From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Why are Jews discriminated?
Date: 13 Dec 92 19:25:32 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department

In article <Dec.12.15.44.34.1992.2720@soliton.rutgers.edu> zzhang@soliton.rutgers.edu (ZhiZhong Zhang) writes:
>Excuse me if I sound too ignorant, but I always have had this question
> in mind. I came from China. Before I came to USA, I had virtually no
>knowledge about racial relationships. I did hear a little about anti-
>semitism and Nazism and stuff but that's it, not too much. 
>I can understand why this exists racial
>prejudices against blacks, asians etc, because of the obvious difference
>in physical appearances and traditionally blacks, asians and whites live
>in different regions. However, in my eyes, Jews and other whites are of 
>same race(am I wroong here?). Maybe Jews are different from other whites
>in a similar way as Chinese are different from other asians. Now there is
>not such a anti-Chinese sentiment among other asians. There is, of course
>a anti-Japanese sentment because of the war. However, it is
>not nearly as strong as that against Jews. 

>Now my questions,
>a) Are Jews and other whites the same race?

Mostly, but not all.  However, there are many branches of the Caucasian
race.   Caucasians range in color from those with very light color to
quite dark.

>b) if they are the same race to start with, how did they grow apart?

It is not clear that they did.  Most of the discrimination against Jews,
except for the relatively recent racism of the Nazis and similar groups,
has not been on the basis of race.

>c) Why, from the viewpoint of Jews, are Jews discriminated? 
>d) Why, from the viewpoint of other whites, are discriminated?

Unlike China, the West has been a battleground throughout all of history.
It is one tribe or nation wishing to conquer another, and impose their
culture on the others.  In some cases, the conquerors remain separate 
from the conquered, but usually there is a merger.  If they remain
separate, obviously they discriminate.  But if they merge, there is
ueually a dicated religion, custom, etc.

Most of the discrimination is because of religion, or even because of
customs.  Xenophobia is quite old in human (and even animal) affairs,
and history has often been us against them.  The Chinese were sufficiently
numerous to swallow up their invaders and conquerors. 

Wars because of religion have been quite common, and quite bloody.  The
"30 years war" in Germany in the 17th century killed a substantial part
of the population.  The Western religions, especially those religions
which proselytize, such as the various branches of Christianity and
Islam, almost consider it a duty to kill someone who will not convert.
The Crusades were holy wars in the name of Christianity; the Jihads
similarly in the name of Islam.   It may take a generation or so, but
if Jews converted to Christianity, they would not be discriminated
against.  It is this refusal to accept another religion which is the
prime factor in discrimination agains Jews.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish