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From: campbell@redsox.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Newsgroups: news.misc,soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: How Many (x) Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb?
Keywords: sensitivity, sensationalism
Message-ID: <568@redsox.UUCP>
Date: 6 Dec 88 04:11:51 GMT
References: <358@sulaco.Sigma.COM> <494@Aragorn.dde.uucp>
Reply-To: campbell@redsox.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Organization: The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Lines: 33

In article <494@Aragorn.dde.uucp> ct@dde.uucp (Claus Tondering) writes:

}I think that there is a profound difference between jokes about jews and
}jokes about Beglians, Irish, Scotchmen etc. Consider, for example, a joke
}about a Scotchman who is very fond of money. Now, replace the Scotchman
}with a jew. Is the joke the same? No, it isn't. Why? The joke suddenly
}becomes sick, because the accusation that jews are overly fond of money
}has been used for centruries as a pretext for persecution of jews. Nobody
}has ever persecuted the Scots for being greedy misers ...

No one ever persecuted the Scots?  Check your history books.  The English
certainly did their share.  It's just that the Jews have been persecuted
more recently, and, due to modern technology and its effects (mass culture,
mass media, etc.), more efficiently.

The Jews do not have a monopoly on persecution.  They are in the unique
position, among victims of (attempted) genocide (I say "attempted", because
if the Nazis were successful, there would be no Jews left), of having been
persecuted:

    -	Recently
    -	Somewhat successfully (in central Europe, anyway)
    -	On a massive scale over a short period of time (modern technology)
    -	And -- sadly, I think this is very important -- by a regime that
	provoked a world war and *lost*.

English settlers did much worse to the American Indians.  But it took longer
(300 years), finished less recently (1880 vs. 1945), and guess what -- we
*won*.  History is always kind to winners.
-- 
Larry Campbell                          The Boston Software Works, Inc.
campbell@bsw.com                        120 Fulton Street
wjh12!redsox!campbell                   Boston, MA 02146