About using the name ‘Jew’s Ear’ in describing the fungus Auricula auricula-judae:
I am Jewish; No, it’s not a problem at all
I am Jewish; it’s not a slur, but please don’t
I am Jewish; I consider it a slur
I am Jewish; none of the above options fits (please elaborate)
I am not Jewish; No, it’s not a problem at all
I am not Jewish; it’s not a slur, but please don’t
I am not Jewish; I consider it a slur
I am not Jewish; none of the above options fits (please elaborate)
Something else, possibly about cake
0voters
There is a certain type of fungus that grows on Elder trees; the scientific name is Auricula auricula-judae. Common names include Wood Ear, Jelly Ear, Tree Ear, Judas’ Ear and Jew’s Ear
It is frequently said that the latter of these common names is a corruption of the previous one - that is, the fungus was named Judas’ Ear following a myth that the tree on which the disciple Judas Iscariot hanged himself (aside: it is not the only type of tree about which this is said), and that the common name Judas’ Ear just got corrupted into Jew’s Ear - possible, but it does not seem like there is very much solid contemporary evidence that simple linguistic corruption is actually the reason, furthermore, the change seems to have coincided with a peak in antisemitism. The scientific name also reflects this common name (and adds to the confusion - does ‘judae’ mean ‘Jew’ or ‘Judas’?)
The fungus in question is edible and interesting, so I have documented it in a few videos; I feel uncomfortable calling it by a common name that I feel is at least slightly dubious in origin, and especially when there are other common names available that, frankly, are more apt anyway - Wood Ear (it is found in woodland); Tree Ear (exclusively on trees); Jelly Ear (the texture is indeed quite jelly-like), so I chose to use the other common names; err on the side of caution if you like.
I won’t describe at length the backlash I have received for this choice, but perhaps you can imagine it. Anyway, I would like to know the opinions of folks here on the board about this. Because we are talking about something that is potentially a slur word against specific people, I have divided the poll options accordingly - I hope this makes sense and does not offend.
I am familiar with this fungus - it’s quite common and eye-catching. I like how it feels to the touch. I have also eaten it occasionally.
I prefer to call it wood ear or just “jelly fungus” because the reference to Jews seems uncalled for and potentially derogatory. But if the only common name was “Jews-ear” I guess I would use that name.
There’s a different fungus that’s common in Chinese food called “wood ear”, so i would find that confusing. I have seen that, or maybe a similar fungus, and without knowing it’s name, i think of it as jelly log fungus. That is, a jelly-like fungus that grows on fallen logs.
I am a Jew, and i think i prefer you not call it “Jew ear”, but I’m also not familiar with the word, how it’s used, the connotations, etc. So it’s not a very strong preference.
Common names are notoriously squishy and flexible-- It’s not at all rare for the same name to mean different species in different places. If “wood ear” is ambiguous, then you can just go with “American wood-ear”, or the like. And likewise, it’s simplicity itself to retire a problematic common name, or to come up with a new one. But it’s probably not a problem, because most likely, anyone familiar with this fungus, if you referred to a “wood ear”, would probably know what you meant, even if they’d never heard that name before.
The scientific name, however, is much more problematic.
Yep. Some of it was fairly obviously rooted in antisemitism (when I followed the complainants back to their own channels) - some of it seems to be the same flavour of complaint that I get when I issue a trigger warning about flashing or disturbing images or if I talk about safety.- manosphere BS based on the notion that the world is turning ‘soft’.
Interestingly, the fungi, although different species, are almost identical in appearance and culinary properties, so I don’t think such confusion really has any adverse outcomes.
Thanks - I suppose the main thing is - if I call it that, it feels a bit wrong to me, which alone is probably sufficient reason not to.
There are several instances of creatures or plants being named after Jews, typically in unflattering ways.
The most widespread is wandering Jew, usually applied to Tradescantia zebrina. Most people casually using the popular name are likely unaware of the antisemitic legend of the Wandering Jew.
“In the traditional formulation, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to his Crucifixion is cursed to roam the earth until the end of days. In some versions, the Jew is cursed not only roam to the earth but also to remain in an evil state as punishment for his persecution of Jesus, his taunting of Jesus on his way to the Crucifixion, his Crucifixion of Jesus, and his rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.”
In a wider sense, the fable has been applied to Jews in general, cursed and relegated to a substatus because one was supposedly mean to Jesus.
That’s a lot of baggage for a small, inoffensive plant to carry.
People who want to cling to such terms often point to Jews* who say they aren’t offended by them. However plenty are, so why not retire these names? Jelly ear sounds fine to me, likewise Goliath grouper (formerly known as Jewfish).
Oh, I just discovered that the British Mycological Society recommends the common name ‘Jelly Ear’ - seems like a standard I can happily follow and anyone who doesn’t like it, can take it up with them!
I don’t believe the people complaining are very interested in fungi at all. It’s just the toxic end of the bell curve that likes to complain about stuff, or bully people into complying with their worldview.
It’s not just on this topic, in fact, I don’t think there’s a single thing I have done that hasn’t attracted some sort of spittle-flecked bloviation, however, as this topic has the potential to impinge on others, I felt I wanted to resolve my stance on it.
Other topics don’t matter so much - such as the amount of salt I choose to add to my food (which according to some, is not enough, but according to others, is too much), use of the word ‘candy’ (time and again people tell me that I should say ‘sweets’ because I am English; they don’t realise that Shakespeare used the word ‘Candy’) etc.
Just recently, I’ve made a resolution to try to focus on the huge majority of comments that are positive, constructive, kind and helpful.
I’m pretty sure it’s both, and the words are etymologically linked, anyway: “Jew” and its cognates derives from “Judah”, one of the sons of Jacob and hence one of the Twelve Tribes, and the one that makes up almost all of the remaining self-identified descendants of Jacob. “Judas”, of course, is just a variation on the name “Judah”.
We always applied it to what others call “purple heart”, which is another tradescantia. Online, i see zebrina called “wandering dude” or “wandering jewel” a lot. I like the latter because it suits the shiny leaves and takes an offensive name and makes it pretty. And maintains the “wandering” part, which does describe the stuff. “Inch plant” is ugly.
Jew, Judea, Judas, etc. are all the same thing. Jews would be people of the tribe of Judas or kingdom of Judas/Judah. Anyway the fungus has a stupid name but translated literally it means something like “ear of Judas”
