# Pet peeve: it's "Jews" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018 "2015-07-02T02:51:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/41 "2015-07-02T19:57:59Z")
Why risk offending people when you don’t intend to? Jewish people, Catholic people, gay people, Mexican people, autistic people… It’s not that complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/42 "2015-07-02T20:22:39Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Actually, I think it’s other way round: “Jew” is a slur…when used as an _adjective_. Consider the difference between “a Jewish boy” and “a Jew boy”. Or, historically more ominous, “Jewish bankers” and “Jew bankers”. As you see, I was agreeing with **Terr** ’s criticism of the phrase, “California is home to 1.2 million Jewish,” in which “Jewish” is a noun. It’s just ungrammatical. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/43 "2015-07-02T20:46:01Z")
I’m a Jew and you can call me a Jew. > [@Wallet](#): > > Just a week or so ago a co-worker decided to give me a compliment - “you know, if you were Christian, you’d go to Heaven!” (because I had done her a favor) > Wait a sec, I asked, because I’m Jewish, I’m going to hell? “Well, you know you Jews can’t go there [pointing up to the sky]”. The proper response to that is, “I forgive you, for you know not what you do.” ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/44 "2015-07-02T21:18:00Z")
Funny thing about that – some of the online word games I like to play have recently removed the word “Jew” from their allowed word lists. I mean, it doesn’t sit well with everyone, but it is still a word, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/45 "2015-07-02T21:33:54Z")
I agree with the OP. “Jews” isn’t any more offensive than “Christians” or “Muslims.” All three can be said with a sneering tone, to convey contempt or hate, but by themselves they are simply descriptors. Avoiding this simple term may be well intentioned, but it’s silly and leads to a lot of awkward phrasing. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/46 "2015-07-02T21:49:27Z")
When I read the OP, I thought it was silly. Of course I am a Jew (although more in Jonathan Miller’s sense). Then I remembered how offended when my 30 year old niece (whose father is Italian) said to me as I was paying in a restaurant, “Uncle Hari, tip like an Italian, not like a Jew.” Her mother was offended when I repeated this to her. So I guess it all depends on the context and how it is said. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/47 "2015-07-02T22:09:00Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > When I read the OP, I thought it was silly. Of course I am a Jew (although more in Jonathan Miller’s sense). Then I remembered how offended when my 30 year old niece (whose father is Italian) said to me as I was paying in a restaurant, “Uncle Hari, tip like an Italian, not like a Jew.” Her mother was offended when I repeated this to her. So I guess it all depends on the context and how it is said. Again, would the “Uncle Hari, tip like an Italian, not like a Jewish person” have been better? It’s the sentiment that can be offensive, not the word. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/48 "2015-07-02T22:25:39Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > … you don’t have to use “Jewish people” where “Jews” would work perfectly well everywhere. … I agree that you don’t have to. But you could, too. I’d let that pet peeve go, life is short. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/49 "2015-07-03T01:05:37Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Why risk offending people when you don’t intend to? Jewish people, Catholic people, gay people, Mexican people, autistic people… It’s not that complicated. Because apparently caring what other people think will make hair grow on your palms, and the habit must not be indulged in and must be discouraged in others. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/50 "2015-07-03T03:30:26Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Because it’s damn nigh impossible to keep up with which descriptive words are offensive to whom, particularly when writing a public message that could be read across the globe. People who know me know that if I intend to be offensive there will be no question and parse my words in that light. People who don’t know me will draw their own conclusions. No, it’s not. Not as long as you haven’t shut yourself off from the world, you’ll know what words are currently in use. Maybe during transition you might be off, but when it’s something that people have been apparently talking about for decades, you don’t really have an excuse. Especially when you are writing for public consumption and have time to think about how not to offend. The thing is, maybe most Jewish people won’t be offended. But if there are enough that are, I don’t see the point in fighting back. If you’re Jewish and want to reclaim the word, more power to you. But I am not going to be comfortable using it until it’s like “black” or “American Indian,” where the person is looked at like a freak for getting upset. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/51 "2015-07-03T03:37:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The thing is, maybe most **Jewish people** won’t be offended. It’s like freaking nails on a blackboard. “Jew” is not a slur. I am sure that 99.9% of Jews in the world will not be offended at a sentence that read “The thing is, maybe most **Jews** won’t be offended.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/52 "2015-07-03T03:57:32Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Funny thing about that – some of the online word games I like to play have recently removed the word “Jew” from their allowed word lists. > > I mean, it doesn’t sit well with everyone, but it is still a word, isn’t it? The Scrabble dictionary (print) has been expurgated through the years. You have to hold on to the first edition so you can use words like twat, jew, mick…I cringe when I do it, but a good play is a good play. > [@Giles](#): > > In _Beyond the Fringe_, Jonathan Miller had the immortal line, “I’m not really a Jew, you know, just Jewish.” “I’m a non-practicing Jew.” “Well, I’m a non-practicing virgin!” > [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > “Shiksa” is derogatory, and is generally used by people who consider that a feature rather than a bug (so to speak). But “shiksappeal” is still OK, right? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/53 "2015-07-03T04:10:11Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Obviously “Jew” used as a verb is offensive. There is no way NOT to use that inoffensively, and no way to euphemize it (as in “I Jewish People’d him down”?). That is not what the OP was about. Not with that meaning. I remember a TV program about Itzhak Perlman, the great violinist. Perlman said of his own playing something like “I like to Jew it up a little”, meaning added drama or emotion. Of course, since he’s Jewish, it’s okay. ---
**Author:** ![spudbucket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@spudbucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spudbucket)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/54 "2015-07-03T12:06:19Z")
To be clear, the word jew or jews is not in and of itself a slur. BUT it is more frequently used in the context of slur and hence becomes more fraught because of its use. See below for the number of hits that Google returns for search terms, jews tops the list even though the actual population is orders of magnitude. damn jews 6,620,000 damn christians 5,790,000 damn muslims 984,000 damn atheists 802,000 damn mormons 351,000 damn buddhists 210,000 fucking jews 2,600,000 fucking christians 1,590,000 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/55 "2015-07-03T14:05:23Z")
> [@Wallet](#): > > I’m not a dog. I wasn’t “trained” to think of it as a slur, it _was_ a slur. Growing up being bullied and beaten up, all the while being called a “fucking Jew”. I’ve been called a “fucking stupid Hispanic whore”. The whore part was untrue, the stupid part I hope it was, the fucking wasn’t happening at the moment, and Hispanic is true. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/56 "2015-07-03T14:16:00Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It’s like freaking nails on a blackboard. > > “Jew” is not a slur. I am sure that 99.9% of Jews in the world will not be offended at a sentence that read “The thing is, maybe most **Jews** won’t be offended.” I think you have to let that go. ‘Jewish people’ is not offensive. If it’s being done to avoid the word ‘Jews’ then it’s stupid, but you can’t know that’s the reason it’s done, and it’s lower on the priority list of problems than the people who use ‘Fucking Jews’. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/57 "2015-07-03T14:22:24Z")
You must Jews. But Jews wisely. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/58 "2015-07-03T14:29:10Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If it’s being done to avoid the word ‘Jews’ then it’s stupid, but you can’t know that’s the reason it’s done In the post to which I was replying, it was definitely done to avoid the word “Jews”, and yes, it was stupid. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/59 "2015-07-03T14:31:04Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think you have to let that go. ‘Jewish people’ is not offensive. If it’s being done to avoid the word ‘Jews’ then it’s stupid, but you can’t know that’s the reason it’s done, and it’s lower on the priority list of problems than the people who use ‘Fucking Jews’. Conceding that **Terr** cannot read minds, what other reason might there be? Considering that nobody uses “Catholic people,” “Buddhist people,” etc. Who decided Jews were the chosen “people”? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018/60 "2015-07-03T14:44:58Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Conceding that **Terr** cannot read minds, what other reason might there be? Considering that nobody uses “Catholic people,” “Buddhist people,” etc. Who decided Jews were the chosen “people”? Because they heard/saw other people say/write it. I’ve heard the other forms of other religions, and nationalities also. ‘Muslim people’ has been said many times, I don’t know why, it’s most often just ‘Muslims’, but plenty often ‘Fucking Muslims’. Swedes have been called ‘Swedish people’, and they are. It’s also an actual useful phrase, ‘The Jewish People’ does not have the same connotation as ‘The Jews’ and is appropriately used to speak of the entire ethnicity. If the words ‘Jewish People’ are used there appropriately they will likely migrate into other uses where it is still grammatical and correct even if it’s not the ideal form. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-peeve-its-jews/724018.md?page=4)