# Do Americans get too much information about Jewish culture, relatively speaking?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 14, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037 "2009-04-14T04:55:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/61 "2009-04-14T17:44:51Z")
> [@Polerius](#):
>
> If it’s so laughable, can you come up with another culture that makes up a similar percent of the US population, and about which Americans know as many concepts as mentioned in the OP?
As has been noted, there is no comparable culture of significant size. Adherents of other religious denominations nearly all come from a specific geographic area. Jews do not (at least, not in any meaningful sense), which makes them unique.
However, since you ask, Irish Catholics. About 12% of the population self-identifies as having Irish ancestry, and while Irish American culture is not really anything like Irish culture, it’s at least as visible as Jewish culture. Hell, they’ve got their own city.
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### Author:  [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/62 "2009-04-14T17:50:23Z")
Italian Americans are about 6% of the total US population, and are also culturally influential.
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### Author:  [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/63 "2009-04-14T18:05:43Z")
> [@Polerius](#):
>
> If it’s so laughable, can you come up with another culture that makes up a similar percent of the US population, and about which Americans know as many concepts as mentioned in the OP?
>
> Granted, many Americans may only have a passing knowledge of these things, and may not know what exactly Kosher is, or which Jewish holiday is the most important, but the fact that so many terms from this culture are known to Americans is unusual, if we compare it to any other subgroup of the same size living in the US.
I’d say Italian-Americans from New York and New Jersey get a fair bit of exposure, proportionally speaking (on preview, I see I was beaten to that point)
Other things the average American gets too much information on, relatively speaking:
- how to hail a cab in NYC
- forensic investigation procedures in Las Vegas, NYC and Miami
- law enforcement and judicial system of NYC
- medical procedures and hospital administrative structures in various major cities
- emergency services (police, fire dept and ambulance) in various major cities - particularly NYC
- the LA bar and club scene
- Britney Spears’ divorce and custodial arrangement (and genital grooming preferences)
As a Canadian, I can tell it was downright eerie visiting NYC for the first time, because I’d seen the place in TV and film umpteen million times… it was like deja-vu every time I turned the corner.
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### Author:  [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/64 "2009-04-14T18:08:11Z")
> [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](#):
>
> Everyone knows that Rhoda Morganstern was Jewish but Mary Richards was nonsecular. She was probably Swedish.
She was Presbyterian. She says so in the pilot, during her interview instead of answering whether or not she’s married.
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### Author:  [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/65 "2009-04-14T18:08:43Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#):
>
> Other things the average American gets too much information on, relatively speaking:
>
> - forensic investigation procedures in Las Vegas, NYC and Miami
🙂
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### Author:  [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/66 "2009-04-14T18:29:48Z")
> [@amarinth](#):
>
> She was Presbyterian. She says so in the pilot, during her interview instead of answering whether or not she’s married.
Wow, I missed that part. So Mar would rather give her religion than say she’e a single woman making it on her own? Gosh, I hope we have come farthert than that.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/67 "2009-04-14T18:48:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> It’s also worth noting that Jewish _men_ control Hollywood. Jewish women are virtually invisible (at least among studio management).
True. Men also have pretty much of a lock on what it means to be “Jewish” in pop culture. But I don’t necessarily think it’s because of any Jewish male control of the industry, or because Jewish culture traditionally subjugated women (although in many ways it did, and Jewish women still have to confront limiting stereotypes).
In many ways it has to do with expected roles in drama and comedy. Men are usually x, women usually y, people of such and such background usually z, etc. In mixed marriages or couples in TV or the movies, the Jew probably has to be male because a. the male is expected to be the lead protagonist _and_ be the exceptional partner of the two - ie: more interesting, intense, funny. And let’s face it, whether we’re Jewish or not, we _all_ think of Jews as exceptional people.
Sarah Silverman (the character, as played by Sarah Silverman the comedian) is one of only a few TV characters who gets to be both Jewish and sexy - probably because she’s clearly _not_ meant to be be taken seriously. Dr. Cuddy on _House_ is another, and I think she only gets away with it because neither her Jewishness nor her sexiness is really key to the show - they’re subplot material.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/68 "2009-04-14T19:25:03Z")
> [@Sampiro](#):
>
> . You’re more likely to see a scene set in a gay bar, a synagogue, or a jail than you are in a Baptist Church.
Four Corners!
Gawd, the next hit series!
Ms Smith, get me HBO on the phone pronto !
I gotta type this baby out fast!
Comedy/drama gold I tells ya…
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/69 "2009-04-14T19:38:00Z")
> [@Polerius](#):
>
> If it’s so laughable, can you come up with another culture that makes up a similar percent of the US population, and about which Americans know as many concepts as mentioned in the OP?
Hillbillies?
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### Author:  [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/70 "2009-04-14T20:07:55Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> . . .
>
> However, since you ask, Irish Catholics. About 12% of the population self-identifies as having Irish ancestry, and while Irish American culture is not really anything like Irish culture, it’s at least as visible as Jewish culture. Hell, they’ve got their own city.
Would that be Boston? I know they have their own state.
O’Regan
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### Author:  [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/71 "2009-04-14T20:11:30Z")
> [@pravnik](#):
>
> Hillbillies?
In case the above isn’t a joke: What do people know about hillbillies?
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/72 "2009-04-14T20:25:36Z")
> [@Yllaria](#):
>
> Would that be Boston? I know they have their own state.
>
> O’Regan
Yeah.
Obviously, it’s not “their” city, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that people think of Boston as an Irish-American city.
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### Author:  [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/73 "2009-04-14T20:31:05Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> As has been noted, there is no comparable culture of significant size. Adherents of other religious denominations nearly all come from a specific geographic area. Jews do not (at least, not in any meaningful sense), which makes them unique.
I don’t understand this point, can you elaborate? For the purposes of this thread I don’t see what difference it makes if a culture is formed over a common language, religion, “old country”, etc. Yeah “culture” is not an exact term but I think we’ll loosely be able to agree if someone proposes an answer.
i would say that “too much” may not have been the best choice of words for the thread title, it’s not that we know too much about Jewish culture in the US, perhaps that we know too little about other cultures.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/74 "2009-04-14T20:39:23Z")
> [@Polerius](#):
>
> In case the above isn’t a joke: What do people know about hillbillies?
Jews don’t have a single comic strip, while hillbillies have Lil’ Abner _and_ Snuffy Smith!
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/75 "2009-04-14T20:45:54Z")
> [@Polerius](#):
>
> In case the above isn’t a joke: What do people know about hillbillies?
They load up the truck and they move to Beverly. Hills, that is.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/76 "2009-04-14T20:46:37Z")
> [@sugar\_and\_spice](#):
>
> I don’t understand this point, can you elaborate? For the purposes of this thread I don’t see what difference it makes if a culture is formed over a common language, religion, “old country”, etc. Yeah “culture” is not an exact term but I think we’ll loosely be able to agree if someone proposes an answer.
>
> i would say that “too much” may not have been the best choice of words for the thread title, it’s not that we know too much about Jewish culture in the US, perhaps that we know too little about other cultures.
The point is that Jews are not nearly as homogenous as other religio-cultural groupings, because they’re much more widely spread.
You wouldn’t take Presbyterians from Scotland and Presbyterians from Mozambique and say, “hey, look at this cultural group.”
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/77 "2009-04-14T20:49:26Z")
[A Sephardic Passover song, sung by the great Yehoram Gaon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q5XRpN4_TY)
[Ofra Haza, singing a Yemenite Jewish folk song.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2xNTzlFSk0)
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/78 "2009-04-14T21:02:28Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#):
>
> It seems like whenever people get married in movies, they’re always Catholic by default. They might never mention religion at all in the whole rest of the movie, but if there’s a wedding, you see a Catholic [Christianity is Catholic.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChristianityIsCatholic)priest officiating.
```
Roman Catholic rites and clerical costumes are much more distinctive than the Protestants'. There's also the dramatic usefullness of Confession as a plot device.
```
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### Author:  [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/79 "2009-04-14T21:06:14Z")
> [@Kyla](#):
>
> Chinese Jews, AFAIK, haven’t existed for centuries. They were long ago assimilated into Chinese culture.
That’s not true. ISTR around 10 years ago, when I was friendly with a Chinese ex-pat, she took pride in pointing me towards a source (nytimes? ) that reported the discovery of a surviving Jewish community in Beijing.
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### Author:  [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-get-too-much-information-about-jewish-culture-relatively-speaking/493037/80 "2009-04-14T21:13:09Z")
Speaking of minority influence, how about Aaron Copland, a gay Jew from Brooklyn? His music is an integral part of American culture. _Fanfare for the Common Man_ is part of many official ceremonial events, the last movement from his ballet _Rodeo_ is the music for the “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner” commercials, etc.
Yep, he’s the poster child of undue influence by the small populations of gays and Jews. 😉
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