Is "Jew couple" a racial slur?
The bill was a shocker, and not because of the amount. After eating at a Jersey shore restaurant, Elliott Stein and his girlfriend were handed a bill that said "Jew Couple" near the bottom, as a table identifier used by the waitstaff. The slur also turned up on Stein's credit card statement weeks later.
It may be inappropriate or rude to identify someone by their religion or race (as if the bill had said "black couple" or "white couple"), but does such usage really count as a "slur"? Noted Jew and law professor Eugene Volokh doesn't think so.
Why do some people think that it's more polite to say "Jewish people" than "Jews"? I've heard some people say that "Jews" is somehow considered rude, and "Jewish people" is better, but I just don't see why.Does anyone know the story here? People don't generally say "black people," "Catholic people," or "female people." Why should they call us "Jewish people" rather than just "Jews"? I don't quite get it.
(I'm not saying that "Jewish people" is wrong -- if you want to say that, it's fine with me, though it will sound affected to me and people who think like me, at least until we're persuaded that "Jews" is somehow bad.)
Update:
Professor Volokh has emailed me to clarify that (as Xrlq also says in the comments) "Jewish people" is not generally seen as an insult, but "Jew people" usually is.
I've never heard anyone argue that "Jew" is derogatory when used as a noun. It's the adjectival use that comes off as derogatory. "Jewish couple" is fine, and so is "a couple of Jews," but "Jew couple" is not kosher.
Some Democrats react the same way when the word "democrat" is used as an adjective rather than a noun, e.g., they don't object to being called Democrats, but go postal if you call their party the "Democrat Party" rather than the preferred "Democrat-ick Party."
who cares, really. what a bunch of assholes.
To me, "Jew couple" sounds a little like describing things rather than people.
Also, the waitress who wrote the slur had a German-sounding name (Katrina or Karina, I can't recall exactly). The only Katrinas and Karinas I've ever met are either German or Austrian.
Anyways, why would she point out a race anyway? It would have been a slur if she had handed a black couple a ticket with "Black people" written on it. The motive and the wording of the act both reveal a taunting, racist intent.
Its a Jew thing, you wouldn't understand.
I'm not only not getting bent out of shape over this, but there are a couple of reasons why I doubt the episode happened... see my posting (at the bottom of the post) for more info.
I don't understand how Jew Couple can be offensive. Is he a Jew? YES! Is she a Jew? YES! If someone wrote on my bill Italian Couple, I would not get all bent out of shape.....that's because I am ITALIAN! Let me elaborate more. My college interview, the person who I had met with was Chinese. All of my friends (ofcourse they are Democrats) would lecture me on how wrong it is for me to use the term Chinese when describing her. So I asked them what I should call her, their response, Asian. The kicker, she's from China. So now, how is calling a Chinese person Chinese insulting. Now, if I had received a bill saying I was a black couple, irish couple, jew couple, austrian couple, or plain old ugly couple, then I would be insulted for being none of these.
Joe, read my earlier comment. "Jew" is a noun, not an adjective. Even if its adjectival use were not considered derogatory, calling anyone a "Jew couple" would still warrant an arrest by the Grammar Police.