Jews Don't Count

by David Baddiel

Antisemitism is a second-class racism.

Jews are the only objects of racism who are imagined – by the racists – as both low and high status. Jews are stereotyped, by the racists, in all the same ways that other minorities are – as lying, thieving, dirty, vile, stinking – but also as moneyed, privileged, powerful and secretly in control of the world. Jews are somehow both sub-human and humanity’s secret masters.

Jews, uniquely among minorities in the west, are associated with power.

Why some racisms seem to be thought of as more important – more offensive, more troubling, more in need of being shut down – than others.

Yid is considered not as bad hate speech as the P-word or the N-word.

It all comes down to money.

Jews may be the only minority group in this country who have never been cool.