Slog
News & ArtsMonday, December 26, 2011
Media A Jew by Any Other Name
Posted by Goldy on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 1:36 PM
Slog tipper Ryan points me toward the following headline in the Yakima Herald:
By comparison, the Seattle Times, Ryan suggests, "was a little more PC about this story," employing the slightly more specific headline: "Death of Jewish hiker on Rainier fuels autopsy fight," although both papers regurgitate the same AP newswire story.
To be fair to the Yakima Herald, they appear to be using the original AP headline, but it raises an interesting question: Is referring to somebody simply as a "Jew" somehow un-PC? The editors at the Seattle Times apparently think so, else they wouldn't have modified the headline.
(For the record, I think the more appropriate headline would have been "Death of Orthodox Jew on Rainier files autopsy fight," as that's the detail that's key to the story.)
1
And the Alpine Blowdart Assassin breathes a sigh of relief that the family who hired him had planned for such a contingency.
2
"Is referring to somebody simply as a "Jew" somehow un-PC?"
It is if that fact is irrelevant. Only anti-Semites would care in that case.
It is if that fact is irrelevant. Only anti-Semites would care in that case.
5
If you worship a god who would ban you from a nice afterlife because of what strangers do to your body after you're dead, you need a new god. Or no god.
6
As a Jew, that headline totally squicks me. When people who aren't Jewish call us "Jew" without any additional information (like "hiker" or "Orthodox" or something), it feels othering. Like it was the death of a Jew as opposed to the death of a real person.
8
The orthodox thing is important. Reform Jews don't subscribe to that business, and the Chabad outfit is completely nutty. But then to most people, a Jew is a Jew.
9
Religious exemptions from civil laws are establishment of religion, and should not be provided. It is absurd and dangerous to permit the family of the deceased to prevent the medical examiner from properly investigating a death. And anyone objecting to an autopsy ought to be investigated for potential involvement in the death.
10
Yeah, this guy isn't a "Jew," he's a member of a Jewish splinter Ortho group that has views more extreme than most Orthodox Jews, and have a particular separate theological stance. Judaism as a whole a) doesn't have specific support for an afterlife; living justly under God's vengeance is the motivation for such; b) doesn't say that an autopsy magically affects one's chances in the afterlife.
In fact, there's a specific principle of Judaism that Orthodox subscribe to on the whole that says one may suspend any of the 600-plus obligations (mitzot) set upon us by you know who except the 10 Big Commandments in order to save a life. This is stretched quite a bit. But conducting an autopsy to ensure that no other lives are lost and that there isn't some other danger that killed the guy clearly falls under that rubric.
In fact, there's a specific principle of Judaism that Orthodox subscribe to on the whole that says one may suspend any of the 600-plus obligations (mitzot) set upon us by you know who except the 10 Big Commandments in order to save a life. This is stretched quite a bit. But conducting an autopsy to ensure that no other lives are lost and that there isn't some other danger that killed the guy clearly falls under that rubric.
11
Ditto what @9 says. Sure, Jew is definitely a word I wouldn't use in any discussion not directly related to a discussion of said word, like anything else that might be taken as a slur. But I don't care what they want to happen to the corpse any more than I give a damn about Jehovah's Witnesse refusing medical treatment for their kids. If your God doesn't understand, then His opinion doesn't count.
12
Geez, if the guy identified so strongly w/ being a Jew that his family & friends will have a hissy-fit over an autopsy, then go ahead & call him a Jew.
13
Goldy inadvertently plugged in a WSJ link in the second paragraph (same headline as AP and Yakima Herald).
Here's the correct Seattle Times link:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
Here's the correct Seattle Times link:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
14
Unusual but not pejorative, so it's not necessary to take offense. But worth remembering this moment:
What’s all this FUSS I hear… about saving Soviet jewelry? Now… what makes Soviet jewelry so special? Will it be worth more in a few years? Why… prices what they are today… ALL jewelry will be worth more! now, if I recall correctly, Mrs. Kruschev didn’t wear very much jewelry… and her husband, the Premier, didn’t even wear a watch! Not the mickey mouse watch, anyway. Why, they wouldn’t even let him into Disney Land! And now he’s DEAD!! Well, I’m infuriated! Save Soviet jewelry?! Where are we going to put it? I say keep it over THERE, with all their ballet dancers! Let them keep their own jewelry AND their own ballet dancers! As a matter of fact, why don’t get the ballet dancers to save the jewelry?! Americans have more important things to save! And electricity! And what about our fuel? Now, THAT’S important! Not jewelry!
15
@9, some Christian organizations are exempted in practice from the law that says you can't refuse to hire someone due to their religious faith. They have insisted upon their right to hire only those of their particular brand of Christianity, and they get away with it. They should not be allowed to do so, and the Chabad Jews should not be allowed to stop an autopsy (which as I understand it, they will not be allowed). Feel free to complain about all those types of cases.
18
Goldy - I love you, you know. But what the fuck to you expect after your "don't you Goy bastards have anything else to do on Christmas day" postings?
Shee-it, G. Get a fucking grip and learn to laugh at yourself.
Shee-it, G. Get a fucking grip and learn to laugh at yourself.
21
I had a friend in college who wrote to the Times to complain about the use of "Jews" in a headline as being insensitive. I tried to explain it was most likely due to space considerations, to no avail. "Jewish Community" takes up a lot oh headline space.
23
I saw the same headline on the Seattle PI site and mynorthwest.com. It clearly originated with the AP.
24
You know what other religion likes to bury their dead quickly and without autopsies? Muslims. Now that the precedent had been set in Washington state to override a coroner's concerns based on the deceased's famiy's religious preferences, expect plenty of honor-killing tourism. Angry Muslim fathers or brothers will take their "errant" daughters and sisters to "vacation" in Seattle, and then when the women end up dead, they can just quickly ship them home without any investigation because Washington courts think religious belief trumps criminal investigations. Way to go, dumbass judges.
25
@24 - 'expect plenty of honor killing tourism.'
I'm a Jew, and I'm here to tell you to go fuck yourself, you silly racist twat.
I'm a Jew, and I'm here to tell you to go fuck yourself, you silly racist twat.
26
Jew or not, is irrelevant. Family wishes should prevail if there is no evidence of foul play. Risky/stupid to go solo on a winter trip there without appropriate survival gear. Does it really matter if he collapsed from a heart attack, or just became exhausted & froze, or... Just stupid shit, back off.
27
@25 Nice try with the race card, but race doesn't have anything to do with it. It can be theists of any kind who are batshit crazy.
28
In this case, I think "Jew" is an improper headline, the front-page designer were being lazy and I don't see anything wrong with taking them to task.
@27: And atheists such as yourself can come off as assholes. The world is indeed full of magic!
@27: And atheists such as yourself can come off as assholes. The world is indeed full of magic!
30
@28- @27 clearly said "theists of any kind who are batshit crazy." So people of any religion can be crazy, and use these beliefs to justify whatever. There was no blanket statement on the sanity of theists. So you're the asshole here.
And me, because I think all theists are, at best, silly.
And me, because I think all theists are, at best, silly.
31
@2 nails it. It's racist if Jewishness is irrelevant. But even if it's relevant (as it certainly was here) it still comes across as unpleasantly reductive and othering. I try to avoid this usage.
(And I'm not Jewish, by the way.)
(And I'm not Jewish, by the way.)
32
@30: Did you read his original line of reasoning? You know, the one people were responding to?
"You know what other religion likes to bury their dead quickly and without autopsies? Muslims. "
God, read before you post.
"You know what other religion likes to bury their dead quickly and without autopsies? Muslims. "
God, read before you post.
33
Goldy,
The headline in the Seattle Times caught my eye and at first I thought a Hate crime (I thought he was murdered because he was Jewish) was committed on Mt. Rainier!? But then I read the article. I didn't know Orthodox Judiasm prohibited autopsies.
Sad to read that. Tough break for the fellow.
RIP
The headline in the Seattle Times caught my eye and at first I thought a Hate crime (I thought he was murdered because he was Jewish) was committed on Mt. Rainier!? But then I read the article. I didn't know Orthodox Judiasm prohibited autopsies.
Sad to read that. Tough break for the fellow.
RIP
34
@22 both Orthodox Jews and the Evangelists. If it was written one or two thousands of years ago in the Bible, and for the Evangelists badly translated in their language since, that's all they need to know to consider it as a valid law.
The remainder of the population, that is to say other Jews, real Christians, other moderate theists, and atheists, may be more inclined to obey to laws that are a tad more recent - like those in the US Constitution.
@33 I felt the same reading the headline.
The remainder of the population, that is to say other Jews, real Christians, other moderate theists, and atheists, may be more inclined to obey to laws that are a tad more recent - like those in the US Constitution.
@33 I felt the same reading the headline.
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