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Yes...but Shyster is not the same as Shylock.
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Shyster:
"The etymology of the word is not generally agreed upon. The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as "of obscure origin", possibly deriving from a historical sense of "shy" meaning disreputable,[1] wheras the Merriam-Webster Dictionary deemed it probably based on the German Scheißer (literally "defecator"[2] but also used to refer to deceivers[dubious – discuss]). Various false etymologies have suggested an anti-Semitic origin, possibly associated with the character of Shylock from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, but there is no clear evidence for this."
My personal view is that it's easy to say that there's no offence intended by the use of a word or phrase, but unless you are on the wrong end of such things there's no way to understand the emotional response when you see such things written.
The general view of the forum seems to be that by and large there's no need to consider a minority view when the majority see nothing wrong with what's been said, and if that's the case then nothing can be done. However it wouldn't hurt once in a while to reflect on the possibility that a "sorry dude" and a little more thought for others might make the place a slighter better experience for everyone, rather than a leap to defend every remark that causes upset.
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There are some pieces where he comes across in a very poor light, but is that because he is Jewish, or is it because he is just a villain?
On the other hand, there is this famous speech he makes:
I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands,
organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same
food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases,
heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter
and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If
you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the
rest, we will resemble you in that.
I'm not sure anyone these days can say what Shakespeare's intentions were. I think different productions of the play have also interpreted him very differently.
Or does Brett Easton Ellis need to be on some kind of list in case he starts murdering and eating people?
The discussion of that speech probably was good. Living in a small Devon town, where there was basically no-one who wasn't white British, discussion of anti-semitism and race issues, and the history of how Jews have been treated over the years was definitely beneficial to me.
The fact that I remembered the speech and the discussion 31 years later and went looking for the speech to quote it shows that it must have had some impact.
That was one of the better lessons I had with him. It doesn't change the fact that there was a lot of pontification and waffle reading things into stories that the author never intended. At least one book was completely ruined as a story for me by all the over-analysis. It was only when I went back and read it 10 years later that I realised how good a book it was.
There's a great article by Tony Parsons in the current issue of GQ about indignation. Its worth a read. He makes a very good point. Talking about people's willingness to get offended.
As for whether Shakespeare was or wasn't anti-semitic, all I can say is that I doubt that he was a philo-semite because that just wasn't the way people thought back then.
If soneone I didn't know referred to me as "Shylock" they would be aware of the error of their ways pretty bloody quickly.