Received Wednesday, July 11, 2007
On July 9, 2007 while riding the evening Metra Electric/University Park train from downtown, we made a normal stop at the University of Chicago, and a Nanny or babysitter got on board with her 3 charges, the children were 2 girls and 1 boy. 1 girl was of Filipino or other Asian decent, I think she is adopted. She looks nothing like the other boy and girl. The other boy and girl were blond haired and fair skinned. The boy is about 8yrs old I think and the girl maybe about 5yrs old. The Asian/Filipino girl that must be adopted looks to be about 4yr old I think. The Nanny or babysitter is a young white girl, about 20 or so, short dark brown hair kind of in a bob, very thin and **********edited by Jane Doe********** she looks like she could be Jewish, please bear with me, I work for Immigration so I know many of the characteristics of different cultures etc..
This is not the first time I have seen her on the train with them and she appears for the most part to be good with the children. They always get on at the University of Chicago stop and are heading south towards the Homewood/Flossmoor stop. However yesterday she did something very stupid and I wanted to post on here in case the parent reads this blog.
When she got on there were plenty of seats for all 4 of them to sit, granted not all together, but they could have all sat in the same vicinity of each other but instead she chose to stand with the children in the aisle and the children were playing on the stairs that led to the upper deck, standing on the train when it is going as fast as it is, is very dangerous for the younger children, if the train were to stop suddenly the kids could get hurt easily. She let the kids play on the stairs and did not insist that they sit down in the seats.
I ride this train everyday and the train can make sudden jerky stops when they come to the different stops. There was no reason to let the kids horse around in the aisles and play on the stairs when there were plenty of seats for the children.
A responsible Nanny/babysitter would have insisted to the children that they sit in the seats and remain seated no matter who the children had to sit next to. Most of us coming home are all business professionals and we are not going to bite the children.
Maybe it was just because this girl was so young that she was not thinking properly, but children that young should NEVER be allowed to stand in the aisles while the train is moving if there are seats available, and if no seats are available then she should insist that the children all hold hands and she should be holding onto them herself, she made no effort to seat them it looked like they did not want to sit in the 4 seaters where some other people were sitting.
This train leaves downtown at 4:08pm and probably stops at the University of Chicago around 4:30 or so and arrives in Homewood at 4:55pm and Flossmoor a few minutes later. I think they were heading to Flossmoor as I overheard her one other day talking with the children.
How does one look Jewish????
ReplyDelete4:05
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I thought this blog was for nanny reports, not for anit-semites!
OP "jewish" is a religion, not a race. Perhaps the nanny was caucasian but "jewish" does not describe her.
Looks like someone ought to report you to some blog for being a rascist.
Rather than say something about the nanny at this point. I will address you OP:
ReplyDelete-Your post is more of a runaway-train type of rant than a nanny report. Most of your paragraphs are irrelevant and take valuable time and space away from the main point. Some of us are multi-tasking parents and nannies, and don't have time to read a two page rant which really should have been two short paragraphs.
-Just because you work for immigration does not mean that you know what people from certain countries look like. Maybe regions, but certainly not countries. I am very well travelled, and live in NYC so I know exactly what I am talking about.
-I am not Jewish, but I can't help thinking that you just had to let some kind of feeling out by describing the bad nanny as Jewish. Jewish is not a phenotypical description, and Jewish people can be any array of looks and skin tones. I have friends who are Black and Jewish, Asian and Jewish etc.
-Adoption: Thank God you did not tell it to the child that she looked adopted. 'Adopted' is not a decription, and those who are adopted have more to their identity than adoption. This is a great, yet very sensitive issue not meant to be tossed around like stir fry.
Living in NYC, I have seen mixed race biological parents with children who only look like one of the parents. Hispanic people for instance tend to have a very diverse racial background, and their children come out looking like any one of us.
Homeland Security now has a Jewish "profile"? Sorry, that is more frightening to me then any abusive nanny.
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying, OP. Well, I'm not 100% sure because JD deleted part of your description.
ReplyDeleteI'm not Jewish, but I have been around mostly Jews all my life. While I have met a large share of naturally blonde Jews with varying chest sizes and many more dark-skinned, dark-eyed exotic Jewish beauties (as well as mixed-raced Jews of all sorts), the majority of Jews I have met have a similar look and I think it's the one you were referring to.
It's not an insult, and it's not anti-semitic. It's a fact. I could easily find a dozen Jews walking down the street based on their appearance, just as I could spot a dozen Japanese tourists or a dozen Russian tourists based on their's. No biggie.
Sure there are those who wouldn't be so easily pegged, but they are not the majority. My Jewish friends and ex's would certainly agree.
5:27:
I think you are a bit nuts.
I think that there is a Jewish description, or at least was at some point, I've heard many others say the same thing. For instance "Jewish people aren't blonde" but as we progress anyone could be Jewish.
ReplyDeleteBut she must have some reasonsing for using this description.
It also would have been nice for people to slide down and let the nanny have seats all together.
ReplyDeleteThis is 8:23 again:
ReplyDelete8:27, there are plenty of blonde Jews. They aren't the overwhelming majority here in my city. The majority here are pastey white, dark brown hair, distinct facial characteristics (some very beautiful characteristics), females tend to be a bit large chested, etc., men mostly blad (if they are going to bald at all) in the same spot.
In Israel, however, they rock every look imaginable.
I don't know anything about different races and such, all I was saying, which essentially agrees with you, is that there is a description that many Jews would fit into and by her using this in her post wasn't supposed to be as an insult. That it is partial fact. I used blonde as an example, but thank you for sharing a better more accurate description to help others.
ReplyDeleteIt gets annoying to have everyone bashing the OP, people will stop posting if we aren't kinder and don't focus on the nanny. She did say in her post that the nanny usually is very good but this seemed like a somewhat important situation to share with parents.
Whoa. someone hit the racial panic button. Never mind that nannies are always described for how they look on here from being from hispanic to puerto rican or african american.
ReplyDeleteThe big mystery is if people are this upset with what is left, what was under those asteriks?
many of you don't realize that being Jewish is NOT jut a religion, sure people can convert to Judiasm, but the Jews are a race/nationality and many of them have a very distinct look about them. I still think you should give the OP a break,, part of the description was deleted out, so you don't know what was being said.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that this person was just trying to describe the woman the best way possible. I know that I can see a difference in facial characteristics with many Jewish people. so chill out,,,
I agree. I would say I really can't tell who is or who isn't Jewish or Italian 90 percent of the the time, but then 10 percent of the time I can tell.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, nanny needs to sit those kids down on the train. Ridiculous! Not too mention having kids stand is seemingly annoying to other passengers. I mean, kids dont stand still!
what did jd delete? I really want to know. If it was deleted, it had to be offensive in which case it takes validity away from the post.
ReplyDeletecome on, with all the stuff that does end up here, lets hear it!!
we as the people have a right to know!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry,, I am the OP , I meant no offense,,the the part they blocked out was that she had a large kind of hooked nose like Barbara Streisand, many Jewish women I know have noses like this, I am not anti-jewish, I have many friends that are Jewish, and this facial feature can be a very distinctive characteristic.. I meant no insults whatsoever, I was just trying to describe her. She appears to be a very nice girl, maybe just not that bright when it comes to children's safety.. I am also not good at describing people,, but the nose is a very distinctive characteristic of her, and give me a break, this is my first time posting, I read many posts all night long before I decided to post and I meant no insults whatsoever, the characteristic is there and that was the only way I could describe her. Also, I am not an idiot, the other child was obviously not the biological child of the other boy and girl, she was definately adopted, she is definately asian, either Filipino, Thai, Laos, etc.. I can probably describe more nationalities based on their facial features than most of you, I see people every single day from so many countries and different nationalities.. so don't tell me I can't tell if a child is not the biological sibling of the other children, I know what I am talking about with this situation.. The other boy and girl were definately siblings...
ReplyDeleteOnce again I was just trying to post something about safety issues,, children should always be seated on the train, especially such young ones.
I think a rule of thumb when posting should be to be desriptive but try not to be offensive. I am not surprised to read that the OP didn't mean to offend anyone. People who speak offensively rarely do. Racism is merely ignorance a great deal of the time.
ReplyDeleteWe need to be sensitive in our everyday lives. Race, adoption, just use common sense and kindness when referring to such issues.
True, the children should have probably sat down, but as one person said, someone should have let them sit together. Maybe the nanny didn't want them all seated so far away so that they would be close together when it was time for their stop. I think we also have to remember that many people posting about these nannies have never taken care of their kids at all, they have a nanny so they don't really know what it's like to have to care for any kids at all.
Just my two cents!
OP here again, I would like to address Kelly who said that I could not know what people from different countries look like, I have been with the Service for a very very long time, and I can tell the nationality of a person very easily, I can usually determine the country of origin for many Africans, Sudanese are very distinctive in their characteristics, Malians, Ethiopians, etc.. same goes with Koreans, Vietnamese, You may think you are well traveled but my years with the Service has exposed me to just about every single country on this planet, I see these people every single day, I am not trying to be pompous by any means, but this is my daily job, day in and day out, I deal with people from more countries than you can even say you have traveled to unless you have traveled the entire world.
ReplyDeleteI can also just look at the names and I know what countries they come from before they even step foot into my office. When you deal with the faces and names of these people for so many years, you do tend to remember this stuff much better than the average person who happens to travel a lot.
OP
ReplyDeleteWhy not just have said she's white, has a hook nose and a darker complexion with brownish hair? It's perposterous to say she is jewish.
That is a stereotype and for all you non-jews defending it, it's offensive to someone who is jewish!!
This is for 9:29am, I am the OP again, and the Nanny could have sat all the children in the 2 sets of 4 seaters and all of them, the 3 children and herself could have sat right near each other, there were only 2 people sitting in each of the 4 seaters and she should have just sat the kids down. The adults that did not insist that she do this were also at fault.
ReplyDeleteI am by no means offending her by describing her, I am in an interracial marriage myself and my child is biracial.
Also Adoption has no degrogatory connotations whatsoever,, it is a fact of life, not anything negative..
to 9:36, I am the OP again,
ReplyDeletesorry, but it is NOT offensive in my eyes to say that she looks Jewish, because of the job I do, it is common for me to describe people according to their nationalities. Excuse me if I have offended, but there is nothing at all offensive or embarrassing about being Jewish and describing someone that way.
"Jewish" is not anationality. Israeli is a nationality, American is a nationality, you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteYeah, kids should sit down, and stay away from steps. And you should try to not sound like an ignorant schmuck.
Sorry, but the Jewish people can be considered a race/ethnicity/nationality, there are tons of Jewish people who consider themselves to be a very distinct race/ehtnicity/nationality and they do NOT live in Israel and cannot be called Israelie,, so please educate your self, poster number 9:59.
ReplyDeleteTheir are thousands of Jewish people that do not live in Israel and if you want to get technical, then you have a problem, but they call Israel the "Jewish State" too,
why is it that so many of you think being called "Jewish" is a slur or racist, it is NOT, grow up and expand your horizons, just because someone is referred to as a Jew is not derogatory in any way.
Many of then have so many distinct features they can easily be described as being "Jewish" so stop being so damned sensitive about the word "Jewish".
Being Jewish is NOT just a religion, it is an ethnicity/nationality/race more than it is a religion.
Did you forget the term "Jews for Jesus", Jew and Jewish is a term used to describe their race/ethnicity not only their religion.
9:59:
ReplyDeleteI think you are the schmuck. Ask any Jewish person what their ancestry is, and they'll never say "Polish" or "German" or wherever they are physically from originally. They always say "Jewish." I never say "Catholic." There within lies the difference.
OP: Don't listen to these putzes. I think a good Yiddish word is "behaimeh." It means someone who has the brains of a cow.
This is the best commenting ever. Lets not talk about kids on a runaway train who may or may not get injured. Lets talk about Babs and Isreal. And Yentl.
ReplyDeleteOP, there is something else that I do for a living that makes me stick to the fact that you can't always tell where people are from just by looking at them. I could be the person that sits in the office across from you, you just never know. Check passports & documents, make sure they are real and not fake, and also check the database. Don't profile because anyone could be anything nowadays. Think outside the box.
ReplyDeleteWell, if no one else will stick up for OP, I will.
ReplyDeleteIf some of these posters would get off the racist bandwagon, they should understand that alot of religions happen to show certain characteristics. They cannot look at Barbra Streisand, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Saget or Adrien Brody and say that they cannot tell they are Jewish. These are fine examples of celebrities that have certain "Jewish characteristics", for which the OP was trying to use to explain her description of the nanny ... I see no harm done.
And as for the nanny in question, which everyone seems unable to address because they are too worried that someone is being a racist - any one of those riders should have given up their seat, or scooted over to make room for the kids ... what happened to chivalry or politeness? Maybe next time the nanny should ask nicely for them to move over.
To OP:
ReplyDeleteJust because you are Jewish does not give you the right to throw around certain terms and descriptions. Just as being white, black, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian does not give these ethnities and nationalities the right to throw around certain terms and descriptions. If this was a non-Jewish OP saying these things, she/he would be in the news this evening. It is up to members of our community to educate others on what is/is not the right way to address others.
well said :)
ReplyDeleteThank YOU!!! post 11:16am...
ReplyDeleteI asked her if she wanted my seat as I was in front by an aisle and she turned me down, I get angry at the other riders who are much younger than me and refused to even give up their seats, especially the ones sitting in the 4 seaters and moving to other empty seats,
Also, Kelly, I guess you just might not be as experienced as I am when it comes to pointing out where people are from, It is very easy to tell a Korean from a Filipio from a Vietnamese, and to tell a person from Sudan especially the Dinka tribe apart from a Nigerian, or a person From Ghana or Senegal or from Ethiopia. granted some other African countries have many tribes that cross country borders and it is more difficult, but when you work for as many years as I have and have seen as many thousands of people as I have, it is very very easy to tell them apart. I have traveled extensively before working for the Service and have lived in Several African countries as well as a few Caribbean countries. Worked for the Peace Corps for years before..
Let me ask you a question OP -- what if this Nanny was a kidnapper and a description of her went out on the wire service as "looking Jewish" -- would that be acceptable to you? What about if it resulted in innocent Jewish women being harassed or stopped by the police. Is that acceptable too?
ReplyDeleteWould it be acceptable to you that this description went out despite the fact that only 40% of Jews fit the stereotype that you advance?
11:31
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the ability to not only describe people by their facial charateristics, but also by their attire. And when you combine the two, sometimes you can pin point exactly what country they are from, especially if you are somehwhat educated, or have a job, as in your case, that exposes you to these different cultures.
11:42, OPs description of the nannys "jewish qualities" were only a part of her description. I would hope that before any S.W.A.T. moved in on someone who looked Jewish, they would have more of a description of them!
ReplyDeleteTo 11:29 ... maybe I'm blind, but I don't see where it says in her post that OP is Jewish? She states she works for 'Immigration'.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I follow your statement in not allowing myself to throw around certain terms and descriptions, then I (who's Caucasion), cannot describe another Caucasion, and are thereby telling me I cannot say "she is white, with blone hair and blue eyes"? I mean, really - if we are breaking it down, that is what you are saying.
Dear 11:59am. You are right. OP did not say she was Jewish. I just read the entire blog thoroughly. The terms and desriptions I am talking about are the ones that would be seen as offensive, and unless you grew up in a bunker, you know which words I am talking about. If non-Jewish me stopped by a Synagogue to look for a friend of mine, and innocently used OP's words to describe her, I'd be in a whole lot of trouble. What I am trying to say is, its okay to say Jewish, it is a beautiful word. However, it is not okay to set up verbal traps for others by using certain descriptions.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Brag of the Year Award goes to.................. (fill in the blank). Some of you need to get a life.
ReplyDeleteWhoa this is crazy.
ReplyDeleteGet back to the task at hand..
Children in danger.
And before you blast OP, consider these facts. I have two friends who will only hire Jewish nannies.
Yes that is what they have asked the agency for.
And also, I know many children who don't know their ethnicity. They may be from Poland or Russia but they think they are Jewish.
That is because Jews want to claim Jewish as an ethncity. I am here to say it is not and it pisses me off when I hear people answer ethnicity laced questions with that answer. So where lies the fault? Perhaps the Op is picking up on what is being put out there.
And it isn't being put out there in a negative way, so why all the commotion?
Today's lesson is ZIP IT! Next time y'all decide to post, get to the darn point and stay away from racial or ethnic commotion. Describe accordinly, use colors and tones, textures etc. Also too much braggin. If you think you are hot shit, run for president. Rock On 9:36am!
ReplyDeleteNow back to the children. They all must sit down on the metro. Even adults have to sit down. Those things can jerk so hard and throw a grown adult a few feet.
Now y'all shut up and move on.
OP here again, and I am working on some cases here today and I have
ReplyDeleteIsraeli birth certificates that clearly state "Jewish" as their Nationality as well as "Jewish" as their religion. These birth certs are all translated in Israel, official documents with both the English and the Hebrew right on the same page. So for those of you who don't think that the Jewish people consider "Jewish" to be a Nationality.. educate yourselves once again before you post here. I know what I am talking about.. The official government of Israel considers their Nationality to be "Jewish" so go and check out some Israeli birth certs, but I guess you don't have access to that, you are only going on what you think you know...
I am getting really tired of this and will not post anymore here, because you seem to NOT care about the children that could be in danger and only care about words and terms that people use. This site is worse than Craigslist.... many of you need to get a life and stop worrying so much about whether or not a Jewish person considers it an insult to be described as Jewish with Jewish looking traits,
OP: A bit verbose aren't we? Couldn't you just have said, nicely, you know, sometimes the train stops suddenly, I think it would be a good idea to have the children sit.
ReplyDelete10: 52 AM
You are the one who needs educating. Nationality refers to the country in which you hold citizenship. If you immigrate to a new country and become a citizen of that country, you have a new nationality. Jewish is not a nationality.
Sorry OP, I am not thinking about those children. What I am thinking about is your description of the women and your experience and expertise in labeling her as such. Jewish is NOT an ethnicity. One does not aquire distinct facial features from being Jewish anymore than one does from being Lutheran. If you really knew ethnicities as much as you think you do, perhaps you would recognize her as being from the Malopolska Region of Poland or something like that. To anyone who thinks being Jewish is an ethnicty- get real.
ReplyDeleteI think the OP has a bit too much time on her hand. hook nose? let me check my daughter? nope she doesnt have one. long post and how many comments? stop the madness and get off already.
ReplyDeleteOP, help me. I need to know my racial and ethnic background, and my nationality. I have long wavy hair down to my waist, olive skin, and brown eyes. My mother is Polish, and I have an Irish first and last name, and I was born in France. We currently live in Los Angeles. One of my grandfathers is from Brazil but owns a beach house in Cancun. We go there every summer. My gosh, where do you think I am from?
ReplyDeleteWell said 1:23pm. OP is beind paid out of our taxes, and immigration fees, and needs to get back to work. She might screw up our records.
ReplyDeleteMany people, mostly people who are of Jewish ancestry themselves, claim to possess "Jewdar," an ability to recognize someone as Jewish whether or not that person has the stereotypical traits of the "Jewish look." As someone who has this ability, I can testify to the fact that there must be some sort of common Jewish appearance beyond those of the stereotype. Whether it is a purely physical trait or some way of carrying ones' self I cannot determine.
ReplyDeleteThe main ethnic element of Ashkenazim (German and Eastern European Jews), Sephardim (Spanish and Portuguese Jews), Mizrakhim (Middle Eastern Jews), Juhurim (Mountain Jews of the Caucasus), Italqim (Italian Jews), and most other modern Jewish populations of the world is Israelite. The Israelite haplotypes fall into Y-DNA haplogroups J and E.
ReplyDeleteAshkenazim also descend, in a smaller way, from European peoples such as Slavs and Khazars. The non-Israelite Y-DNA haplogroups include Q (typically Central Asian) and R1a1 (typically Eastern European).
Dutch Jews from the Netherlands also descend from northwestern Europeans.
Sephardim also descend, in a smaller way, from various non-Israelite peoples.
Georgian Jews (Gruzinim) are a mix of Georgians and Israelites.
Yemenite Jews (Temanim) are a mix of Yemenite Arabs and Israelites.
Moroccan Jews, Algerian Jews, and Tunisian Jews are mainly Israelites.
Libyan Jews are mainly Berbers.
Ethiopian Jews are almost exclusively Ethiopian, with little or no Israelite ancestry.
Palestinian Arabs are probably partly Israelite.
I had no idea that Libyan Jews are mainly Berber. Doesn't make much sense, really.
ReplyDeleteEver heard of JEWFRO? The kind of afro that Jewish boys have. Haha...
ReplyDeleteOP, thanks for posting this sighting, agree children should have sat down.
ReplyDeleteJewish is a religion and not a nationality - I would not be able to define all Catholics, Christians, Protestants by their looks, although I agree that in some cases race and religion have been mostly historically linked (in the case of Judaism for example)although there are clear exceptions like one being Black Jews (as somebody earlier pointed out, mainly from Ethiopia)and many more so please lets not stereotype. I would stay away from defining the religion of people by their physical characteristics though. It is a different case when somebody dresses according to their religion, and therefore it would not be odd to describe somebody as looking or being muslim, orthodox jew or Hare Christna for that matter.
2:53
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell ...
great post.
So then, if Barbara Steisand were to convert to Catholisism.....would you describe her as looking like a Catholic,. or like a Jew who is not Jewish....do you get me Dear OP?
ReplyDeleteThanks 3:03
ReplyDeleteFrom a Londoner (UK) who is a Catholic and has German ancestry...
I am not op but Streisand's nose would definitely be a huge part of her description. As would those sparkling eyes. Other than that, I would write her off as caucasian and call it a day.
ReplyDeleteWell said 3.10 - OP I hope that immigration is not considering nationality in the same line as religion, what about non jews Israeli nationals?
ReplyDeleteLondoner, I disagree.
ReplyDeleteWould you care to explain 3.17 - what do you disagree with?
ReplyDeleteNo. I simply disagree with everything you have to say just because I feel like it.
ReplyDeleteI still wanna talk about Yentl.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a bully 3.34 or like somebody with "issues".
ReplyDeleteI have issues.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if anyone else commented on this, but the first thing I found un-necessary, as far as descriptions go,was the statement that the child was probably adopted. Why did that even need to be mentioned?
ReplyDeleteThat said, children should have all been seated; however, I don't think I'd want a nanny like this OP any better, with her racial generalizations and familial assumptions.
Perhaps the child was not adopted, but was a step child OR the nanny was shared by another family.
ReplyDeleteOP: Please give credit to your sources: http://www.khazaria.com/genetics/abstracts.html
ReplyDeleteIt might take away from your self-promotion of your personal expertise, but is more likely to give you more credability.
New Topic: Anyone want a nanny that plagarizes?
I agree wholeheartedly with the OP, as I have seen Isreali birth certs before, as well as having travelled extensively and have many friends worldwide...and I have seen "Jewish" listed as nationality.
ReplyDeleteI guess we should just refrain from giving complete physical descriptions from now on...maybe be a little more vague in the future? That way, people with nothing better to do than jump all over strangers won't get their panties so twisted.
really. some people are too bent out of shape. a link to this story/blog was posted on urban baby earlier and out of 18 or so responses, only one person had an issue with it. So give me a break. And you know what- the kids probably were adopted. Where is the shame? The point of OP's description is that the child's parents are anyone who knew the childs parents would pass the info on. Great job, OP.
ReplyDeleteWell, that may be so, but this OP also alludes to the fact that she is some kind of authority on identifying races and couldn't tell the difference between Asian and Filipino? Even I could do that and I have no such expertise.
ReplyDeleteWhile the important thing IS to get the message out about the nanny, it should still be done in a way that is not offensive or insensitive.
ble, I'm not the OP, but I seriously doubt that you could differentiate between a Korean, a Cambodian, a Chinese, a Japanese,a Vietnamese, a Mongolian, an Nepalese, etc. Asian vs. Filipino is too easy.
ReplyDeleteble, the know it all is at it once again. Hey, I have a huge hooked honker and I'm not Jewish!! What am I???
ReplyDeleteOK, I give up, what are you 7:53?
ReplyDeleteble, I am a Filipina, but because I am mixed with a variety of other races, people assume I am some other Asian ethnicity. When I say I am part Filipino, they say they never would have guessed.
ReplyDeleteI had a pretty large beak myself. When I moved out to New York, I had brown hair. I was constantly mistaked for being Italian with my big ole schnozz. Well thanks to the well guided knife of Dr. Michael E. Sachs of NYC, I now have a finely chiseled and delicate beak. My hair is blonde now and I get mistaken for... a Californian. (I'm Yugoslavian and from Ohio.)
ReplyDeleteI have a perfect nose. I feel so bad for people who have huge ugly noses and have to spend a fortune to have it fixed. Even worse for the people who are poor with big noses.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law got a nose job when she was young (she is italian) and it really did no good. She still looks like a cave-woman who slept in a dumpster.
DEAR "DEFFENSIVE OP":
ReplyDeleteBeing in an interracial marriage with a biracial child does not instantly make someone non-racist! People who get into interracial relationships fool themselves too easy into wanting others to see how "open" they are haha...
I'm married to a black man from Mali, and while I would be so OFFENDED if anyone EVER stereotyped him, I still find myself clinging to my purse a bit tighter when i pass some black people on the street....isn't that messed up? i beat myself up over this all the time, trust me...but don't defend your anti-semetic statements with a "hey I'm not racist because I'm in an interracial relationship" crap...
Wow, this site it jacked up,, people making comments have mistaken the whole purpose of the site to report bad behavior. What do you expect people to do when you ask them to be as descriptive as possible when posting..
ReplyDeletesome of you really need to get a life....but I guess you all love to bash the mistakes of others because you hide behind the computer, I bet if you were face to face you would be more hesitant to speak your mind. Not everybody is perfect or speaks perfectly. It appears the OP was just trying to describe the person, and many of you get your panties all up in a bunch, it shows that many of you are very overly sensitive to labels,, it is a shame..
I find the OP's incessant reiteration of her extensive credentials in the racial and ethnographic typologising of certain physical characteristics to be laughable. She reminds me of other self-important and self-aggrandizing bureaucrats I've had the misfortune of knowing who also seemed to have a serious problems with the ability to separate the facts (physical description) of a situation from the issues (racist stereotyping). OP, it is entirely possible, and, dare I say, preferable, to leave a physical description as is without editorializing about your personal conclusions on the ethnicity/nationality/religion of the person you're describing. If your experience in physically typecasting people is as accurate as you (ad nauseum)say, it still is no excuse for adding a needlessly inflammatory gratuitous judgment. But, I daresay, you knew that when you decided you didn't like the hawk-nosed Jewish nanny.
ReplyDeleteDear OP-
ReplyDeleteExcellent sighting. This nanny was clearly not using her best judgement. She seemed to be not concerned about the safety of the children (job #1) or letting them run wild and disturb other passengers. I may have seen her before.
7:15...I never even remotely said I could easily differenciate between ALL people of various Asian origins. I simply said someone who claims to know everything about definiing people by race (The OP), should be able to tell whether or not a person is Fillipino or Asian.
ReplyDelete8:47 Tanya, is that you?
ReplyDeleteIf so, you aren't exactly Miss America. My son could have done better.
OP:
ReplyDeleteDid you ever stop and think (cause you do seem to do a lot of thinking) "why did JD leave that part about the hooked nose out"?
All your supposed experience in tagging different people is just bullcrap. You couldn't use that in your work; you'd be fired. Do you write on official forms that so and so "must be Jewish because she has a hooked nose?"
I hope you don't pass on your rich heritage of subtle racism to your children.
12:21
ReplyDeleteParanoid much?
Sorry my name is not Tanya! If it were, I would have said so.
And mothers always think their sons can do better, even if their son is a loser.
1:50 you forget one... swiss jews= blonde, blue eyes, very light skin..not a big nose...look this is really not what post was about... but it does feel wrong ...
ReplyDeletepost was great without the Jewish remarks..
For the love of Job can someone spot a bad nanny fast or are we going to have to deal with racist talk for another day?????... even a bad kitkat toting nanny would be OK!
ReplyDeleteI agree....even a super-sized hershey bar would work! I think the OP gets the idea now from all of us....myself included.
ReplyDelete...and if she doesn't by now, she never will.
ReplyDeleteI hardly think OP is a racist.
ReplyDelete2:22: You ARE the OP, aren't you???
ReplyDeleteObviously the OP is racist, but she just doesn't know it. They are the worst kind. signed: one of those jews with a hooked nose.
ReplyDelete10:32, uh.... if your name was Tanya, you would have said so? In fact, you gave no name in your posts and just so you know, my sons are NOT losers, but one of them did marry a loser, whom I suspect is much like you.
ReplyDelete11:10...You give no name either, do you?
ReplyDeleteThis thread has gotten completely off topic, you all are more concerned about implied racial remarks, which I don't see as racist, but rather as a way of trying to describe how the nanny looks....but anyway does anybody care about the actual nanny sighting here?
ReplyDeleteI do. I thought it was a great sighting.
ReplyDeleteSigned, mom whose son had to get 7 stitches in his forhead after falling on a NYC bus. It was my fault. I decided we could stand because we would be off in two stops. Not a good choice.
3:34
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for you and especially your son. Your post almost made me cry because I can only imagine how guilty you must feel. I hope your son has healed well and doesn't have any scars. Good luck.
LOL@looks Jewish. Jewish like Leslie Stahl or Jewish like Fran Drescher? (snickering)
ReplyDeleteAs for the nanny, why didn't you just inform her of the danger? She could have been preoccupied and just needed a reminder.
No, 141 I gave no name, but didn't make any claims that I would either. Just so you know, my name is Adele.
ReplyDeleteIts really funny and quite comical that so many people refuse to acknowlege that there is a "look" associated with many Jewish people and it is NOT discriminatory to point it out.
ReplyDeleteI like the one comment on here where someone said the Jewish is not an ethnicity or nationality, but a religion. Well you are a schmuck because the correct term for the religion is "Judaism"
and the official definition in the dictionary of "JEWISH" has nothing to do with religion look it up...
some of you are so very stupid and ignorant, the OP described the person correctly, she looked like she was Jewish,, there is a look to the vast majority of people of Jewish origion/nationality/ethnicity, they are a proud group of people that trace their roots all the way back to Moses, and other people that follow Judaism that cannot trace their roots back to Moses are not considered "real Jews" by many Orthodox Jews. There is huge controversy over this issue.
–adjective 1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Jews or Judaism: Jewish customs.
ReplyDeleteHow is that having "nothing to do with religion"?
And ethnicity and nationality are NOT the same thing. Yes, one can be ethnically identified as Jewish, as well as religiously (or instead of religiously) but that still does not equate to a nationality.
ethnicity
noun
an ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties
na·tion·al·i·ty
The status of belonging to a particular nation by origin, birth, or naturalization
Just to help build your vocab.
Hey,, I can tell that Jane Doe is Jewish just by looking at her profile pic,, can we get over this Jewish thing, to many of you are so sensitive, its sad you have a problem with your Jewish heritage,,
ReplyDeleteO.K. A few things. Number one, I ride that train. Number two, I am Jewish. I even lived in Israel for several years. I don't LOOK Jewish and many people mistake me for Irish because of my red hair and freckles. My cousins on my father's side, whose father is a Holocaust survivor, all have blonde hair and blue eyes. Nobody in their right mind would think they are Jewish, even though their father is a cantor at their synagogue in Connecticut. Number three, when people ask me my nationality, I tell them I am of Russian and Hungarian descent. Judaism is a religion, not a nationality. I understand how some people might think this nanny was Jewish, but to tell the truth, she could have been Italian or Russian or Polish or any number of Eastern European nationalities. She may also have been of Arabic descent. The OP could simply have said "semitic-looking" and left it at that.
ReplyDeleteNumber four, Orthodox Jews do not consider some Jews "not Jewish" because they can't trace their roots back to Moses. They don't consider them Jewish because there are several different sects of Judaism and some don't follow all 613 commandments that the Orthodox Jews feel obligated to do. I consider myself to be a Reform Jew and I know Orthodox Jews that don't consider me "really" Jewish.
Number five, all that being said, this is indeed a safety issue. I am surprised the conductor did not tell the nanny to have the children sit down and stay put. Let's hope that someone who knows the parents of these kids lets them know there is an issue with how the kids were allowed to behave on the train. And let's all get on with our lives and lock this post!
Wow, another long thread to come back to.
ReplyDeleteOP, someone will always slam you for anything, and they are more likely to do so if you dare to use any descriptive terms in your post that *they* find personally offensive, even if others would find the terms politically "correct", as if their opinion on the topic outweighs all others.
I agree that in some cases (not all) it is reasonable and accurate to say someone looks jewish, but I supppose if it were a man people would expect you to say he was wearing a yarmulke and leave it at that. So if you're describing a woman, unlesss she whips out a Torah and starts praying in Hebrew, you're screwed. These posters are most likely the same people who screamed racism and anti-semitism to anyone who took issue with Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon. Of course I'll get slammed for this one but oh well... ; )
I agree it would have been much safer for the nanny to have all the children seated, and if seats opened up, they could move even closer together. I don't know the layout of the trains orhow many stations they were travelling between though.