• GalaxyBrain [they/them]
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      edit-2
      2 months ago

      I have, since learning the definition when doing a report in high school on merchant of Venice like 15 years ago wondered how it came to only refer to jews but never really looked into it cause at the time I still had to sort through a lot of anti-semetism (in the colloquial sense) while doing historical research behind the play. I crushed my Othello report by writing on what racism at the time amounted to vs today because we weren't given that framing before reading it and that is a massive part of reading the play in modern times and did a whole thing about how the modern concept of race and racism was born from capitalism and figured I could do the same again. Instead I just learned that Europe was a really bad place to be Jewish at the time and more than I thought. However I did work in the literal terminology in to get a dig at the war on terror and also it was like a year or two after the second Intifada and 06 Israel/Lebanon war and I found thst definition super fucking interesting and while i got a good grade I also didn't have to present my work to the class like everyone else and just got to do my presentation to the teacher. Also I had NO CLUE I was this based as a kid. This was coming from a place of pure contrariamism and noticing if I just barely follow the curriculum guidelines while giving my teachers a good read I could enjoy school. Little did I know that's just being a good student.