The difference between Kass and the writers of the commentary is that the latter apparently used a striking metaphor to elucidate a concept, the former to hide it. Not unlike the magician, Kass misdirects the reader s attention to the indignation that he or she should be feeling upon a reference to a yellow star. Note that he does not even address the seismic question that the reference to yellow stars invites. Yellow stars were used in many European cities for hundreds of years before the Nazi state to segregate Jews into ghettoes and identify them for judgement on something extraneous to their personhood, dignity and talent. It was a license to pay Jews less than they deserved for their effort or product.
Yellow stars are a universal symbol of prejudice and oppression by the many over the few.
How sensitive Kass is to those discriminated against in this regard will determine how virtuous sensitivity truly is in his book. It will also show the worth of the book itself.