Anti-Semite (mincing-words)

Here's something strange, when certain words are combined their meanings change from what they should actually mean. Especially where religion is involved.

"So what" you say?

Well... just what happened to separating church and state?

The very meaning of certain aspects of our language is being altered to accommodate religious notions of bigotry, and what religion isn't bigoted? Every religion excludes some other group of people, that's *how* it works, that's bigotry and calling your religion the "religion of peace" or whatever is not going to change that.

Think about it, if everyone had the same religion, the very word "religion" wouldn't exist...

So, let's start with something simple... "anti" .. the literal opposite (up is anti-down and down is anti-up.. yes, that's a stupid example) or anti refers to the opposer of something. Like an anti-religionist, an antichrist and an anticipate (the opposite of a "cipate" pfft! look it up if u don't believe me..)

Dictionary: anti–

or ant–
pref.

1.

   1. Opposite: antimere.
   2. Opposing; against: antiapartheid.
   3. Counteracting; neutralizing: antacid.
   4. Destroying: antiaircraft.
2.

   1. Inverse: antilogarithm.
   2. Displaying opposite characteristics: antihero.

[Greek, from anti, opposite.]

http://www.answers.com/anti

now something a little bit more complicated, Semite...

Dictionary: Sem·ite

n.

1. A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
2. A Jew.
3. Bible. A descendant of Shem.

[Back-formation from SEMITIC.]

http://www.answers.com/semite


so an "anti-Semite" should be someone who opposes the "Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians." which includes Jewish people, "Hebrews" are listed after all, so there is a double reference to Judaism, triple as I would guess "Shem" to be an Old Testament dude.


however.... next, we have something a lot more complicated...

Dictionary: an·ti-Sem·i·tism (ăn'tē-sĕm'ĭ-tĭz'əm, ăn'tī-)

n.
1. Hostility toward or prejudice against Jews or Judaism.
2. Discrimination against Jews.

http://www.answers.com/antisemite

Now it may say up above that "Semite" is in reference to Jewish people, three times actually, but the term also applies to pretty much every one *else* in the middle east and in the north and the north-east of Africa...

But when the term "anti-Semite" is used... it merely applies to Jewish people...

how did that happen?

From what I've researched, the people who refer to themselves as Jewish, mainly originate from Europe *anyway*. I'm not denying that they may have descended from the Hebrews of the Holy Land of biblical times thousands of years ago, but...

the point being: how is someone who has never even met a Jew let alone had long enough conversations with them that the topic of Anti-Semitism would come up for long enough to get the "proper" meaning of what it means, to the certain people this meaning applies to? (if that makes sense)

to me Anti-Semite means the "opposition to those that are Semites", well, not any more since I looked this up, it would never occur to me that anti-Semite meant anti-Jewish if I heard it in the context of, for example, a news report.

Are we expected to glean the common/popular meaning of words via how the media presents those terms?

Like when "Passion of the Christ" came out, it caused anti-Semitism, and that didn't make sense to me. and what is with people getting up the Jews for killing Jesus?

they wouldn't have their precious cross to make crooked if Jesus wasn't crucified!!!

if the Jews didn't put him to death in the manner that they did, we wouldn't have christianity. If anyone should be pissed off it's the people who don't like christianity...

"Damn you Jews!! you should have just patted Jesus on the head and ignored him!! but nooooooo... just had to make a big spectacle out of it and have him tortured to death and now we have christianity... Thanks a lot! BASTARDS!!!!"

No wonder the world is dumbing down, and no wonder people "hate" people that they have never met and never will meet, seeing how they are on the other side of the world and all.

This "anti-semite" thing is just another stupid religious thing that creates division lines amongst people by having it's separatism built right into our language.

It also creates an air of having to be careful when using the terms "semite" and "anti-semite" like you have to tip toe around the topic. Well, it does to me, because I have to think about what I'm saying, doing double takes before I speak, "Oh SHIT!! can I say that?" ...

It's little things like this that actually makes me tip toe around the topic of *any* race, like you can't describe anyone as being an "Arab" or "Chinese" or "Dark" or "Black" or anything to describe how someone looks who has even a slightly different racial look about them without having a feeling of being thought of as a racist by using those terms.

It's like what other little nuances do I have to worry about so that I don't unintentionally offend some religious fruit cake who is lacking a spine? Like when you offend somebody's utterly ridiculous religious belief, it's just not polite to say "Oh!! take your religion and FUCK OFF back to Jerkistan if you're that fucking stupid!!! JESUS H CHRIST!!"

maybe this is just the Australian schooling curriculum of the 70s/80s, maybe it was just the primary school I went to, which did have a substantial aboriginal population? Maybe everyone should grow up in a small town where you get to know the same people over many years, where you are forced to grow up with different races?

originally and mostly written 3/March/09, mostly....