(no subject)

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Ugh.

This has NOT been a good semester for me. I keep being forced to miss classes for this reason or that. This time, I'm sick. And not just regular sick, but sick in a way that would affect my voice work. Man, my chest hurts.

When I cough, anyway.

So anyway, reason I'm making this post, Red was just telling me some "goy" jokes she'd heard. For the uninitiated, a "goy" means "non-Jew." They(she and her family) deny it, but I feel like this is the most racist term I've ever heard in my entire life, as it targets not just one specific group, but EVERYONE who isn't a part of THEIR group.

Granted, racism tends to promote racial superiority, and Jews can be self-deprecating plenty, but...

I realize perfectly well that it's likely not meant to be malicious, or at least nowadays(or maybe to some, it is), but it still sort of feels like they're seperating the rest out for some reason.

Or maybe it's just me. Probably is.

Anyway, for the hell of it, here are the jokes. To see if anyone gets it. Me? The sad thing is, I think I do.

A goy walks into a shop, and he sees a coat for sale, and asks the shopkeeper, "How much is that coat?"

The shopkeeper says, "Five-hundred dollars."

And so the goy says, "I'll take it!"

You still with me?

That was the joke.

Here's another:

A goy calls his mom and says, "how are you doing?" and she says "I'm fine, thank you."

Don't hold your breath for more, that was it for that one, too.

Lastly...

A goy mother invites her son over for dinner, and he realizes he won't be able to make it. He calls his mom to inform her, and she says "That's alright."

Hope you got something out of this. As for me, I'm off to go die now.

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Comments

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

(so off topic) Icon! So! Cute!

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

That icon just kinda creeps me out, to be truthful.

[guido-jacobs.livejournal.com]

same here

[emerald084.livejournal.com]

Goy or Goyem, yeah, usually means non-Jewish.
I think it technically means layman or something. At any rate, I have Jewish relatives, a cousin and his parents. He's half Chinese, and once played violin for the pope. A jew plays for the pope? Er, getting off topic.
Right, as far as I can tell, it's not a racist term in derogatory ways, it doesn't have a negative meaning. It is very religion-exlusive, however, so it's a gray area.
...boy, what a waste that was. Feel better, Beed.

[guido-jacobs.livejournal.com]

WA HAHAHAHAHA! ...nope, didn't get them. Jews can get $500 coats, have mothers that are doing well, and are forgiving....

[stevencwatts.livejournal.com]

In theory, I get the first one, but it really seems to be more poking fun at Jews reputation for bargaining and being penny-pinchers than anything. The other two, yeah, I don't get that shit at all.

On the bright side, this opens up a whole new career path for me. Jewish Comic. It really seems like you don't have to work that hard.

"So a goy walks into a butcher shop, and says 'give me some of your porkchops.' Then he buys them and eats them at home with his family!"

I'll make a fortune.

[starnik.livejournal.com]

*shrugs* I get them. It's a common sterotypical joke that Jewish mothers will ramble on when asked how they're doing and when they are given bad news. Of course, that sterotype is also applied to Italin, Greek, ect. ect. ECT... depending on what cultural background the comedian is from. And the first one everyone got, it seems.

And Goy is the MOST offensive racist term you've EVER HEARD? ...wow man, you need to relax a little bit. It's not even a word with a negative meaning attached to it. There are plenty of words used to describe other races which are more hurtful and offensive.

[storm-wolfe.livejournal.com]

Huh. Although I can tell it's not outwardly intended to be offensive... I kinda gotta stand with you on that BD. I don't really like the classification of anyone under a racial slur, though I suppose I do it everyday with terms like redneck, or southern bitch. But seriously, it DOES have the sound of classifying jews as like a higher station or something, even if I know it's not intended as such. Kinda like when southerners sit around and joke about how northerners don't know what grits are and such. It's just a way to bond I guess. But still... if I were a northerner, I wouldn't like hearing how I don't know shit about grits, so as it stands, I don't really like how THIS sounds.

[magnus-samma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, like Starnik says, the jokes seem to be having more fun with Jewish stereotypes that gentile ones, though those stereotypes can be applied to other ethnic groups as well...

I've always felt kind of unsettled about the whole Jew/Gentile thing. What makes the Jews so unusual? Because they're God's chosen people? Is this why so many civilizations were so bound and determined to wipe them off the face of the planet? Every ethnic group is different from every other ethnic groups, and I don't see why Jews can't just be another ethnic group. Just another religion, even. Why all the fuss? This isn't really a problem with the Jews themselves, I mean, I'm sure plenty of them would love to just be another ethnic group and not have to deal with shit like they probably have to, but as you point out they have the same tendency to categorize people as Jewish or Non-Jewish. If I went around calling people "white" or "non-white" I'd be labelled as a racist.

So what it boils down to is I don't know what the hell's up with it, basically. But there's something wierd about it.