# Explicitly saying the Jews are vermin earns a note and not a Warning. WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 13, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028 "2014-04-13T18:28:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/161 "2014-04-17T03:17:53Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > It also, for right or wrong (pragmatically speaking), involved one of the many ‘protected’ classes on the SDMB. Had he said ‘Gypsies’, a similar reaction may have arose from a much smaller subset of people. ‘Fat people’, perhaps a larger cross-section. Had he said ‘short people’, the so-called joke would have been the same, but since short people got nobody, the uproar would have been minimum. Huh? Okay, I’ll freely admit that people have said things about Muslims that I think would have been classified as hate speech had it been said about Jews(though I don’t feel like shitting up this thread by listing them) but where did this idea that “Jews” are a “protected class” on SDMB come from? Lots of people on this board pretty regularly make nasty comments about Jews. Beyond that, while your reference to “gypsies” is warranted since they were classified as “vermin” by the Nazis, such a comment towards “short people” or “fat people” wouldn’t have made the same historical sense. To use a personal example, if someone referred to Iranians as “lazy” while I’d be personally offended I wouldn’t react the same if someone used the term to refer to blacks because calling Iranians “lazy” doesn’t have the same historical significance. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/162 "2014-04-17T03:26:13Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Huh? > > . Allusion to 1978 Randy Newman song “Short People,” which included lyrics such as “Short people got nobody … To love.” https://www.youtube.com/embed/uFmv22ghzQw?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/163 "2014-04-17T08:38:05Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > To use a personal example, if someone referred to Iranians as “lazy” while I’d be personally offended I wouldn’t react the same if someone used the term to refer to blacks because calling Iranians “lazy” doesn’t have the same historical significance. If I called them “cheap”, though… (Sorry. For some reason, Persian Jews have a reputation here in Israel for being penny-pinchers; it probably has something to do with their reputed skill at haggling. In any event, the \*Parsim \*I’ve know are no cheaper than anyone else). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/164 "2014-04-17T11:05:01Z")
At least we’ve all learned more about Bismuth. I knew about its anti-diarrheal properties and the whole Capitol of North Dakota thing. The edginess is knew. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/165 "2014-04-17T12:22:30Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Serious question BTW, I’ve never seen anyone use the term “Israeliete” before? The term “Israelite” is generally used to refer to the Jews in the period beginning with Egyptian slavery and ending with the Babylonian Exile (roughly 500 BC), after which time they were called Judeans (or Jews.) The citizens of the modern state (established in 1948) are called Israelis. I think that the term “Israelite” is used by ethnologists, but I’m not sure what it means that context. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/166 "2014-04-17T12:24:51Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > The term “Israelite” is generally used to refer to the Jews in the period beginning with Egyptian slavery and ending with the Babylonian Exile (roughly 500 BC), after which time they were called Judeans (or Jews.) The citizens of the modern state (established in 1948) are called Israelis. > > I think that the term “Israelite” is used by ethnologists, but I’m not sure what it means that context. More specifically, “Israelite” is usually used as a translation of “Bnei Yisrael” whenever the phrase appears in the Bible and other ancient sources. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/167 "2014-04-17T13:48:11Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > The term “Israelite” is generally used to refer to the Jews in the period beginning with Egyptian slavery and ending with the Babylonian Exile (roughly 500 BC), after which time they were called Judeans (or Jews.) The citizens of the modern state (established in 1948) are called Israelis. > > I think that the term “Israelite” is used by ethnologists, but I’m not sure what it means that context. I’ve heard the term “Israelite” but never “Israeliete”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/168 "2014-04-17T14:01:08Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I’ve heard the term “Israelite” but never “Israeliete”. It’s the Afrikaans spelling, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/169 "2014-04-17T14:14:46Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > It’s the Afrikaans spelling, apparently. Yes, but Red is neither Dutch nor an Afrikaaner. Perhaps it was a clever way of arguing the Israelis are the Afrikaaners of the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/170 "2014-04-17T14:26:54Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I’ve heard the term “Israelite” but never “Israeliete”. **Ibn** , In the sense of “when in doubt, human stupidity is more likely than maliciousness”, I strongly suspect “Israeliete” is a misspelling. I’ve never seen or heard it before. Oh, and speaking of things I’m unfamiliar with, although I’ve seen the name “Ibn” written before, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it. How is it correctly pronounced? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/171 "2014-04-17T14:31:48Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Oh, and speaking of things I’m unfamiliar with, although I’ve seen the name “Ibn” written before, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it. How is it correctly pronounced? 😕 I believe the “I” is silent. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/172 "2014-04-17T14:37:21Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > **Ibn** , In the sense of “when in doubt, human stupidity is more likely than maliciousness”, I strongly suspect “Israeliete” is a misspelling. I’ve never seen or heard it before. That’s probably true but honestly I thought it was a clever way to say elite Israelis. Either that or the Canadian spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/173 "2014-04-17T14:38:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Why do you think this is some sort of game? Experience. > [@RedFury](#): > > Fact is the SDMB is openly pro-Israeliete. Then I’m pro-everybody: I don’t think you can call any ethnic or racial or religious group “vermin” on this board. > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Also, what does “pro-Israeliete” mean? This doesn’t seem relevant to the thread at hand. A debate about Israel, which is where I suspect this is going, belongs in GD. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/174 "2014-04-18T16:10:23Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Either that or the Canadian spelling. Maybe it’s the British spelling. They spell all kinds of words weird. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028/175 "2014-04-18T16:17:56Z")
Since the issue in the OP has been resolved, and the thread is going off an irrelevant tangent, let’s close this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explicitly-saying-the-jews-are-vermin-earns-a-note-and-not-a-warning-wtf/686028.md?page=8)