Stereotypes

Righty: You have to be either blind or a political correctness fanatic (essentially the same thing) not to notice that blacks are superior athletes or that Jews are smart. Let’s face it: Asians love technology, Latin Americans love hot music, the Irish love drinking and politics. I’m not going out of my way to be offensive here; I’m just stating that we shouldn’t ignore the obvious. That’s what Lefty and his fellow PC freaks are doing when they deny the validity of stereotypes. I find it exasperating that godless liberals insist on explaining evolution strictly in genetic terms, yet they throw a hissy fit if you mention the role of genetics in determining the behavior of ethnic groups. We know that individual dog breeds, for example, exhibit distinct behavioral traits that have been perpetuated through selective breeding. Why shouldn’t it be the same with members of ethnic groups that have married within their own tribe for centuries?

Lefty: I won’t dignify Righty’s ghastly prejudices with a lengthy retort; I’ll let his ignorance speak for itself. (With his comparison of ethnic groups to dog breeds, Righty has just possibly reached a new low even by his standards.) Let me just assert that stereotypes are responsible for some of the most hateful crimes in human history, including most genocides. We reduce living, breathing individuals to identical units in a group. Then we dispose of the group. So neat and convenient, isn’t it? (Shudder.)

The New Moderate:

Stereotypes aren’t simply the wild fabrications of flaming bigots. Nearly all stereotypes, crude as they are, contain a kernel of truth that no open-minded person can deny. Jews, on average, do have higher IQs (and incomes) than the rest of us. Blacks do comprise a vastly disproportionate percentage of basketball, football, boxing and track superstars. And nobody who listens to hip-hop can honestly dispute the much-ridiculed notion that black people seem to possess a racially inherited sense of rhythm. Nearly all black music and dance -- African and African-American alike -- inform our ears and eyes that they do. Whether the inheritance is genetic or cultural is beside the point; all that matters is the finished product.

Is the black rhythm hypothesis a blatant stereotype? Of course it is, and a relatively silly one at that. But is it an inaccurate stereotype? I don't think so. We know it doesn't apply to all black people (we're not sure we'd want to see Oprah attempt to break-dance), but it applies to enough blacks within our experience to make the generalization stick.

Why do Lefty and Company profess to detest all stereotypes -- even positive ones? Because stereotypes deny due credit to individual talents and efforts. (If blacks are naturally superior athletes, then it follows that Willie Mays and Muhammad Ali were nothing special.) More insidiously, the mind that observes positive stereotypes is likely to use the same mental tools to concoct negative stereotypes. To the stereotyping mind, Jews are smart but also pushy; blacks are not only physically talented but intellectually indifferent. You can see why we’d want to avoid this line of thinking.

The New Moderate should point out that stereotyping isn't an exclusive pastime of the right. (Those who accuse right-wingers of indulging in stereotypes are themselves indulging in stereotypes.) Lefty's opinions of fundamentalist Christians, Republicans, the military, white male authority figures, Texans and other mortal enemies bear a distinct resemblance to stereotypes -- even vicious stereotypes -- though of course Lefty would simply shrug and insist that the truth can be unflattering.

Why do so many of us -- right, left and center alike -- engage in stereotyping? Because stereotypes help create order in a disorderly world. If you know what to expect from Group A or Group B (or think you know what to expect), then you know (or think you know) what to expect from all the individuals in those groups. Stereotypes help an uncertain soul feel more at ease in the cosmos.

Regardless of the common traits passed down from one generation to the next, all ethnic groups are made up of individuals. The more individual those individuals are, the less they resemble the group norm. Talented Jewish athletes and black scholars should never have to find themselves imprisoned by group stereotypes. Neither should heterosexual male interior decorators or gay airline pilots. Stereotypes are valid only as crude caricatures of group characteristics (and I’m probably giving them too much credit). They should never, ever be used to prejudge individuals within the group.

The folks who do resemble the negative stereotypes for their group are usually the ones who haven’t bothered to develop as individuals. Gun-toting black thugs, Jewish wheeler-dealers, puritanical WASPs, boorish Russians and rednecks, bland Asian technogeeks, compulsively clannish Greeks and Armenians, slap-happy Irish drunks... all of them exist in real life, at least to a degree -- and they tend to make their more enlightened kinsmen blush on behalf of their tribe.

The unenlightened ones simply inherit their behavior from their family and neighbors, follow the path of least resistance and never carve out their own identities. They're still creatures of the herd, and their numbers are probably larger than we’d comfortably like to admit. But do they deserve recognition as fitting representatives of their breed? Absolutely not. We should cheer all the quirky mavericks who emerge from those groups: nerdy blacks, lovably goofy Germans, ethereal Latinos, math-averse Asian rock stars and fashion-challenged gay men. They give us reassuring evidence that individualism is stronger than inheritance.

Summary: Most stereotypes contain nuggets of truth about various groups, but they’re only crude caricatures and should never be used to prejudge individuals within a group.

Diversity

Righty: Why do bleeding hearts on the left continue to gush about "diversity" when the guests at their dinner parties are almost exclusively white and upper middle class? I don’t detect much "diversity" among all you Chardonnay-sippers, eh Lefty? The fact is, most of us instinctively gravitate toward others like ourselves. Blacks do it. Hispanics do it. Greeks, Armenians and Jews do it. So do gays and celebrities. Even Lefty’s pampered, privately educated liberal friends do it. The difference between them and me is that I’m honest enough to admit it. Nobody who sends his kids to a private school is morally entitled to rhapsodize about diversity or impose it on others. I’m no bigot, but I’m comfortable among my own kind and I don’t see why we should have to include quotas of various favored minorities in every neighborhood, company, school, and TV show. I’m fine with blacks or gays moving into my neck of the woods as long as they’re decent, law-abiding citizens who embrace our Christian way of life. But I don’t see why we should have to send out engraved invitations to encourage them.

Lefty: I’m sure Righty would like nothing better than to whisk us back to the Eisenhower era, when America’s unofficially sanctioned national color was lily white. In those halcyon days, blacks, Hispanics, gays and even women were essentially disenfranchised and hidden discreetly from view. Is that the kind of society Righty (I almost said "Whitey") would have us celebrate? We need to empower individuals of all colors, genders and sexualities if we truly want to build an egalitarian society. We empower them by boosting their representation in academic and professional life, and by renouncing the primitive prejudices that made them second-class citizens in the first place. All right-thinking people have an obligation to help diversity flourish. Those who stand in opposition to it must be condemned as bigots, oppressors and -- worst of all -- Republicans!

The New Moderate:

I’m not especially fond of code words; they tend to conceal a multitude of agendas. "Diversity" is a stellar example of the breed. When a liberal uses this richly flavored buzzword in casual conversation, other liberals know immediately that the speaker is one of them... that they understand each other and breathe the same sociopolitical vapors. They’re siblings under the skin and firmly planted on the "correct" side of the great cultural divide.

What does "diversity" signify, exactly? Well, you’d think it would imply an open friendliness toward every conceivable minority group, white and otherwise... every economic class... every ethnic group, religion, philosophy and temperament. But as Righty suggested, those who talk loudest about diversity seem to be highly selective about the minorities they embrace. And that’s what bothers me.

An instructive example: here in Philadelphia, home of The New Moderate, the most richly diverse neighborhood is the Northeast -- a bubbling cauldron of hardworking whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians and immigrants from dozens of outposts on the planet. But Northeast Philly gets no respect from the city’s educated white liberals. They positively shun the place. Too lower middle class. Too philistine. No trendy restaurants. Their paragon of "diversity" is my own Mt. Airy neighborhood, which is roughly 50% African American and 49% educated white liberal, including a generous sprinkling of lesbians and vintage hippies. You can search the place from top to bottom without unearthing any Poles, Greeks, Italians, Hungarians, Russians, Lebanese, Indians (Asian or American), Filipinos, Koreans, Mexicans or Jamaicans. Republicans are universally reviled and practically extinct. Presbyterians and pro-lifers languish on the endangered list. Other rarities include working-class whites, Boy Scouts, non-black fundamentalist Christians, gay men and young single heterosexuals.

Don’t get me wrong: Mt. Airy is a handsome and friendly old neighborhood. Blacks and whites seem to coexist peacefully and even marry each other. But diverse? The folks in Mt. Airy are clearly tailoring the word to fit their politics.

I’d like to see "diversity" used according to its dictionary definition rather than the ill-concealed biases of its liberal champions. If you want real diversity, take a walk around Northeast Philly, not Mt. Airy. Be true to your creed and welcome Irish-American firefighters into your neighborhood as readily as you welcome blacks, lesbians and educated white liberals. You might actually learn something from them.

Summary: Diversity is an admirable concept, but the term is habitually slanted to promote favored minorities and exclude those who offend liberal sensibilities. True diversity embraces all ethnic groups and philosophies; it can't be achieved through selectively imposed quotas.

Jews and Anti-Semitism

Note: The far right/far left scale doesn’t strictly apply here, since many right-wingers today are ardent supporters of Israel, while most leftists seem to be critical of that nation. But the identification of Jews with liberal causes persists, and anti-Semites still tend to reflect traditional right-wing biases. So here goes...

Righty: I’m not endorsing anti-Semitism (some of my best friends are... well, you know). But to some extent the Jews bring it on themselves. Let’s start with their religion, which treats non-Jews as "unclean" creatures to be regarded with contempt. (Why is it that we never hear the term anti-Gentilism?) The Jews crucified Christ, of course... then they spread through Europe and became notorious money-lenders. Jews and money: everywhere they move, they seem to take over and pile it up. They’re opportunistic, abrasive and ruthless in their pursuit of success. They’re hypersensitive, too. You can’t criticize Israel without being tagged as an anti-Semite. In fact, you really can’t say anything about God’s chosen people, bad or good, without being smeared for it. That’s because they own the media and totally dominate our culture. Look at how they tried to stop Mel Gibson from releasing The Passion of the Christ. (Big surprise that he was later caught ranting about the Jews! I would have ranted, too, if they had put me through the wringer like that.) Let’s face it: Jews are malcontents and agitators by nature. They’ve been at the forefront of nearly every movement that set out to subvert traditional values: Communism, socialism, psychiatry, modernism, commercial pop culture, the radical student rebellion of the 1960s, the women’s movement. Their agitation toppled the Protestant old guard from power and left us with the moral chaos we see around us today. Now that the Jews are in control, it’s interesting that many of these former left-wing radicals have been drifting toward the right. (You didn’t hear a lot of Jews criticizing the war in Iraq.) And still, with all the power they’ve accumulated, they never get tired of shoving the Holocaust in our collective face -- as if today’s super-affluent Jews were still victims, and as if the rest of us were to blame. Is it any wonder that the Jews are so widely disliked? Not that I dislike them, mind you. I think they’re smart and funny. That Adam Sandler really cracks me up.

Lefty: After having been forced out of their ancestral homeland, the Jewish people spent the next nineteen centuries struggling to preserve their religion (and themselves) in alien lands, amid savage and relentless persecutions. If they became money-lenders, guess what: it might have had something to do with the fact that they were routinely barred from all other professions! From the tortures, massacres and expulsions of medieval Europe to the horror of the Holocaust, so-called Christians have gone out of their way to make life miserable for Jews. Why? What have the Jews done to merit their eternal status as scapegoats and victims? Simply for preserving their heritage in the midst of ignorance and hatred? Jews have been among the best and most patriotic citizens everywhere they’ve settled: consistently productive, enterprising, educated, progressive and humane. And they’ve been rewarded with pogroms and death camps. Never again! Jews must mobilize and trust no one. They must gain control over what others say about them. Anyone who dares criticize the Jewish community or Jewish interests is an anti-Semite and must be brought down. And watch out for anti-Semites in sheep’s clothing: those who praise the Jews or seem overly knowledgeable about Jewish history and affairs should be monitored as closely as outspoken anti-Semites. Any Gentile who singles out the Jews for any reason generally has an ulterior motive. As for those crazy Muslims, don’t ask!

The New Moderate:

I’m probably heading into swampy ground here, but we desperately need an outspoken moderate perspective on this perennial hot-button issue. I’ll attempt to demystify both the Jews and anti-Semitism in a handful of paragraphs -- no small challenge -- and I hope my Jewish friends will indulge me if they spot some overripe generalizations.

Where to begin? Christians have accused the Jews of everything from killing Christ (Did it ever occur to those Christians that Jesus, all twelve disciples and even the Virgin Mary were also Jewish? This was Judea, folks!) to using the blood of Christian babies in their rituals. But the persistence of anti-Semitism goes beyond religious animosity. For centuries the Jews kept themselves apart (not entirely by their own choice, of course) within the countries they settled. They were a small but visible community of people who were different. More literate. Generally a bit more astute. Less inclined to work with their hands. More inclined to succeed despite the prevailing prejudice against them.

You might say that Jews have been saddled with the mostly thankless role of smartest kid in the class. This issue is supercharged with such unseemly implications that it has achieved the status of a taboo. (Of course, I believe in exposing all taboo subjects to the fresh air of examination.) We know that Jewish parents tend to encourage learning and achievement. But are Jews actually more intelligent than the rest of us? Here’s another question: do women live longer than men? In both cases, the answer is yes and no. Yes, women outlive men on average, but plenty of men live longer than plenty of women. You can extend the analogy to Jewish intelligence. The median I.Q. for Jews of European origin has been measured at approximately 12 to 15 points above the median for the general population. Part of that difference is undoubtedly due to nurture. And the two bell curves overlap significantly: there are numerous Jewish dullards and Gentile geniuses. In short, you simply can’t justify a blanket statement like "Jews are smarter." On average, yes. But Jewishness doesn’t automatically confer intelligence. Individuals will always be individuals.

How to account for the extremely visible success of the Jewish community? (Here’s another taboo subject: let’s open another window!) It isn’t simply a matter of lavish I.Q.s or Harvard diplomas. Jewish achievers typically embody a rare combination of abstract intelligence and practical intelligence, creative passion and precision, openness to learning and opportunities, networking smarts, indefatigable drive and assertiveness (Righty nods smugly here while Lefty shakes his head), solid family values, and relative freedom from sloppy goyish vices like drinking, drugs, daydreaming and debauchery. Anyone who competes with a Jewish achiever is essentially running up against a perfect storm of success traits.

Naturally, many Jews succeed beyond the wildest dreams of their Gentile brethren. At least as many don’t, but it’s the successful ones who grab our attention and incite so many of us to envy. The Jews routinely beat us on our own turf, we moan, so there must be a secret to their success. (If anyone had the chutzpah to publish a book called Jewish Success Secrets, you can bet it would be a runaway bestseller.) We say, "Look at their dominance in Hollywood, the media, the arts, finance, medicine, the academic world! The Jews have it all sewn up!"

You don’t have to be an anti-Semite to see why some people feel threatened by the Jews. Not only have their Hebrew ancestors bequeathed them the awesome sobriquet "God’s chosen people" (scary enough in its own right)... not only do they appear to be unreasonably smart and successful... but many of them also (as Righty observed, in less than civil terms) seem to enjoy making waves as agents of social and cultural change. You can see how paranoid visions of Jewish cabals might swirl in the minds of thwarted Gentiles. Surely those clever Jews must collaborate, collude and even conspire among themselves to beat the goyim. Afraid not, Righty. Their accomplishments appear to be perfectly legitimate.

Jews account for less than 3% of the U.S. population but approximately 60% of its public intellectuals. Righty would look at this statistic and rant about "disproportionate" Jewish cultural influence. But we’re actually looking at an extraordinary collection of individual accomplishments. The truth is that there’s no such sociopolitical entity as "the Jews." They’re not some monolithic cultural force with a unified agenda; Jews are individuals with a profusion of individual goals and beliefs. Some of the most ardent capitalists, communists, socialists, liberals, conservatives and libertarians have been Jewish, so how can "they" possibly be collaborating on plans for a world takeover? How could any group so diverse decide on an agenda (other than sheer self-preservation) without resorting to fisticuffs?

Why have Jews traditionally been so active in radical political and cultural movements? Just look at their history as perennial outsiders, noses pressed against the window of a posh club that repeatedly turned them away at the door. They had to fight their way past prejudice and persecution to secure a table in that club, and along the way they acquired a pervasive sympathy for all who shared their plight. You can’t blame them for having wanted to shake up the system. (We New Moderates want to shake it up, too, in our own way.)

What can Jews do to disarm their anti-Semitic neighbors? First, be open to freer discussions of Jewish topics, without suspicion or rancor. You can’t afford to let anti-Jewish sentiments fester in secrecy until they ripen and burst. Resist the temptation to extract blubbering public apologies from every cranky Gentile celebrity who has something to say about you; to do so only reinforces the damaging stereotype of excessive Jewish power. (Humorous retorts are more effective, anyway; Time’s Joel Stein wrote a gem of a response to Mel Gibson’s infamous drunken rant.) Use the career-destroying term "anti-Semite" more judiciously (Are you listening, Abe Foxman?): reserve it for active Jew-haters, not for fair-minded people who knock Israeli policies or observe the simple realities of Jewish cultural prominence. Keep in mind that those who label you as brainy and successful aren’t necessarily anti-Semites; they might actually be paying you a sincere (if hackneyed) compliment.

Future historians will probably regard our era as a Jewish renaissance; we can’t be expected to whistle and look the other way while we’re living through it. Jews should be proud of their achievers, not disguise them as the children of "Polish" or "Russian" or "Lithuanian" immigrants. (That unofficial but widely observed rule, seen so often in biographical profiles, has always baffled me.) In a New Moderate utopia, Gentiles would be able to note the Jewishness of those achievers without being accused of anti-Semitism -- or succumbing to it.

As for the 24-karat anti-Semites out there, how about calling a permanent moratorium on blaming the Jews for your frustrations? You’re disgracing the rest of us. The Jewish community abounds with both greatness and goodness as well as ordinary human foibles. Remember that Jesus was Jewish (at least on his mother’s side). Don't hold rank-and-file Jews accountable for the often sanctimonious utterances of Jewish leaders; the latter don't always speak for the former. Get your own house in order, and try to imagine what it feels like to have been the world’s favorite scapegoat for 2000 years. "Those Jews" don’t have it nearly as easy as you think.

The New Moderate hopes that the rise of Asians in American society will divert some of the attention from the Jews, if only to show us that no group holds a monopoly on brains or achievement. (Of course, I’d like to see blacks, Hispanics, Poles, Ukrainians and rednecks succeed, too.) Then, finally, the Jewish community might be able to breathe a well-deserved sigh of relief... at least in the United States.

Summary: Let’s break a taboo: yes, Jews are, on average, smarter and more successful than non-Jews; no, they’re not some monolithic bloc intent on taking over the world. They’re individuals. We’ve behaved abominably toward Jews in the past. Today, Jews and Gentiles both need to exercise a little more tolerance.