# Targeted texts wrt religion **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 20, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569 "2022-10-20T23:33:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/21 "2022-12-22T01:11:53Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My friend was Catholic, but his last name was German, and of a form that is similar to the style of adopted Germanic surnames of European Jews – and, hence, he wound up on their mailing list. After he got a few Hillel postcards in his dorm mailbox, he called them, and asked them to take him off their list: “Seriously, I’m not Jewish, but thanks.” I get assumptions like that due to my name (I have a friend who insists that deep down I’m Jewish since I pinged his ‘Jewdar’). I told him that I hope that’s true, that as a white bread Protestant, I’d _love_ to have _some_ kind of ethnicity! . I wish I had the guts that a coworker had. His name is thoroughly German and could go either way. He had an annoying older woman following him around a party, insisting that he was Jewish, was he ashamed of it, and why wouldn’t he just admit it? “Actually, ma’m, my family was on the _other_ side of the barbed wire…” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/22 "2022-12-22T04:19:49Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I wish I had the guts that a coworker had. His name is thoroughly German and could go either way. He had an annoying older woman following him around a party, insisting that he was Jewish, was he ashamed of it, and why wouldn’t he just admit it? Isaac Asimov, in one of his autobiographies, related a story when some, as he termed the person, “co-religionist” called him up and accused Asimov of being ashamed of his Jewishness. According to Asimov, the caller made some unpleasant remarks in addition to this, so Asimov asked the caller his surname. When he answered, let’s say, Trout, Asimov responded, “If I truly wanted someone to believe I hate Jews and Judaism, I would loudly declare my name is Trout.” Apparently the caller was not amused. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/23 "2022-12-22T18:54:32Z")
> [@digs](#): > > as a white bread Protestant, I’d _love_ to have _some_ kind of ethnicity! That is an ethnicity. The fact that it’s the one many of those who have it think of as “normal” doesn’t change that. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/24 "2022-12-22T20:12:07Z")
As a follow up to my original question, the Jewish Democratic Council has contacted me again, feeling me out regarding my interest in seeking election to a local office. They’re offering their support. I considered asking them how the heck they know my ethnicity/religion, but I’m not really comfortable asking, as they seem nice and I don’t want to be rude. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/25 "2022-12-22T20:19:50Z")
Never make us mad. We have Space Lasers now. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/26 "2022-12-22T20:23:11Z")
I have a Jewish Defense Space Laser pin that is impressive looking. I can see myself getting past security at the pentagon by flashing it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/27 "2022-12-23T22:17:40Z")
Now THAT is cool. But if you were wearing that, I’d stay thirty feet away from you, figuring you’d have Targeting Authorization. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/28 "2023-01-01T00:11:49Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I get assumptions like that due to my name (I have a friend who insists that deep down I’m Jewish since I pinged his ‘Jewdar’). > I told him that I hope that’s true, that as a white bread Protestant, I’d _love_ to have _some_ kind of ethnicity! Well, you could go the George Santos route and claim to be [“Jew-ish”.](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/embattled-republican-santos-faces-new-heat-over-jew-ish-heritage-claim-2022-12-27/) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/29 "2023-01-01T13:29:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I have a Jewish Defense Space Laser pin that is impressive looking. I can see myself getting past security at the pentagon by flashing it. That’s probably why you got on a “Jewish voters” mailing list. Did you buy it mail-order and give the seller your contact info? ---
**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:** [January 1, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/30 "2023-01-01T13:32:04Z")
Nope, it was a gift from my brother. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/31 "2023-01-01T13:41:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I have a Jewish Defense Space Laser pin that is impressive looking. I can see myself getting past security at the pentagon by flashing it. Is it the “goyim squad” pin? I got that for a friend. Anyway, the overlap between liberals and Jews is pretty close to a perfect circle, so if you’re already supporting blue organizations it’s not crazy that your name might propagate to other lists. You probably get mistargeted ads all the time, but this one is hitting your confirmation bias since your mother was Jewish. For a while, I was getting texts from Raphael Warnock. I don’t live in GA, but not super duper weird since I sent some money Stacey Abrams once. But the texts were addressed to my **sister**. I cannot fathom what wires got crossed where to make that happen. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/32 "2023-01-14T09:50:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Anyway, the overlap between liberals and Jews is pretty close to a perfect circle, so if you’re already supporting blue organizations it’s not crazy that your name might propagate to other lists. I have to disagree with that assumption about politics and Jews. At my local Jewish community group there’s a moratorium on political discussions due to liberals vs. conservatives divide getting ugly. More conservative/libertarian/Republican/Trumpist Jews out there than you might realize. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2023, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569/33 "2023-01-17T13:03:48Z")
The “perfect circle” bit was hyperbole, but there’s [plenty of data](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/u-s-jews-political-views/) showing that American Jews (particularly secular Jews) trend largely progressive and/or liberal and/or Democratic. [This ten-year-old report shows almost identical numbers](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/10/01/chapter-6-social-and-political-views/), with a big dip among the Ultra Orthodox. Not a surprise, really, conservative America is increasingly sympathetic to religious groups who want the government to give them money and then leave them alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/targeted-texts-wrt-religion/973569.md?page=1)