Add former Wisconsin Governor "Tommy" Thompson to the list of Republicans consigning themselves to the apology-trail for saying something that some member of some group, somewhere found insulting. Having entered the now Boston Marathon-sized field of Republican contenders for the presidential nomination, he spoke to a group of reform Jews and paid his audience what he thought was a compliment.
Speaking to an audience at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington D.C., Thompson said that, "I'm in the private sector and for the first time in my life I'm earning money. You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that."
Thompson later apologized for the comments that had caused a stir in the audience, saying that he had meant it as a compliment, and had only wanted to highlight the "accomplishments" of the Jewish religion.
I wish I knew Yiddish. I'm sure there's an appropriate Yiddish epithet for my reaction. I mean, c'mon people, if there were ever a more business-savvy group than the Jews, I can't think of one. And trust me, that's said with great admiration.
My personal theory is that anti-Semitism in the West is not so much related to the death of Jesus but to the Jews' legendary financial success. For centuries, while Christian theology taught that making a profit was sinful, ambitious Christians chafed under its teachings. Of course, Judaism recognized no such sin and quite rightfully believed that keeping that which one had earned and, in turn, reinvesting it in the community was proper and expected human behavior.
Envy among Christians led, not to the overthrow of their own teachings, however, but to the call to reign in the success of the "non-believing" Jews. It's why, I think, that in the last half century anti-Semitism had dropped out of sight in America. The Christian church here relaxed its insistence on sacrifice and non-profitability, and its members were finally free to compete. There was no more cause for jealousy and animosity.
Recently we're seeing an increase in anti-semitism on the far left, though, which fits my theory quite well. They claim it's all over Israel's occupation of Palestine but I can't help but think that their hatred of capitalism and profit don't figure in. The Jews, while in their own minds still the victims of hatred, are still viewed by many as successful and therefore powerful. The same old reason to beat them down held by a new and, this time, irreligious bunch.
Now, Tommy Thompson is a marginal figure at best in the race for the Republican nomination and I doubt this kerfuffle will do much one way or the other to affect his campaign (reform Jews are not famous, after all, for voting Republican.) But if the Jewish community in America has really become so sensitive to their reputation for business acumen and so politically correct that they must feign outrage at someone's recognition of it, then they're relegating themselves to the status of just another victim group.
It won't help them and it won't help us. We've got plenty of those already, thank you very much.
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