Be that as it may, we Greeks look down on everyone else since we are the
creators of Western Civilization. As the father in "My Big Fat Greek
Wedding" said......"Every thing comes from the Greek."
Or as my late father would say to his best friends (Mr. Kelley, Mr.
Germeroth, and Mr. Freed) "When my people were writing the great
philosophical books of the ancient world, your people were swinging from
trees." Then again, he would remind my mother that HIS family were
Corinthian but that HER family were only Thessalian.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vinyl Visions
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 10:12 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Edison and anti-semitism
Honestly, growing up in western Michigan, even as a white male I felt
somewhat oppressed by the very nature of the clannish ethnic groups. It
didn't matter if you were white, what mattered was whether you were Polish
or Dutch. For example, the Dutch had bumper stickers that said "If you're
not Dutch, you're not much." Talk about discrimination... you couldn't buy a
house in Zeeland, Michigan without going through an "interview" with a Dutch
realtor - there were no "For Sale/Rent" signs in Zeeland, even though houses
were obviously available. If your last name didn't end with a "ski" or other
Polish ending you weren't accepted on the west side of Grand Rapids and the
blacks were all located in their own section of town, because to avoid the
busing and integration laws each small community that made up the total of
Grand Rapids proper, incorporated into their own small towns. Benton Harbor,
Michigan is a prime example: in the 1950's it was predominately white, but
in the 60's a
nd 70's as blacks moved in - whites moved out across the river to St
Joseph... the last time I was there, Benton Harbor was referred to as Benton
Harlem and St Joseph was almost totally white.
From: [email protected]
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 23:44:50 -0500
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Phono-L] Edison and anti-semitism
Given when he was born, where he lived, and his own ethnic and cultural
group, I would be surprised if he were either more or less "anti-semitic"
than others in the United States who weren't themselves Jewish.
It wasn't remarkable for a Christian home owner to want to sell his home
to another Christian; for a Christian employer to want a Christian
employee.
What we have here, I think, is a kind of "social distance" felt by one
social and cultural group from another.
In my own lifetime, newspaper advertisements for houses for sale or
apartments to rent in New York City included clues in their texts about
who they
wanted, e.g. --- "churches nearby" --- carrying with it an implication of
who they *did not* want.
Edison was a man of his time, place, and background.
paul charosh
_______________________________________________
Phono-L mailing list
http://phono-l.org
_______________________________________________
Phono-L mailing list
http://phono-l.org
_______________________________________________
Phono-L mailing list
http://phono-l.org
