The word "Semite" is used so often by the media to describe people of the Jewish faith. But, if you look it up in the dictionary you will find a much broader definition. How many people realize this fact and why is our media using it in this manner?
2006-08-11 04:18:00 · 10 answers · asked by Z-Man 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
This is the height of propaganda and theres no doubt in my mind since I noted from a website in Jerusalem the use of this term as wel. Who should know better than a member of a language group who the speakers of that class are?
Arabs,some Ethiopians and other tongues are semitic. So how in the world can an Arab for example be anti-semitic? This is nothing more than mind games to the stupid!
When the President of Iraq (a semite)came to America recently, the head of the democratic party accused him of being anti-semitic - how stupid!
2006-08-11 04:37:19 · answer #1 · answered by worriedaboutyou 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The label dates back to the Bible; the sons of Noah and all that. The son Shem is supposed to be the progenitor of the peoples of the near east. In like fashion Ham the father of the black race. Semitic and Hamitic are still used in their technical senses by the odd cultural anthropologist, and that is the sense that the dictionary sets out. Truth is, the dictionary besides being an academic haven for political correctness itself, is usually several decades behind in the evolution of the language. They add words occasionally, but 70-80% are new coinages that disappear like the fads they describe. As for the use of Semite to designate Jewishness, that dates back to Chaucer --15th century-- other Semitic people like those of the Levant were referred to as Saracens or Moors. The defining difference being one of religion; Judaism vs Islam. That distinction remains today, only we use the term Arab for non-Jewish Semites. Arab is a misnomer also; Saladin, hailed as the savior of Islam was pure Kurd, and would have taken serious umbrage at being labeled an Arab-- and he may be the original, "off with their heads!" guy. Besides, the term Semite as understood TODAY is the real meaning of the word- everybody gets it at first reading without recourse to a dictionary of obsolete meanings.
2006-08-11 04:40:38 · answer #2 · answered by batteredwhiteknight 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I always took "Semite" to mean people descended from Shem. And yes, that would be more then just the Jews. My guess is that if the media said "anti-Jewish" it would be unclear whether someone was acting against those of the Jewish race or those who practice Judaism, so they say "anti-Semite" to make it clear they're talking about the race rather then the religion, and most people figure what they mean correctly when they say "anti-Semite".
2006-08-11 04:25:30 · answer #3 · answered by Kyrix 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are wrong. The media, or any other literature, for that matter, rarely or never uses "Semite" to describe Jews.
Rather, you are consuing it with "Anti Semite" or "Anti Semitism" which specifically is used to refer to Jew Hatred and not hatred of any semitic people who are not Jewish. This, BTW, is the dictionary definition and is another example of where the semantics of language are at odds with what one may think it is supposed to be.
2006-08-11 06:19:02 · answer #4 · answered by BMCR 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sem·ite ( P ) Pronunciation Key (smt)
n.
A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
A Jew.
Bible. A descendant of Shem.
2006-08-11 04:34:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's essentially a description for all peoples of the Middle East - Arabs & Jews among them. I'm not sure how & when it became attached solely to Jews and the Hebrew language.
Anti-semitic can also be anti-arabic, but we don't really take it that way.
2006-08-11 04:22:39 · answer #6 · answered by WBrian_28 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an linguistic/ethnic term. Not a religious one.
It refers to a member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Mid East and North Africa.
2006-08-11 04:25:29 · answer #7 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I didn't know before I read this question. thanks for helping me learn something new.
A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
A Jew.
Bible A descendant of Shem.
2006-08-11 04:25:29 · answer #8 · answered by Jamie W 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I realize this.
It refers to all those that speak a Semetic language. These were the languages that developed long ago in the Middle East, including both Hebrew and Arabic.
2006-08-11 04:24:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best or the highest the most moral . Samy is = Semite
Sam was Noah son
2006-08-11 04:25:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋