# Anti-Semitism **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476 "2011-11-10T03:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Buchanan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Buchanan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buchanan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/1 "2011-11-10T03:51:46Z")
In the English language, are Jews the only minority group that have a widely-known term for the act of discrimination solely against them? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/2 "2011-11-10T03:57:19Z")
Homophobia. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/3 "2011-11-10T04:07:25Z")
[Antiziganism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiziganism) is one, but it isn’t as common in English. I am sure there are others I cannot think of right now. Antisemitism literally means “against Semites,” e.g. Jews and Arabs and other Semitic peoples, but is never used that way, so it’s a little unique in that respect. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/4 "2011-11-10T04:15:15Z")
Islamophobia. Misogyny (though of course technically speaking women are not a “minority”). ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/5 "2011-11-10T04:19:34Z")
“discrimination solely against them.” not guilty! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/6 "2011-11-10T04:21:17Z")
Nipponophobia? (Anti-Japanese sentiment.) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/7 "2011-11-10T04:22:20Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Antisemitism literally means “against Semites,” e.g. Jews and Arabs and other Semitic peoples, but is never used that way, so it’s a little unique in that respect. It’s also unique in that it was coined by antisemites to describe themselves, in an attempt to give a veneer of scientific respectability to their bigotry. Most of the parallel terms are devised to highlight bigotry, not to conceal it. That, I suspect, is why it is an incoherent term. “Semitic” is a linguistic term, and if “semitic peoples” means anything at all, it means people who speak semitic languages, which includes not only some Jews and all Arabs, but a variety of other nationalities, including Ethiopians and Maltese. On the other hand, it excludes the great majority of Jews today. Hence “semitic” and “antisemitic”, despite appearances, are not really opposed terms. “Antisemitic” just means “bigoted against Jews”, and its etymology is nonsensical because it represesents an incoherent attempt to claim a scientific basis for this bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/8 "2011-11-10T04:23:53Z")
Oh, and of course anti-Catholicism. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/9 "2011-11-10T04:34:49Z")
> **[Antisemitism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-semitism#Etymology_and_usage)** > > Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism)\[a\] is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is a form of racism. > Antisemitism has historically been manifested in many ways, ranging from expressions of hatred of or discrimination against individual Jews to organized pogroms by mobs, police forces, or genocide. Although the term did not come into common usage until the 19th century, it ... ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/10 "2011-11-10T05:02:03Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [Antiziganism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiziganism) is one, but it isn’t as common in English. I am sure there are others I cannot think of right now. Thanks. Now I’m totally in love with [this woman.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tiganca_imputita.JPG) But I’m pretty sure that word was never in common usage anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/11 "2011-11-11T01:27:45Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > “discrimination solely against them.” > > not guilty! 😃 [moderator note] Dropping into threads like this to brag about your racism could be considered threadshitting. It could be considered a violation of our prime rule (“don’t be a jerk”). It could be considered trolling. No matter what you call it, it’s time to stop doing it. No warning issued this time, but you’re pushing your luck. [/moderator note] ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/602476/12 "2011-11-11T02:12:31Z")
Anti-Dentism [_–Seinfeld_]