When my friend sent me a link with “date-jewish-boy” in the URL, I had hoped that Andrew Garfield had finally decided to ask me out. Alas, instead I was sent this article by the “Elite Daily.”
The Elite Daily, an online magazine, claims to be “The Voice of Generation-Y.” The article is entitled “Would You Date: The Jewish Boy.”
It’s difficult to pick out a few anecdotes from this article. Each one is a gem. The article’s introduction kindly explains that “Jewish people are also labeled with several stereotypes, both negative and positive,” and then proceeds to list them as statements of fact and how it affects the desirability of a Jewish boy in “Pros” and “Cons.”
“Pros” include “They are smart and successful” because “The ZBT frat stars at Syracuse where the boys are bound to inherit their father’s million dollar business. These are clearly husband material.”
You’re too kind.
At least they apparently also are “family oriented” and have “a good sense of humor.” But then the article starts listing the “Cons.”
The very first Con is: “They tend to like their own kind.” I can just hear Rita Moreno from West Side Story singing in my ear.
The Cons actually manage to get worse from there, perhaps reaching their most... pointed at “They Are Cheap,” as illustrated by a photo of a hand reaching for a penny on the ground.
The article has no byline, nor is there a place to leave comments. This mysterious Steve Irwin-like expert on Jewish boys sums up her argument with “I’m a girl, trust me I know what I’m talking about.”
I wonder if she has that on a diploma hanging in her office.
I had never heard of Elite Daily, but searching through it, “Generation-Y” seems to mean well-to-do white YUPpies; articles range from finance (lots of finance) to a guide to “Frenemies.”
In some ways, this article was a relief. I encounter so much subtle anti-Semitism that is difficult to articulate my complaint or pinpoint why it makes me uncomfortable. The further I read in this piece, the more blatantly offensive it became. You have to at least give it credit for no ambiguity.
The “About” section of Elite reads: “Life can be hard to interpret, Elitedaily.com is an all-encompassing site that aims to deliver editorial depicting the world the way it is.”
If the “world the way it is” is a series of two-dimensional, outdated, insensitive, wildly offensive generalizations about ethnic groups with histories of discrimination, than congratulations Elite, you are spot on.
If this is Generation-Y, I want a new birth date.