The Jewish people are being tagged as stingy or cheap. They were stereotyped as frugal in so many ways. The unflattering image of Jews is seen as overburdened by the people in the society that are so judgmental and narrow-minded. Many people assumed that the Jews are stingy or cheap. However, the said assumption can be rebutted by so many reasons. There are five reasons why not all Jews can be considered stingy or cheap. First, the Jews are not stingy or cheap but are cautious and self-reliant.
Second, the Jewish people who survived the Holocaust are wise enough to keep the lessons they learned after such a tormenting situation and taught their children to do so. Third, the people who consider the Jews cheap and stingy do not really understand the importance of humanity. Being stingy is not a shadow of ignorance and filthiness. And last, the Jews are not cheap and stingy but successful people. Self-Reliance Is a Positive Attitude of the Jews First argument, the Jews are not stingy or cheap but are cautious and self-reliant. Many Jewish people tried hard to erase the stereotype since they are not happy with it (Trueman 1).
The primary reason why the Jews were seen or viewed as stingy or cheap is there cautiousness after the Holocaust. When a person is part of a group of people who experienced unimaginable trials and difficulties, survival teaches so many lessons. The ultimate lesson learned is preparedness and prudence. In order to understand the argument, it is better to look into the horrifying experiences of the Holocaust among the Jews. The Holocaust is the term coined for the murder of millions of Jewish individuals by the Nazis during Second World War (Trueman 1).
Imagine the terror and tragedy that happened at that time when factories of death were established to ensure that every Jew may die. Every Jew experienced so many difficulties to survive for the reason of scarcity in resources. The opportunity for the Jews to prepare and be self-reliant during the holocaust is impossible due to the presence of the Nazis who wanted to kill them. The whole world and its people do not have the right to judge the Jews who were forced to face death because of their race. Being stingy and cheap is the result of their struggles and ability to survive during those times that they were massacred.
The Jews who survived on that difficult situation taught their children the value of frugality. As a result, economic preparedness and progress was attained in the long run. What is more important of being frugal after such a horrible experience of the Jewish people? Their experiences had taught them to stand up and learn to survive. After all, their ability to remain strong is obvious when there are still Jews who survived in that great ordeal which is the Holocaust. Thus, stereotyping the Jews for being stingy and cheap is not fair.
It is not being cheap but being self-reliant especially in difficult situations. Frugality and Self-Reliance Are Positive Effects of the Holocaust The value of being frugal and self-reliant is positive effects of the Holocaust. Being stingy or cheap are not the proper words to describe and define the attitudes and behaviors of the Jews towards social and financial matters. The word stingy is a negative word as it means being not generous or scant in spending money or other things (“Stingy”). It also means unwillingness of a person to share with other people any material belongings.
In connection, the Jews are viewed by other people as stingy and able to keep a tight grip on their money or possessions (Trueman 1). But, the real score is that the Jews are just being frugal by means of giving much value of their money or possessions in order to improve their lives. Saving the money or other resources that they had is the best way to acquire economic progress. In other words, those people who do not share their money or possessions to others out of greed and without positive reasons are the ones to be called stingy or cheap.
The Jewish people who survived the Holocaust are wise enough to keep the lessons they learned after such a tormenting situation. The need to save and be frugal is a positive attitude after horrendous experiences. Hence, the determination of the Jewish people to save their money and be frugal is a sign of being wise and prudent. Besides, extreme cautiousness is a virtue that brings positive results not only for the Jewish people but for everyone. Why is it that the survivors of the Holocaust learned to be frugal? And why is it that the Jews who survived the Holocaust taught their posterity the value of frugality?
People cast their eyes on the Jews and consider them cheap and stingy without looking into the brighter side of the story. For all we know, the Jewish people are just being cautious not to be vulnerable again on whatever trials and difficulties in the future. Survival during those times that is so impossible, like the Holocaust would surely teach one to be prepared, protective and frugal. Stereotyping the Jews as Stingy: Failure to Respect Humanity In addition, the Jewish people are humans too. They are part of the whole human population in the world.
They deserve to be respected and be counted as part of the society. It is not their fault if their ancestors were victims of war and violence. The stereotyping against the Jews as stingy or cheap by other people meant disrespect to their race (Reed 1). Is it not adding insult to injury when we show disrespect to their actuations? We always mention liberty and freedom in all aspects in life without thinking of other people’s worth. Liberty and freedom can only be fully attained if we allow all people to live peacefully and accept them as they are seen.
The Jewish people strive for perfection too. They go to work and let their children learn the lessons in school. Some Jewish people are highly educated and wealthy. It is not within out power to prevent them from living in a society that would accept who they are. The Success of Some Jews: Results of Frugality Being frugal is not a shadow of ignorance and filthiness. The Jewish people are not stingy or cheap but are knowledgeable enough to take advantage of every opportunity to increase their wealth. Essentially, the stereotyping against the Jewish people is a sign of ignorance.
In the Western part of the world, the Jewish communities are viewed to hold a series of key business and political posts (“Are Thailand’s Chinese the Jewish of the East”? ). The same situation increased the lobbying power of the Jewish people. That would mean eventual acquiescence of power and place in the society. Thus, the Jews are not cheap and stingy but successful people. As mentioned earlier, there were many Jews who made it to the business and political communities and were able to establish a competitive career path.
The said success of the Jews is product of their known frugality and wisdom. Therefore, being frugal is a positive trait or attitude. Finally, it seems that there are people who considered the theories of the Jews as abhorrent and filthy, but they do not realize that they displayed a high range of ignorance. The rationale behind that argument is the fact that not all Jews are unpleasant, such that not all people are perfect. The more we discouraged the Jewish people, the more we give them the reason to survive in this judgmental world.
With all the given arguments, it is submitted that the Jewish people are not cheap and stingy. Conclusion The Jewish people are not cheap and stingy but are frugal and self-reliant. The Jews are just being cautious and frugal in spending their hard-earned money and in sharing their possessions. Due to the horrible experiences during the Holocaust, survivors tried to teach their posterity the value of frugality and self-reliance. As a result, the Jewish people nowadays are capable of being protective and prepared in social and economic matters.
The Jews are successful in their chosen fields of endeavor because of their willingness to become frugal. While it is true that the Jewish people are not willing to share their money or possessions to other people, it is also commendable that they are able to rise in the ladder of success. It is incumbent upon us to respect their race and value them as part of the whole humanity. Therefore, the Jews are not really cheap and stingy but are full of wisdom. With all the given arguments, it is submitted that the Jewish people are not cheap and stingy.
References
“Are Thailand’s Chinese the Jewish of the East”? 9 December 2008. Nation Multimedia Website. January 29, 2009 <http://blog. nationmultimedia. com/ reallifethailand/2008/12/09/entry-2 > Reed, Leslie. “Chambers follows his own lead”. 19 April 2008. Omaha. com. February 9, 2009 < http://www. omaha. com/index. php? u_page=2798&u_sid=10314918>. “Stingy”. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. February 9, 2009 <http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/stingy>. >. Trueman, Chris. “The Holocaust”. 2000. History Learning Site. January 29, 2009 < http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/holocaust. htm>