Reply to Trump - bankers = Shylocks

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[quote=Anonymous]1. I agree this phrase is antisemitic.

2. The incredibly common phrase "pound of flesh" is just as antisemitic; in fact, the character Shylock in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice sets the effective collateral for a loan as a pound of flesh.

3. Which is more anti-semitic? Well, in context, referring to bankers as Shylock (who is an infamous banker) has some theoretical degree of coherence even without express resort to the antisemitic overtones. The same cannot be said for "pound of flesh" which is used far more routinely. In that respect, it's a little weird to make a news story out of "Shylock" while staying silent when the phrase "pound of flesh" is used (a not infrequent occurrence).

4. Is it really believable that Trump was unaware of the antisemitic context surround shylock? No, I don't think so. Its obscurity and its ickiness strike me as comparable, so if you know the word, you probably know it's bad.

5. Would this be national news if, say, Hillary Clinton or Cory Booker said it? Cant imagine. Then again, it's easier to imagine trump affirmatively wanting to do a dog whistle, so it's not an apples to apples comparison.

6. On balance, I think this is just one more data point for why trump is a bad guy, but it's not crazy to think the people in this thread vowing to continue to "fight" or condemning the press as some how complicit are maybe doing a bit much. [/quote]

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