# Would you inmediately peg this handle as antisemitic? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176 "2011-05-08T18:03:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/1 "2011-05-08T18:03:45Z")
“killajew” Just wanting to get other people’s opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/2 "2011-05-08T18:06:01Z")
It could either be “Kill a Jew” or “Killa Jew”. It totally depends on the context. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/3 "2011-05-08T18:08:57Z")
Name someone was using in a first person shooter, which i guess could still go either way. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/4 "2011-05-08T18:12:11Z")
It’s probably an anti-Semite. Jews tend to be smart enough to know how that name would sound and hence not use it. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/5 "2011-05-08T18:12:18Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Name someone was using in a first person shooter, which i guess could still go either way. Lol, you’re a game Admin? I know in the place I used to admin we had a special sub forum for discussing names offensiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/6 "2011-05-08T18:15:41Z")
I’d assume that if it mean “Killa Jew” then the J (and K) would be capitalized. Does the system this is on allow caps? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/7 "2011-05-08T18:16:49Z")
I think virtually everyone would read that as Kill A Jew and not Killa Jew. Similarly, I don’t think many people, upon hearing the name, thought that Ghostface Killah was a murderous Caucasian. This is one of those situations where you know damn well what the person was intending and even if he wasn’t you need to tell him it doesn’t matter, he has to pick a new name anyways (assuming that’s what you’re going for). ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/8 "2011-05-08T18:22:38Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’d assume that if it mean “Killa Jew” then the J (and K) would be capitalized. _Capitalized?_ You must be new to the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/9 "2011-05-08T18:59:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I think virtually everyone would read that as Kill A Jew and not Killa Jew. Similarly, I don’t think many people, upon hearing the name, thought that Ghostface Killah was a murderous Caucasian. …oh. I knew Ghostface Killah was black but I never realized the name was not meant to refer to his own face. :smack: I just thought it meant his face would scare people when he killed them. Like a ghost. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/10 "2011-05-08T19:05:17Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > “killajew” > > Just wanting to get other people’s opinions. Yes, clearly it is. I find it extremely unlikly someone meant it any other way. That said, it was almost certainly some douche-y kid and not some skin head or something. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/11 "2011-05-08T19:09:32Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Yes, clearly it is. I find it extremely unlikly someone meant it any other way. That said, it was almost certainly some douche-y kid and not some skin head or something. My guess as well. I’d also bet if you were playing some game with him IRL, using a name like that wouldn’t even cross his mind. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/12 "2011-05-08T19:09:39Z")
I would read it as “Killa Jew”. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it was, in fact, “Kill A Jew”, but anyone who says that that’s undoubtedly what it means is mistaken, imo. I’ve got a Jewish friend of a friend who goes as “Bear Jew” (yes, from the movie) and a Chinese friend who goes as “IrnAznSnstn” so it just seems like another in a long line of race-based usernames. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/13 "2011-05-08T19:21:43Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Jews tend to be smart enough to know how that name would sound and hence not use it. That’s a rather sweeping statement. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/14 "2011-05-08T19:47:53Z")
My first thought was antisemetic but then I saw that it was a FPS and think it is most likely a young jewish kid trying to be tough. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/15 "2011-05-08T19:51:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > My first thought was antisemetic but then I saw that it was a FPS and think it is most likely a young jewish kid trying to be tough. Yeah, this is why i asked. My brain immediately parsed his name as “killer jew”, it wasn’t until after playing a while that i thought “hey wait a minute…”. Clearly i’ve just been playing online for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/16 "2011-05-08T20:01:56Z")
I’d read it as antisemitic. Occasionally, I check the list of new registrations here. If I saw killajew, or killanigger, or anything like that, I’d ban the name. Just about ANY name with a slur in it will get banned, in fact, so if someone has kike or nigger or something like that, it gets banned. Even if the person wrote in saying that it was Killa Jew, not Kill A Jew, the name probably wouldn’t be allowed. Take it for what it’s worth. It probably IS just some kid trying to be tough, but you don’t have to put up with excessive obnoxiousness. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/17 "2011-05-08T20:05:48Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > …oh. > > I knew Ghostface Killah was black but I never realized the name was not meant to refer to his own face. :smack: I just thought it meant his face would scare people when he killed them. Like a ghost. Ohhhh. (Sorry, I’m very white.) ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/18 "2011-05-08T20:28:11Z")
I’d assume it was an antisemitic jerk until proven otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/19 "2011-05-08T20:45:00Z")
Only a moron could make any other assumption than that it was anti-Semitic. It has the work “kill” and “Jew” in juxtaposition. I’m sure it was not meant to suggest 1,000 Jews. Words mean things. These words can’t be used in polite society. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176/20 "2011-05-08T20:51:46Z")
I first read it as “kill a jew,” but I could also picture a kid choosing it, waiting for someone to get upset, then saying they meant “killa Jew.” > [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > …oh. > > I knew Ghostface Killah was black but I never realized the name was not meant to refer to his own face. :smack: I just thought it meant his face would scare people when he killed them. Like a ghost. According to wikipedia, his name is meant to refer to a character in an old movie. Since WuTC wrote a song with the same title as that movie, I assume that’s correct. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-inmediately-peg-this-handle-as-antisemitic/581176.md?page=2)