the contribution of jews as a whole. Maybe you thought if you threw a big number out there like "2 million", you'd sort of bluff your way through it? Nice try.

Rue D'Awakening

hippiemom wrote:

The mods don't have any problem with talking politics. You can insult political figures until your fingers fall off.

i'm gonna have to disagree with you there. a couple of weeks ago a thread that i started was locked because i called Louise Arbour a cunt (which she is, among others).
i'm sure a thread calling George W. Bush a cunt would be a lot less problematic for the quite-fallible mods.


as for the original question, i think dayan hit the bull's eye.

if you want to know why a nation of 13 million and shrinking in a world of 6 billion and growing is so talked-about, thought-about, and written-about, it behooves you to examine the behavior of the obsessors, not the object of their obsession. -especially if you're so ignorant as to think that all jews are white.

IndianSummer

dayan wrote:

How about this answer. Because of two thousand years in which Jews were persecuted they were forced into certain modes of behavior. In the absense of the Temple in Jerusalem learning became the central focus of Jewish religious life. The result is that entering the modern world Judaism as a culture put much more of a premium on study and literacy than other cultures, which in turn made Jews very well prepared to take advantage of the changing circumstances of modernity. Simply put, we (Jews) place a greater emphasis on education in our culture.

i dont disagree with you. in fact a jewish scholar friend of mine told me pretty much the same thing.

other factors are -

racial mixing - giving jews a gene pool like no other
lack of choice - they were forced to master difficult trades like medicine and finance
darwining selection - since the jews always had big problems in life, only the best and smartest of them survived
faith - their faith in the biblical promise that the maker is always with them, gives them courage to attempt anything, survive anything.

jews are indeed the most remarkable people on the planet.

Rue D'Awakening

but if they want to preserve themselves as a nation, it's racist neocolonial imperialist demonic fascism.

Ahnimus

IndianSummer wrote:

i dont disagree with you. in fact a jewish scholar friend of mine told me pretty much the same thing.

other factors are -

racial mixing - giving jews a gene pool like no other
lack of choice - they were forced to master difficult trades like medicine and finance
darwining selection - since the jews always had big problems in life, only the best and smartest of them survived
faith - their faith in the biblical promise that the maker is always with them, gives them courage to attempt anything, survive anything.

jews are indeed the most remarkable people on the planet.

Personally, I don't think genetics has really anything to do with intelligence. I think it's cultural. Of course, there is virtually no way to test for genetic intelligence besides monozygous twin studies and I haven't come across any such studies.

I work with a guy that is going on 3 degrees in completely different fields, two of which he has no desire for. He says he does it to live up to his family name, because everyone in his family has at least 5 degrees.

I think that's the main reason for the average intellect of Jewish people.