Both Paul Israel's and Neil Baldwin's biographies of Edison have a few
paragraphs on his attitudes towards the Jews. Baldwin's biography of
Ford has more or less the same information as in his Edison book, and is
quoted on his website:
http://www.neilbaldwinbooks.com/book-related-information/bolshevik-menace-chapter-7
Paul Israel has this observation, based on a draft of a letter by Edison
in 1911:
"As his views on labor suggested, Edison believed that environment
played a crucial role in the development of human potential. These views
also may explain why he believed in racial and ethnic stereotypes even
though in his relations with employees and others whom he knew well he
often acted in disregard of those same stereotypes."
Israel also notes: "...he nonetheless thought that Jews as a group
couldn't be trusted, and he held similar prejudices against other ethnic
groups, such as Sicilians, whom he believed 'You can't trust...They'll
stick a knife in your back.'".
This came from a 1928 article on Edison.
To me, Edison sounds typical of his time (unlike Ford, who was clearly
racist and anti-Semitic); in fact his attitudes probably don't differ
much from those of many on the far right today (except for the
liberation of women).
His views on labor, by the way, were that the machine (i.e. technology
and industrialization) would free manual workers from drudgery and
enable them to extend their intellectual capabilities. He extended this
to women being freed from household work.
Bill
On 1/25/2013 10:32 PM, Melissa Ricci wrote:
I had never heard of it before either until Abe mentioned it tonight.
Since I am not an expert, I assumed there was supporting evidence.
Glad to hear it may not be completely accurate. Melissa
------------------------------ On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 9:47 PM EST Jim
Nichol wrote:
Abe, I've read DOZENS of biographies of Edison, and none of them
said he was anti-Semitic. Some of them specifically said he was
not anti-Semitic. Just because he knew Ford doesn't mean he agreed
with him. Also, I don't recall any biographies saying Edison paid
low wages or that employees didn't like him. Actually, it was quite
the opposite, since my impression was that most loved "The Old
Man". I believe his closest associates (who helped him the most to
develop inventions) tended to be rewarded rather well financially
through bonuses. You're correct that his taste in music was very
old-fashioned, sometimes odd, and not helped by his poor hearing.
Jim Nichol
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