JimBowie1958
Old Fogey
- Sep 25, 2011
- 63,590
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OK, I am going to try and describe the very complex interaction between Jews, the banking industry, anti-semitism, hate-baiters and hate-phobes because the discussion, as thin as it is, causes a lot of confusion to people like me who have grown up in areas where there are few Jews and what few there are are rarely seen day to day and so provoke little attention and thought except in the media. I am stating things as I have come to understand them in the three decades that I have lived on the east coast of the US, and I know that I am mistaken about a few things, though I don't know what they are. While I have read a good deal on the topic, I am no expert and I am sure that some people can talk circles around me on the topic. This is how I understand things today, and hopefully my comprehension of the Truth of this matter will improve over time.
For the US the story largely starts in the post Civil War era. Back in the Old World, especially in Eastern Europe, Jews that immigrated to the US were fairly harshly discriminated against by Christian monarchies, the same monarchies, in large part, that most Americans or their ancestors had also fled. While the typical person might see this as common grounds for empathy between the US Christian and Jewish communities, no, some Christians still had those Old World attitudes against Jews and some Jews saw the US Christians as part of the same faith that had caused them so much pain back 'home'. But this post Civil War era saw a lot of immigration from Europe of its upper classes as news coverage of the Civil War made many over there realize that the US wasn't this great backwater any more and one could come here with some money and make a great deal more money. Thus instead of the mix of poor Irish, Scotsmen and Anglos we started to get a new mix of poor from almost every country and a good deal of the upper classes too.
These upper classes in Europe were far wealthier than your typical wealthy families in the US, but the natives had connections in the political system and so it was not so simple to shove them aside. By the time the Jews started coming here in great numbers the US had a firm mix of Old Wealth and New European immigrant wealth. Anti-Jewish sentiment was triggered against Jews as they bought into various industries, industries that were sort of traditional Jewish industries because of the restrictions placed on them by European monarchs, such as it being illegal to own land outside of the Jewish Quarter that most nations had. Thus the industries Jews had familiarity with were all urban and so there were a lot of Jewish bankers (who for centuries were the only ones who could loan money at interest in Europe), Jewish academians, Jewish entertainers, Jewish lawyers, etc. When they came to America they began to move straight into these same industries like any other ethnic group would do.
As I understand it the Jews dominated the banking industry in New York for quite some time in the 30's and going into the 40's but that has changed. The boards that own these banks are not majority Jewish and though there is a disproportionate number of Jews heading banks and other financial institutions, the majority of them are secularized, ethnic chameleons as comfortable around Christian secularists as Jewish secularists. The dominant religious group in the financial industry today as almost always and in every industry are the Episcopalians and Presbyterians but they blend in with everyone else and escape the kind of attention that Jews tend to get.
Also, if one wants to talk about an ethnic group that is wealthy and powerful no ethnic group eclipses the Saudis these days, except maybe the Chinese. But the Saudis play a crucial role in providing a commodity support to the US dollar by only accepting payment in US dollars. Were they to change this policy, US dollars would drop in value drastically, so the Saudis actually have us by the proverbial short hairs, not the Jews.
Also, anti-Jewish people claim that Jews conspire with each other, but though there is a certain tribal deference to each other, as is typical for people of any tribe, it is not absolute. If the anti-Semites are right then the London financial markets are controlled by Jews as is the European Monetary Union, but those two groups are in conflict over EU monetary policy and the supposedly Jewish controlled US financial industry is playing both sides for profit. Where the hell is the kabal conspiracy in that? Some Jews are staunchly pro-Israel or Zionist, but a great many Jews, if not a majority, are neutral on Israel and many are annoyed that so much of the conflict in the Middle East centers on Israel's existence. Some of them actively support Palestinian groups that make war on Israel almost every day (just read Horrowitzes 'Front Page' emag for examples).
So despite the fact that the facts themselves shoot down anti-semitic conspiracy theories, it is difficult if not impossible to refute them publicly because of the hate-phobes hysterical reactions if anyone dares to even discuss the subject. As I have read on this topic on sites that are not anti-semitic, there is a pattern of someone defending Judaism against these ridiculous charges, then some hate-phobe damns them as anti-semites for even asking questions, shames moderate non-antisemites into silence, and then the thread gets taken over by overt anti-semites who are so clumsy, rude and heavy handed you might be tempted to think that they are simply trolls trying to end the discussion for some reason. Defenders of the Jewish faith have nothing to worry about if the true facts come out in these discussions as the facts support them, but to shout down with condemnations people who merely ask questions is to give an inadvertent implication that there is something truthy to these anti-semitic slanders. Is that what is intended?
Over the coming year, Wall Street banks are going to take it in the teeth, despite Bernankes most fervent QE mass printings and a lot of people are going to get wiped out financially. A great many people will blame Jews for what happens and hate-phobic shout downs won't work, they will only enrage people more. The Jewish presence in the financial industries needs to be discussed in the broad daylight BEFORE the crisis hits. I know most will feel like this will only inflame the issue by allowing anti-semites a turn at the podiums across the country, but this will be like an inoculation. Let people be exposed to a discussion on this topic prior to the crisis so that they will be enabled to keep their emotions more under control by the rebuttals they have heard from the discussions.
Because if this is going to be as bad as many think it will be, shame and social ostracism won't work any more, believe me.
Note: I may have stepped on some toes here, no, I KNOW I have, because there are all kinds of sensitivities from anti-Jewish people who still believe that Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus Christ (though the people who also defended Him were Jewish and He Himself was Jewish) to Jewish people who take offense at being referred to as 'Jews'. I kid you not. I will assert here and now that I do not intend to offend anyone that is reasonable and wants to have a rational discussion, especially Jews because I believe that they are still God's Chosen, but I am not going to speak in half-truths to avoid potential offense. If you are offended, sorry about that, tell me and if I agree I will apologize. And if not I won't.
For the US the story largely starts in the post Civil War era. Back in the Old World, especially in Eastern Europe, Jews that immigrated to the US were fairly harshly discriminated against by Christian monarchies, the same monarchies, in large part, that most Americans or their ancestors had also fled. While the typical person might see this as common grounds for empathy between the US Christian and Jewish communities, no, some Christians still had those Old World attitudes against Jews and some Jews saw the US Christians as part of the same faith that had caused them so much pain back 'home'. But this post Civil War era saw a lot of immigration from Europe of its upper classes as news coverage of the Civil War made many over there realize that the US wasn't this great backwater any more and one could come here with some money and make a great deal more money. Thus instead of the mix of poor Irish, Scotsmen and Anglos we started to get a new mix of poor from almost every country and a good deal of the upper classes too.
These upper classes in Europe were far wealthier than your typical wealthy families in the US, but the natives had connections in the political system and so it was not so simple to shove them aside. By the time the Jews started coming here in great numbers the US had a firm mix of Old Wealth and New European immigrant wealth. Anti-Jewish sentiment was triggered against Jews as they bought into various industries, industries that were sort of traditional Jewish industries because of the restrictions placed on them by European monarchs, such as it being illegal to own land outside of the Jewish Quarter that most nations had. Thus the industries Jews had familiarity with were all urban and so there were a lot of Jewish bankers (who for centuries were the only ones who could loan money at interest in Europe), Jewish academians, Jewish entertainers, Jewish lawyers, etc. When they came to America they began to move straight into these same industries like any other ethnic group would do.
As I understand it the Jews dominated the banking industry in New York for quite some time in the 30's and going into the 40's but that has changed. The boards that own these banks are not majority Jewish and though there is a disproportionate number of Jews heading banks and other financial institutions, the majority of them are secularized, ethnic chameleons as comfortable around Christian secularists as Jewish secularists. The dominant religious group in the financial industry today as almost always and in every industry are the Episcopalians and Presbyterians but they blend in with everyone else and escape the kind of attention that Jews tend to get.
Also, if one wants to talk about an ethnic group that is wealthy and powerful no ethnic group eclipses the Saudis these days, except maybe the Chinese. But the Saudis play a crucial role in providing a commodity support to the US dollar by only accepting payment in US dollars. Were they to change this policy, US dollars would drop in value drastically, so the Saudis actually have us by the proverbial short hairs, not the Jews.
Also, anti-Jewish people claim that Jews conspire with each other, but though there is a certain tribal deference to each other, as is typical for people of any tribe, it is not absolute. If the anti-Semites are right then the London financial markets are controlled by Jews as is the European Monetary Union, but those two groups are in conflict over EU monetary policy and the supposedly Jewish controlled US financial industry is playing both sides for profit. Where the hell is the kabal conspiracy in that? Some Jews are staunchly pro-Israel or Zionist, but a great many Jews, if not a majority, are neutral on Israel and many are annoyed that so much of the conflict in the Middle East centers on Israel's existence. Some of them actively support Palestinian groups that make war on Israel almost every day (just read Horrowitzes 'Front Page' emag for examples).
So despite the fact that the facts themselves shoot down anti-semitic conspiracy theories, it is difficult if not impossible to refute them publicly because of the hate-phobes hysterical reactions if anyone dares to even discuss the subject. As I have read on this topic on sites that are not anti-semitic, there is a pattern of someone defending Judaism against these ridiculous charges, then some hate-phobe damns them as anti-semites for even asking questions, shames moderate non-antisemites into silence, and then the thread gets taken over by overt anti-semites who are so clumsy, rude and heavy handed you might be tempted to think that they are simply trolls trying to end the discussion for some reason. Defenders of the Jewish faith have nothing to worry about if the true facts come out in these discussions as the facts support them, but to shout down with condemnations people who merely ask questions is to give an inadvertent implication that there is something truthy to these anti-semitic slanders. Is that what is intended?
Over the coming year, Wall Street banks are going to take it in the teeth, despite Bernankes most fervent QE mass printings and a lot of people are going to get wiped out financially. A great many people will blame Jews for what happens and hate-phobic shout downs won't work, they will only enrage people more. The Jewish presence in the financial industries needs to be discussed in the broad daylight BEFORE the crisis hits. I know most will feel like this will only inflame the issue by allowing anti-semites a turn at the podiums across the country, but this will be like an inoculation. Let people be exposed to a discussion on this topic prior to the crisis so that they will be enabled to keep their emotions more under control by the rebuttals they have heard from the discussions.
Because if this is going to be as bad as many think it will be, shame and social ostracism won't work any more, believe me.
Note: I may have stepped on some toes here, no, I KNOW I have, because there are all kinds of sensitivities from anti-Jewish people who still believe that Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus Christ (though the people who also defended Him were Jewish and He Himself was Jewish) to Jewish people who take offense at being referred to as 'Jews'. I kid you not. I will assert here and now that I do not intend to offend anyone that is reasonable and wants to have a rational discussion, especially Jews because I believe that they are still God's Chosen, but I am not going to speak in half-truths to avoid potential offense. If you are offended, sorry about that, tell me and if I agree I will apologize. And if not I won't.