In fact, there are some people who seem reluctant to use “Jew” as though that were a racial slur too. So they use periphrastic descriptions such as “a Jewish man/woman”.
The cited post was a friendly “Shana Tova” (Happy New Year) greeting and clearly not intended as anything nasty and I think that Twikster over reacted.
I grew up in an area with a fair portion of Jews. I don’t remember hearing anyone use “Hebe” there, and first remember hearing it on TV from Archie Bunker. It came across as a bit crude and impolite, but not mean and derogatory like “kike.”
I was under the impression it was a racial slur. The first time I heard it used was in the film Die Hard when Ellis is talking to Hans about who he was mad at, “Maybe you’re pissed at the camel Jockeys, maybe it’s the Hebes, Northern Ireland, that’s none of my business.”
In context, I figured it was a racial slur at worst, at best something not used in even semi-polite company.
I don’t how the term ‘slur’ has been applied here on the board. For instance is ‘Mick’ a slur for an Irish person? In this case it’s been derelevanced by the mods, but maybe this thread should be in ATMB for future reference.
Hebe to me is a word like fag or nigger. Ok for members of the group to use among themselves, but usually a horrid insult when coming from people from outside. I would look askance at a non-Jew who called me “hebe” unless we were really tight friends; though I’ve heard worse it’s not at all nice.
Basically the thread struck me as not exactly offensive but, coming from a person I don’t know? Presumptuous at best.
ETA: its more of an ethnic slur than a racial slur, since as far as I know “jewish” is not a “race” that our culture agrees exists.
Well, I once saw a Jewish friend of mine launch himself, fists flying, at another friend who called him a “f**kin’ Hebe” in a moment of pique, so yeah, it gets used as a slur, and evokes the response you would expect.
Okay, I’ll clarify my previous… I have always heard it used to refer to people because of their religion (I don’t know anybody here in the states who speaks Hebrew who isn’t Jewish), so, religious slur.