Is it racist to say someone "looks Jewish"?

[fromderinside]

Not intending to put too politically correct point on it, but, if your community (including you) reflexively reacts negatively to the word Jew then one saying 'has a Jewish look' is indeed racist. (see, even the editor suggested capitalizing 'J' in jewish). Better to not appear responsible for a street lynching or star of David red dooring.

I personally cannot imagine a scenario where me or my community would react negatively to the word Jew.
The question came up as someone I know was trying to describe what an architect looked like to someone who was meeting her, but never met her. There were going to be many people there and he was having trouble describing her features. He described her hair color and stature, but that was common. He said she looked ethnic. When the person didn't understand, he said, well she looks Jewish. No ill intent was behind it. When I heard about it I was wondering because I often say my DIL and grandson look Jewish--again with no malice or ill intent. She looks a lot like the girl that played Tzeidel in the movie adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, who I always thought of as very beautiful. But I guess it made me think.....does it sound racist. I think in my scenarios, that no, it doesn't, but I guess not knowing the audience, caution is prudent.

The worst thing about rationalism is rationalization. Your imagination and your group doesn't make the slightest dent in a history of abuse in Europe and subsequently America and now the Middle East about a history of ethnic cleansing attempts.

Yes. Caution is prudent.

We discriminate. Others are often thought of as being threats. If there is a history, a long history, of a group being seen as, characterized, as a threat, nominal thinking probably shouldn't be applied in public, outside one's accepted group.

 

[fromderinside]

I have often referred to my older daughter as having Semitic traits versus her 2 siblings' physical traits. Semitic as in including Arab ancestry along with Jewish. Which both ancestries run through me from my father's side (Jewish) and mother's side (Arab Spaniards). I cannot fathom anyone would receive my observation as being "racist".

I suppose that if stating "she/he looks Jewish" when referring to physical traits is to be taken as racist, consistently then, one would have to apply the same conclusion to stating "He/she looks Arab".

My half sister is racially mixed (Malgache and Caucasian). Being such an exotic beauty, she has often been told how "ethnic" she looks though most people if they detect her Black ancestry would not be able to narrow it down to her native ancestry from Madagascar. In the US, they just assume she is of African American origin.

When you are among those you know and trust and are sure others outside your acceptance group won't attend, sure do what you do. Problem is that excuses are easy with which to associate to known negative connotations. So yes, one should consider characterizing appearance in ethnical terms, "He/she looks Arab" as racist.

 

[EricK]

When you use an adjective, it is reasonable for other people to assume you consider it relevant or important in some way. So when, for example, you say someone looks Jewish, it is reasonable for other people to assume that for some reason you consider this a worthwhile thing to point out. Since it isn't really relevant in most situations, it (and many similar phrases) can sound a little bit racist (or sexist, or homophobic etc).

 

[GenesisNemesis]

No.

 

[Sabine Grant]

I have often referred to my older daughter as having Semitic traits versus her 2 siblings' physical traits. Semitic as in including Arab ancestry along with Jewish. Which both ancestries run through me from my father's side (Jewish) and mother's side (Arab Spaniards). I cannot fathom anyone would receive my observation as being "racist".

I suppose that if stating "she/he looks Jewish" when referring to physical traits is to be taken as racist, consistently then, one would have to apply the same conclusion to stating "He/she looks Arab".

My half sister is racially mixed (Malgache and Caucasian). Being such an exotic beauty, she has often been told how "ethnic" she looks though most people if they detect her Black ancestry would not be able to narrow it down to her native ancestry from Madagascar. In the US, they just assume she is of African American origin.

When you are among those you know and trust and are sure others outside your acceptance group won't attend, sure do what you do.

What leads you to believe that I would have communicated those observations regarding her ethnic traits without "others outside from my acceptance group"?

Further, why such liberal use of the term "racist"? The reality remains that the thought would never cross my mind that X communicating their observation that Y has physical traits reflecting the commonly observed physical traits of any specific group is "racist".

Now, if someone stated "Y acts like a Jew", it then attaches to the meaning of Jew whichever behavior. Opening a door to negative/derogatory stereotyping the moment the implication is behavior.

Problem is that excuses are easy with which to associate to known negative connotations. So yes, one should consider characterizing appearance in ethnical terms, "He/she looks Arab" as racist.

Again, why such liberal use of the term "racist"? Is there any justification to inferring to the speaker of " he/she looks Arab or Jew" that they are motivated by or experience a sense of racially based superiority over Arabs or Jews?

 

[laughing dog]

"Looking Jewish" relies on stereotyping. As such, I think it is not terribly useful and could very well be taken as insulting or bigoted.

 

[fromderinside]

"Looking Jewish" relies on stereotyping. As such, I think it is not terribly useful and could very well be taken as insulting or bigoted.

There you go.