Jew is not a verb

I've never been easily offended. Growing up I adhered to the old adage regarding sticks and stones. I've been called every name in the book and then some. Because I stood only 5’6” at most, wore glasses and was smarter than most everyone else (not bragging, simple fact) I endured a lot of taunts. There were the usual epithets such as four-eyes, shorty, little man, asshole, dick, etc. Along with that I heard queer and faggot, a favorite catch all in my shitty town for anyone that didn't adhere to the rigid white trash customs that seemed to abound. I heard others utter the usual racial slurs and always dismissed the speaker as being ignorant. In the words of the immortal Honey Badger, I don’t give a fuck.

I myself never used the word “Nigger." I had black friends in high school and have black coworkers and acquaintances. If I had ever used that word, my father and mother would have smacked me and would have been embarrassed to be seen with me. Using any of those words was seen as a sign of being poorly educated. (My parents are embarrassed enough by my prodigious employment of profane language.)

You see, my father is a Jew, and while technically that doesn't make me Jewish, being Jewish is more than a religion. I consider myself an ethnic Jew, much as some of my friends consider themselves to be Mexican even though their families have resided in this country for 150 years or more. And while I've never been sensitive about any other aspect of my life, I find myself being sensitive to the use of the word Jew as a verb. I rarely heard it growing up but I've heard it a lot in the past ten years. When it happens I don’t say anything I just stand there silently. At some point, though I work into the conversation that I am a Jew and let it go. I don’t know why I don’t just jump at them and punch them in the face, or at least defend my identity.

 I just don’t know.

There's a HUGE chunk of hypocrisy when someone uses the term Jew as a verb. If a Christian does it, they are considered a "hard bargainer" or "shrewd businessman." But, if anyone with a last name that ends in -witz, -stein or -blatt does it, their a cheap Jew. Christians are frugal, Jews are cheap. In reality, my business dealings with Christians here in Texas make me avoid anyone with a fish symbol in their ad. 

Bonus if you remember this cover

There can be only two reasons why anyone uses this term, or any other ethnic slur; naivete or ignorance. There’s a fine line between the two. Naivete is reserved for those who grew up without knowing any Jews, those who received a transmission from their parents, who probably didn't know any Jews either…at least they thought they didn't know any. Jews aren't always recognizable, especially those outside of the Northeast.  There is no Jewish rock station, although many of the best rock and rollers are Jews (Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Slash, Gene Simmons.) Not every Jew is named Epstein, has curly hair and big ears. Jews don’t typically run around proclaiming their faith and trying to convert everyone. After all, who wants to be a part of a group that has been hated for 2000 years? Naivete, to some point, can be forgiven. Ignorance on the other hand…

Everyone knows that Jewish comedians
 pull the levers that run the world 

Ignorance is the ability to look at the elephant in the room and  call it a giraffe.

Ignorance occurs when someone should know better, and should be able to discriminate between utter bullshit and the truth. Ignorance is looking the truth in the face and still denying it. (Please don’t start debating me on the subjectivity of truth; it’s too early for a Platonic dialogue.) Ignorance is for the uneducated and the closed minded. One would think that it is reserved for those who blindly believe what they are told in order to shift the blame for their laziness elsewhere. I was taught to believe that ignorance is not for the educated, or is it?

Two days ago my wife and I were talking with a person we both know fairly well. She is white, upper middle class, works a corporate job – the very epitome of a mother, etc. In the course of our conversation she asked if someone “Jewed us down.” I had no idea what to say. My wife told me that the remark elicited a rather uncomfortable pause and then the conversation went on. I didn't know what to say. I seriously doubt this woman have used the word Nigger in a sentence in front of a black person. Or Wetback in front of our Hispanic neighbors. But here she was using the only phrase that pisses me off. Although I’m not black, I can relate to what Dave Chapelle says:

Most Jews I know go out of their way to disprove this stereotype. They overtip so as not to look cheap. I've done this myself and been questioned for it.

“Hey Ryan, you gave that waiter a 20% tip on the meal!”

“Yeah, um they work hard.”

“But he kicked you in the balls!”

I don’t come from a wealthy family. Not all Jews are wealthy doctors or lawyers or financiers - don't believe all the bullshit on the Internet.  My father was an MBA in steel-toed boots. He spent his life working outdoors running scrapyards. He was (and still is) a though motherfucker who spent his days in the freezing cold and the burning heat surrounding by mud, dirt and rusting steel. He could never get all the grease and grime from under his fingernails and his favorite overalls were practically flammable from all the oil and grease. His crews comprised blacks, whites and Latinos, and he didn't care what you were as long as you got the job done.  I think am bothered by this because it is disrespectful to my old man. Maybe I’m actually disappointed that people still use this old trope, but it latter makes no sense since I don’t hold people in general in high regard, so I am left only with this as a sign of disrespect.

So from now on I will treat  it as such.