Stereotypes about Jews

[Masha]

It is often said that stereotypes about people contain a kernel of truth. And I agree. However, there is one stereotype about Jews that has always puzzled me because I have not seen any confirmation of it in real life. What I am talking about is the stereotype that Jews are supposed to be cheap. There are even jokes about that. I have never in my entire life met a cheap Jew. And I have probably known thousands of Jews. If anything, I would probably say the opposite - that Jews are unusually generous as people - both literally and metaphorically. Where does this stereotype come from? I really see absolutely no basis for it. Has anyone ever met a cheap Jew? Is this something historical, perhaps?

[AussieJTFer]

Probably because Jews work hard, invest in education and consequently live relatively comfortable lives in comparison to the simpletons that make such claims. These inbred mules would rather be lazy than actually invest in education and work. They target their intellectual and culturual superiors (the Jews) with spurious falsehoods as this is the only ammunition they have in coming to terms with their lowly, pointless and miserable existence.

[mord]

No but stereotype about being smart is wrong.I would bet a good amount of donations to columbia university comes fromJewish donors

[Masha]

Probably because Jews work hard, invest in education and consequently live relatively comfortable lives in comparison to the simpletons that make such claims. These inbred mules would rather be lazy than actually invest in education and work. They target their intellectual and culturual superiors (the Jews) with spurious falsehoods as this is the only ammunition they have in coming to terms with their lowly, pointless and miserable existence.

But you agree - jokes about how cheap Jews are quite popular, especially in the US? Sometimes these jokes are quite funny, but I just don't see how they are grounded in reality. There are other negative stereotypes about Jews that are true, but cheapness is just not one of them, unless I'm living in some alternative Universe. Maybe when Jews came to the US, they were very poor and had to be very careful with their money - so this is how the stereotype was born.

[Masha]

No but stereotype about being smart is wrong.I would bet a good amount of donations to columbia university comes fromJewish donors

Yes, that's not very smart.

[kahaneloyalist]

Jews used to be money lenders, because of that we got a reputation for being cheap

[Vito]

My Jewish friends call me cheap.

Funny.. the stereotype of Jews is being cheap, but just about every Jew I've met was a big spender

And the Italians have a stereotype of being big spenders, but just about every Italian I've ever met was cheap... me being the cheapest.

Regardless.. I still love the cheap Jew jokes!


So a Jewish kid goes up to his father and says:

"Hey dad, could I borrow twenty dollars?"

"Ten dollars?! Wadda you need five dollars for?!!?!"     

[Ari]

I agree with this.  I have met some cheap Jews, but they are usually older senior citizens, so it is hard to pin this on being Jewish because many seniors of all groups are tight with their money.  I can think of many instances of wealthy Jews being very generous with their money, including Mike Bloomberg very recently (gave away close to 200 million dollars).  Unfortunately, they usually pick the wrong, liberal causes to support as usual, and not great causes like JTF, but this is another story altogether I guess.

[Ehud]

I think that it's a mixture of a few things.  Jews DID come from very modest backgrounds, and they were always very good with money and dealt with money lending so that's where that comes from.  Also the idea of the cheap Jew comes from what AussieJTF said.  When jealous gentiles see rich Jews, they have to turn that into a negative thing.  They can't admit that the Jew is smart, inventive, creative or hard-working, because to do that would be admitting your own inferiority, so how do you turn being rich into a negative thing?  Just say that the only reason the Jew got rich is because he pinches every penny and doesn't spend a dime of it, then all the anti-Semites can say "If I was such a greedy and selfish pinny-pinching miser, I would be as rich as he is!"

[Vito]

I think that it's a mixture of a few things.  Jews DID come from very modest backgrounds, and they were always very good with money and dealt with money lending so that's where that comes from.  Also the idea of the cheap Jew comes from what AussieJTF said.  When jealous gentiles see rich Jews, they have to turn that into a negative thing.  They can't admit that the Jew is smart, inventive, creative or hard-working, because to do that would be admitting your own inferiority, so how do you turn being rich into a negative thing?  Just say that the only reason the Jew got rich is because he pinches every penny and doesn't spend a dime of it, then all the anti-Semites can say "If I was such a greedy and selfish pinny-pinching miser, I would be as rich as he is!"

I had friends that used that very argument about Jews... and when I said "what about Italians? There are many successful Italians too" they would say "they're all mafia". Jealous people are jealous people.. what can you do?

[Tzvi Ben Roshel1]

Jews give the most charity.

[Ehud]

I think that it's a mixture of a few things.  Jews DID come from very modest backgrounds, and they were always very good with money and dealt with money lending so that's where that comes from.  Also the idea of the cheap Jew comes from what AussieJTF said.  When jealous gentiles see rich Jews, they have to turn that into a negative thing.  They can't admit that the Jew is smart, inventive, creative or hard-working, because to do that would be admitting your own inferiority, so how do you turn being rich into a negative thing?  Just say that the only reason the Jew got rich is because he pinches every penny and doesn't spend a dime of it, then all the anti-Semites can say "If I was such a greedy and selfish pinny-pinching miser, I would be as rich as he is!"

I had friends that used that very argument about Jews... and when I said "what about Italians? There are many successful Italians too" they would say "they're all mafia". Jealous people are jealous people.. what can you do?

I have to admit though that I do it sometimes when I see a black gangster looking guy driving around in an $80,000 car and I think "man that guy must be a drug dealer, thief, con-artist, or rapper"  That's a bit more realistic though because there aren't too many blacks who look like that who make really good money through legitimate means. 

[Vito]

I think that it's a mixture of a few things.  Jews DID come from very modest backgrounds, and they were always very good with money and dealt with money lending so that's where that comes from.  Also the idea of the cheap Jew comes from what AussieJTF said.  When jealous gentiles see rich Jews, they have to turn that into a negative thing.  They can't admit that the Jew is smart, inventive, creative or hard-working, because to do that would be admitting your own inferiority, so how do you turn being rich into a negative thing?  Just say that the only reason the Jew got rich is because he pinches every penny and doesn't spend a dime of it, then all the anti-Semites can say "If I was such a greedy and selfish pinny-pinching miser, I would be as rich as he is!"

I had friends that used that very argument about Jews... and when I said "what about Italians? There are many successful Italians too" they would say "they're all mafia". Jealous people are jealous people.. what can you do?

I have to admit though that I do it sometimes when I see a black gangster looking guy driving around in an $80,000 car and I think "man that guy must be a drug dealer, thief, con-artist, or rapper"  That's a bit more realistic though because there aren't too many blacks who look like that who make really good money through legitimate means. 

Are you comparing Italians to black gangsters?

[Mishmaat]

L'havdil, Italians have brains.

[Mishmaat]

I have nothing to add. The stereotype primarily has its origins with the fact that Jews were historically the only money lenders, financiers and tax collectors in Christian society. One of the tenets of the Medieval Catholic Church prohibited Christians from lending money or practicing any form of "usury."

[Ehud]

I think that it's a mixture of a few things.  Jews DID come from very modest backgrounds, and they were always very good with money and dealt with money lending so that's where that comes from.  Also the idea of the cheap Jew comes from what AussieJTF said.  When jealous gentiles see rich Jews, they have to turn that into a negative thing.  They can't admit that the Jew is smart, inventive, creative or hard-working, because to do that would be admitting your own inferiority, so how do you turn being rich into a negative thing?  Just say that the only reason the Jew got rich is because he pinches every penny and doesn't spend a dime of it, then all the anti-Semites can say "If I was such a greedy and selfish pinny-pinching miser, I would be as rich as he is!"

I had friends that used that very argument about Jews... and when I said "what about Italians? There are many successful Italians too" they would say "they're all mafia". Jealous people are jealous people.. what can you do?

I have to admit though that I do it sometimes when I see a black gangster looking guy driving around in an $80,000 car and I think "man that guy must be a drug dealer, thief, con-artist, or rapper"  That's a bit more realistic though because there aren't too many blacks who look like that who make really good money through legitimate means. 

Are you comparing Italians to black gangsters?

No, of course not.  I'm just saying that I sometimes assume stereotypical things when I see black gangsters with really expensive things.  I assume that if they look like they are a hoodlum and they're driving around in $80,000 vehicles, they had to get that money through illegal means.  When I see rich Italians, I know that they are rich because Italian people have brains.

[Vito]

Ah sorry I just misunderstood then.. mah bad son. Mmmhmmm

[Erica]

I agree with this.  I have met some cheap Jews, but they are usually older senior citizens, so it is hard to pin this on being Jewish because many seniors of all groups are tight with their money.  I can think of many instances of wealthy Jews being very generous with their money, including Mike Bloomberg very recently (gave away close to 200 million dollars).  Unfortunately, they usually pick the wrong, liberal causes to support as usual, and not great causes like JTF, but this is another story altogether I guess.

That may be because they're just set in their ways. I wouldn't call Jews cheap.

[Maccabi]

I saw this funny dave chappelle skit about stereotypes of blacks liking chicken...so on the airplane when he has to choose a meal of fish or chicken, he orders fish (even though he wants chicken). His internal dialogue is like 'damn I want some fried chicken', but he's trying to act white/upper class.

I'm Jewish and I'm not cheap...but maybe partially because I conciously try not to fit the stereotype!  I usually tip 20-25% anyways...I'm definitely not a penny pincher...However, my tastes aren't very extravagant.

However, my x-girlfriends might consider me cheap because I won't buy gifts and don't spend money on them but it never seemed to bother them.

Neither of my parents are cheap either.

[Vito]

I can guarantee you that I'm the cheapest person on this forum... and damn proud of it!

However, my x-girlfriends might consider me cheap because I won't buy gifts and don't spend money on them but it never seemed to bother them.

You're my hero 

[MassuhDGoodName]

Jews are all "clannish" and stick together.

(what a joke!)

[judeanoncapta]

I wish all Jewish stereotypes were true.

Rich, Powerful, Clannish ie. unified.

We would be alot better off than we are today.

[Ehud]

I wish all Jewish stereotypes were true.

Rich, Powerful, Clannish ie. unified.

We would be alot better off than we are today.

Some of the people who I've had the greatest conflicts with and who have been the hardest to deal with have been Jews....

That myth is totally bogus.

[The Shadow]

I gotta tell you fellow Jews something.  Who cares what the world says about  us.  We all know they say a bunch of crap, are jealous and hate us no matter what we do.   So we might as well do what we gotta do to make it, and make Israel strong and Arab free.   The world can shove it.  (This doesn't refer to the sincere friends of Jews)

[Vito]

I gotta tell you fellow Jews something.  Who cares what the world says about  us.  We all know they say a bunch of crap, are jealous and hate us no matter what we do.   So we might as well do what we gotta do to make it, and make Israel strong and Arab free.   The world can shove it.  (This doesn't refer to the sincere friends of Jews)

From what I see, anti-Semites hate Christian Zionists more than Jews.