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Donald Trump calls bankers 'Shylocks', drawing criticism for antisemitic term. (www.usatoday.com)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Davriellelouna@lemmy.world to c/usa@midwest.social

24 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Shylock is a fictional Jewish money-lender invented by Shakespeare.

The story ends when Shylock is defeated and forced to abandon Judaism.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shylock

top 24 comments

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[–] notso@feddit.org 13 points 1 day ago

Sadly, thats not really surprising. As his cognition deteriorates further we come to learn more and more about the 'real' Donald Trump. You think he's awful now? Wait till the dementia kicks in full force. I only hope he won't hold any power by that time anymore.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 47 points 1 day ago

It’s only antisemitism if it attacks Israel or humanises Palestinians. Otherwise, it’s just “being a product of a different time”.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 23 points 1 day ago (4 children)

So he hates Jews, but loves Israel?

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 7 points 15 hours ago

yhea, antisemitism nowadays tends to be best prozionist

anti-semites can deny the holocaust and use slurs and then say they support a genocide and the ADL/AIPAC will be ok with that

but if jews complain about the genocide they get the boot for antisemitism.

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 37 points 1 day ago

This is a more common set of views than one might expect.

[–] match@pawb.social 23 points 1 day ago

you might be shocked at how the israeli government acts

[–] taco@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago

So unlike him to contract himself.

[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago

Racist uses racist slur.

[–] miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 1 day ago

"Shylock Holmes was a real detective documented by Author Conehead Boyle."
--maga

[+] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world -11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's kind of weak... He's obviously comparing them to the character of Shylock, and the fact that he's Jewish is more of a criticism of Shakespeare being antisemitic. Trump might be antisemitic, but this isn't a very good example.

[–] synae@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh yea that Trump guy is always dropping Shakespeare references

[–] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not sure I follow. He did say Shylock right? Clearly referring to the Shakespeare character? What else could he have been referring to? Or is Shylock somehow associated with Jews otherwise?

[–] LetMeBeMe@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's a racist slur for a Jewish banker

[–] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world -1 points 18 hours ago (4 children)

Do you think Biden was also being racist when he used the term? Or was he using it in a more general sense, as a term to describe immoral and unethical bankers in general?

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

This time? https://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/joe-biden-shylocks-reaction-111053

Pretty obviously him being racist

Biden used the term when he spoke at the 40th anniversary celebration for the Legal Services Corporation and referred to his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, and his experience while in Iraq.

“People would come up to him and talk about what was happening to them at home in terms of foreclosures, in terms of bad loans that were being — I mean, these Shylocks who took advantage of these women and men while overseas,” Biden said.

[–] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

It's not obvious at all. It used to be a commonly used term for dishonest bankers, and it's still defined as such in most dictionaries, though many of them also note that it is less common now because of more awareness of the harmful stereotype.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 6 hours ago

Sounds like it's always been used as a slur/terrible stereotype, hell Shakespeare made the entire character a stereotype....

https://time.com/3394403/shylock-biden/

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 6 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Yes. Biden is/was a known racist. What is your point or is it just what about ism?

[–] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world -2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Was he racist in 2014? While he was vice president to a black man? The point is that some terms that old people use don't mean the same thing to them that they do to average people today.

Edit: lol, oops. Yes, Obama is black and not Jewish. I guess Biden could be antisemitic and not racist against black people. Or I suppose he could be racist and still work closely with a black man and appear convincingly to be on good terms with him. In any event it doesn't prove much about Biden being antisemitic. I think he just used a dated term because he is old.

[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Yes. More specifically, Biden was being antisemitic when he used an antisemitic term to describe a group of people, regardless of their behavior.

[–] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world -1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

What if he used a term for crooked bankers to describe crooked bankers and didn't consider that it propagated harmful stereotypes?

[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

Then he was negligently being antisemitic. The result is the same: harmful stereotypes propagated due to his choice of words and his failure to consider them more carefully.

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I had to look it up cause I didn't recall that Biden had used it. To be honest I think using the term probably falls into two categories in modern area; anitsemtic or way too old to be running anything.

[–] OccamsRazer@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

I agree. There are a lot of terms like that. People used to use them commonly, but now there is more awareness of the harm in these stereotypes. A lot of old people have a hard time adjusting. Someone I know used to use the term cottonpicker until I pointed out how racist it is. Somehow he had never made the connection, which seemed crazy, but I actually believe him.