# Anti-Semitism: What is it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 12, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881 "2004-03-12T12:48:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/1 "2004-03-12T12:48:03Z")
As a Human Rights gesture, we should define Anti-semitism as against Semites e.g. Phonecians, Arabs, Syrians, Iraqis. And create the word Judeosemetism to refer to the Ehtnic group Jews. So we should use the word Anti-Judeosemitism to refer to against the Jew. Jews can’t hide behind the Arab anymore or other peoples names. Jews must be identified. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/2 "2004-03-12T12:53:12Z")
Oh deary me. ---
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/3 "2004-03-12T12:58:15Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Oh deary me. Confused? I bet you are. From [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) Semitism: Semitic traits, attributes, or customs Semitic: Of, relating to, or constituting a subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic language group that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. Semite: A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians. anti-Semitism: Hostility toward or prejudice against Jews or Judaism. The Jews seemed to have hi-jacked the word “Semitism” and kept it for themselves. By definition, Jews are anti-Semitic too, towards the Arabs. …deary me too. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/4 "2004-03-12T13:02:13Z")
Not confused at all. If I thought you were serious about a discussion, I’d happily contribute. However, your last two sentences indicate you have an agenda. I reiterate: oh deary me. ---
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/5 "2004-03-12T13:04:25Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Not confused at all. I’ll happily contribute… Okay then you Define anti-semitism for us all and lets go from there! ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/6 "2004-03-12T13:08:32Z")
Antisemitism: See all attitudes held by Franklin Philly. ---
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/7 "2004-03-12T13:10:21Z")
> [@Dogface](#): > > Antisemitism: See all attitudes held by Franklin Philly. That doesn’t define AS. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/8 "2004-03-12T13:15:07Z")
I noticed in a political cartoon, (Telnaes IIRC), where the artists had associated the word anit-semitism with Saudi Arabia. This struck me as peculiar as Arabs are semitic people as well, IIRC. Rather than come up with a new word, wouldn’t it just be better and easier to educate people about the meaning of the current functional word. No matter how many new words ones decides to start using, at some point it’s necessary to promote the awareness of the words actual meaning. Rather than invent a new term and then promote the awareness of the new term’s meaning, it would be simpler, more effective, more aesthetically pleasing, and more efficient to promote awareness of what the current term, anti-semitic, means. Your proposal to create a new term rather than just properly use the current term smacks of Big-Brother newspeak and mind control through language control. In addition to that your proposal is needlessly complicated, linguistically ugly, and dreadfully inefficient. ---
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/9 "2004-03-12T13:20:07Z")
> [@SimonX](#): > > Rather than come up with a word, wouldn’t it just be better and easier > > needlessly complicated. It’s Humane, because when the Jews are credited with starting WW I “The War to End All Wars”… the Arabs get blamed for it because they are Semites also. So as a Human Rights gesture and to speed up the thought process. Jews should be named Judeosemites. To stop the confusion that may be Arabs. Easier is TV. Intellect is defining entities. Twisting the meanings of words as you proscribe is what the Judeosemites are often accused of. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/10 "2004-03-12T13:25:54Z")
> [@Franklin Philly](#): > > It’s Humane, because when the Jews are credited with starting WW I “The War to End All Wars”… the Arabs get blamed for it because they are Semites also. Er… by whom? Who the hell ever blamed the Arabs? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/11 "2004-03-12T13:29:05Z")
Simon, “Anti-semitism” was a term created by the Jew-hater Wilhelm Marr in 1879 to replace the German word “Judenhass” - “Jew-hatred.” It was created as a word to hide behind. He felt that it sounded less vulgar and perhaps even somewhat scientific. It was never meant as a word to apply to all Semitic people or to Arabs, and never has. It means Jew-hater, nothing else, and always has. Other than that … sigh. These malignant clowns still exist. To those who did not understand why some of us Jews get a little hypersensitive sometimes, it is sad how many of these pitiful people ares till out there. ---
**Author:** ![electrozion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85f322/32.png) [@electrozion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/electrozion)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/12 "2004-03-12T13:29:34Z")
> [@Franklin Philly](#): > > It’s Humane, because when the Jews are credited with starting WW I “The War to End All Wars” The jews are credited with starting WW I? where did you get that from? If you were talking about WW II you might have a point - the nazis called it the jewish war in a perverted twist of their insane minds. Just accept the word for what it means: ideologically motivated hostility toward Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/13 "2004-03-12T13:31:00Z")
It’s true that the term Semite has taken on a different meaning from the original one. I don’t know of anybody who’s actually confused by this. It’s not like the subject is complicated. Anti-Semite means people who hate Jews. Comprendez vous? > [@](#): > > Jews must be identified. Will yellow stars work? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/14 "2004-03-12T13:31:43Z")
And beyond that I am out of here and advise the rest ignore this … thing too. ---
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/15 "2004-03-12T13:32:45Z")
> [@electrozion](#): > > Just accept it… No I will not accept LIES. Anti-semitism means against Arab, Palestinian and all Middle eastern peoples. Keep your hatred to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/16 "2004-03-12T13:35:41Z")
Ya wanna try a counter cite or something there, Franklin? Something to support your point? Generally people seem perfectly capable to distinguish between Arabs and Jews. Arabs and Jews make it pretty clear who’s who these days, I think. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/17 "2004-03-12T13:37:39Z")
I getcha! This thread is not really about your hatred of Jews - it’s about semantics. What you’re actually asking here is “Should we accept a prescriptive or a descriptive usage of words?” I see you fall into the prescriptive camp. Are there any other words that began meaning one thing, but now have a more specific meaning, to which you object? ---
**Author:** ![Franklin\_Philly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Franklin\_Philly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Franklin_Philly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/18 "2004-03-12T13:40:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Ya wanna try a counter cite or something there, Franklin? Something to support your point? Generally people seem perfectly capable to distinguish between Arabs and Jews. Arabs and Jews make it pretty clear who’s who these days, I think. No. When somebody says something to a Jew that the Jew doesn’t like to hear, the Jew doesn’t say “oh vey–that’s Anti-Judeosemitic” now do they, no. They say it’s “Anti-Semitic” which means against all the Arab world. It’s like saying “oh you said against the Jew. No you are anti-world!” See what I mean. They, the Jews, are small, but claim any attack on them is not an attack on them but the whole world or the whol half world or the whole middle east. You see they never take RESPONSIBILITY. That’s why they have no country. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/19 "2004-03-12T13:44:22Z")
And Israel is what? Nevermind, we’re getting sidetracked. Considering how hard it is to find a track in the first place here… > [@](#): > > They say it’s “Anti-Semitic” which means against all the Arab world. In a technical sense, yes. But I’d be amazed if anyone has ever misunderstood the term in this way. As has been previous noted, the term was coined by an anti-Jewish bigot, so I fail to see how you can blame the Jews for using it to try and hide. Sounds like the opposite was the case. Do you want to deal with that, or will you just say you won’t accept it? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881/20 "2004-03-12T13:47:28Z")
> [@Franklin Philly](#): > > No. When somebody says something to a Jew that the Jew doesn’t like to hear, the Jew doesn’t say “oh vey–that’s Anti-Judeosemitic” now do they, no. They say it’s “Anti-Semitic” which means against all the Arab world. But who on earth ever takes this particular usage to _mean_ the Arab world? Clearly you do, but I must say, you’re in a teeny tiny little minority. As are your apparent political views, thankfully. So, do you dislike the phrase “copper bottomed” too? It’s not about how good a deal is - it’s about ships! How dare people go around accusing deals of being like ships! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism-what-is-it/233881.md?page=2)