# tomndebb, please explain why I was noted for saying Jew-bros. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 31, 2015, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248 "2015-10-31T08:26:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/41 "2015-10-31T15:44:59Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Like I said, I brought up their ethnicity _to contrast it with the Blackness of the rappers_. And even you really think it only “sounds like” a slur. Because it’s not one. What’s next, mod-noting people for using “niggardly”? > > And BTW, I like Jews just fine. I don’t believe that one’s intentions have much, if anything, to do with whether a slur is a slur. I don’t think intentions matter much at all, in fact, in cases like these (as to whether a mistake was made). I don’t see bringing up their ethnicity for contrast purposes as relevant or necessary in this case. And I don’t see any reason to believe that you don’t like Jews. I still think you made a mistake here. Not a big one, but still a mistake. No huge deal, and no huge deal to admit you’ve made a mistake (probably due to differences in language and culture, not any philosophy or bigotry). I know you’re capable of admitting mistakes because I’ve seen you do it before. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/42 "2015-10-31T15:45:11Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Like I said, I brought up their ethnicity _to contrast it with the Blackness of the rappers_. And even you really think it only “sounds like” a slur. Because it’s not one. What’s next, mod-noting people for using “niggardly”? There are black Jews, you know, so it’s still a big ??? why you’d bring it up. If I were you, I’d chalk this up to different brands of English and move on. Maybe in SA, what you said wouldn’t raise eyebrows, but it certainly raised my American ones-- as I noted in the thread in question? It was a mod note, not a warning. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/43 "2015-10-31T15:47:28Z")
Still finding it amusing that a complete neologism raised enough eyebrows to warrant a note but “thug” is just peachy… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/44 "2015-10-31T15:54:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There are black Jews, you know, so it’s still a big ??? why you’d bring it up. At a frat partnering with Pi Kappa Alpha to host a racist party? > [@](#): > > If I were you, I’d chalk this up to different brands of English and move on. I’ll move on once I hear from **tom** why I got noted when he can’t give a damn about hate speech. > [@](#): > > Maybe in SA, what you said wouldn’t raise eyebrows, but it certainly raised my American ones-- as I noted in the thread in question? It was a mod note, not a warning. I’m well aware of the difference. Note that “note” is all over my OP. I’m not asking for a reversal. I’m asking for an explanation or a defence of **tom** ’s moderator choices when it comes to racist language and even perceived racist neologisms. Because my perception is that only some people’s voices are …let’s say chosen … to be listened to by the mods, when it comes to racist speech, real or imagined. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/45 "2015-10-31T16:07:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Still finding it amusing that a complete neologism raised enough eyebrows to warrant a note but “thug” is just peachy… I agree with you here, by the way. “Thug” should be modded in the same way, in my view. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/46 "2015-10-31T16:22:17Z")
Thug doesn’t have explicit racial meaning in the US. We called the white boys in my high school who caused problems “thugs”. Maybe it’s different where you are? Anyhow, the problem with your word is that it is a neologism, of a form that is racist 99% of the time. If it was an established word with a history of benign use, it would be different. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/47 "2015-10-31T16:25:22Z")
Excuse me, but as a half-Jewish person I object to the use of the term _Jewfro_. The correct term is _Isro_.😛 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/48 "2015-10-31T16:26:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I agree with you here, by the way. “Thug” should be modded in the same way, in my view. Different things. “Jew-bro” does not have a long history of non-racist usage. A history that continues to this day. Just because some small, sub-group of Americans has decided “thug” is code for “nigger”, that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to agree. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/49 "2015-10-31T16:34:24Z")
You don’t have to “agree” with a fact of usage; it happens regardless. If you don’t approve of the usage, complain to the people who use it, not the ones that point it out. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/50 "2015-10-31T16:36:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Thug doesn’t have explicit racial meaning in the US. No, it’s coded, not explicit. > [@](#): > > We called the white boys in my high school who caused problems “thugs”. Maybe it’s different where you are? Thug isn’t a loaded term where I’m from. I’m referring to US usage > [@](#): > > Anyhow, the problem with your word is that it is a neologism, of a form that is racist 99% of the time. So far, I’m only seeing 50 % of the time, as “jewboy” and “jewfro” are the only examples I’m aware of. Look, I’m definitely _not_ advocating to be allowed to continue to use the word. It was always going to be a once-off quip. Some people have said it’s shocking to them and I hear that (others have not, but that’s not relevant.) That’s not really what this thread is about. It’s about **tom** ’s moderating of racism and hate speech in general. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/51 "2015-10-31T17:03:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Jew is not acceptable as an adjective, as it was used here. (e.g. you can’t say Jew doctor or Jew waitress.) And the word “bro” in reference to fraternity members refers to a [certain negative stereotype](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bro). My point was that I read “Jew” as a noun, like car or window, not an adjective. Do fraternity members consider “bro” an insult? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/52 "2015-10-31T17:08:06Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > No, it’s coded, not explicit.Thug isn’t a loaded term where I’m from. I’m referring to US usageSo far, I’m only seeing 50 % of the time, as “jewboy” and “jewfro” are the only examples I’m aware of. Jew-Banker Jew-Lawyer Jew-Doctor Jew-Lady Jew-Cop Jew-Teacher Jew-Actor Jew-Broker How’s that math working out for you now? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/53 "2015-10-31T17:09:58Z")
**BigT** nailed it. The use of Jew adjectivally is considered a pejorative. It’s as simple and straightforward as that. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/54 "2015-10-31T17:12:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Jew-Banker > Jew-Lawyer > Jew-Doctor > Jew-Lady > Jew-Cop > Jew-Teacher > Jew-Actor > Jew-Broker > > How’s that math working out for you now? Those are usually phrased as “Jew XXXX” not “Jew-XXX”. At least in my experience. But thanks for the snark, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/55 "2015-10-31T17:13:52Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > **BigT** nailed it. The use of Jew adjectivally is considered a pejorative. It’s as simple and straightforward as that. Didn’t use it as a standalone adjective, used it as a suffix. Or is it a pejorative in “jewfro”? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/56 "2015-10-31T17:21:27Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Those are usually phrased as “Jew XXXX” not “Jew-XXX”. At least in my experience. > > But thanks for the snark, anyway. You’re right. The spelling makes all the difference. :roll eyes: It wasn’t snark, either. It was the natural response to your very poor attempt at pedantry. At this point, I think we have to say that the horse has been led to water… ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/57 "2015-10-31T17:28:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Different things. “Jew-bro” does not have a long history of non-racist usage. A history that continues to this day. Just because some small, sub-group of Americans has decided “thug” is code for “nigger”, that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to agree. You don’t have to agree. We probably just disagree on the threshold at which something crosses the line – I think “thug” has already done so in American english. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/58 "2015-10-31T17:29:10Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Didn’t use it as a standalone adjective, used it as a suffix. Or is it a pejorative in “jewfro”? “Jewfro” is about the only exception I can conceive of to a general rule of “Jew” as a suffix or adjective being pejorative. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/59 "2015-10-31T17:40:44Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > “Jewfro” is about the only exception I can conceive of to a general rule of “Jew” as a suffix or adjective being pejorative. And even that can, depending on the context, be a pejorative. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248/60 "2015-10-31T18:06:05Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Still finding it amusing that a complete neologism raised enough eyebrows to warrant a note but “thug” is just peachy… In the context of a hip-hop themed party, what is the problem with “thug”. Isn’t dialing up thugginess part of the art? The oversized gold chains, the metal teeth, tattoos, the disrespecting of women and and police? To me, it’s part of the genre, the same way tight bell-bottom jeans, polyester shirts open almost to the navel, and thin gold chains were part of the disco genre/culture. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndebb-please-explain-why-i-was-noted-for-saying-jew-bros/736248.md?page=4)