Is Fajo an ugly Jewish Stereotype?

[Gary Sebben]

Yeah, when I watched it the first time, I noticed that Fajo looked and talked somewhat like a Jewish merchant stereotype. But then a lot of Jews have fun playing the stereotypical Jew, so I never gave it much thought.

Do they enjoy it, or is it the only role a short, curly haired guy with a large nose and bushy eyebrows can get? I mean, talking about the actor's other TV roles, he gets to be a lawyer - A LOT. It's like a black guy who is only offered roles as criminals.

The skull cap is what bugged me at first, but the clincher was the water supply poisoning. Just check this article for some historical context: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_poisoning . When you have so many "coincidences" it gets to seem either blindly dumb or suspicious.

That's what I meant by 1+1+1+1=4. Little, swarthy greedy guy is an unavoidable (if annoying) collective unconscious symbol. But a swarthy greedy guy with a skull cap, being a nebbish, and poisoning a well... that starts pushing the line just a bit. Just a bit. I apologize if pointing this out makes people uncomfortable.

 

[Amaris]

No, honestly, I never saw any kind of Jewish stereotyping in the entire episode. I don't look at nationality. Each person is responsible for their own actions. What Fajo did reflected on Fajo and no one else.


J.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It’s a sure bet that Saul Rubinek would not have participated in it if he had seen it that way. He’s the son of Holocaust survivors, actually born in a refugee camp. He has written a book and produced a documentary about the Holocaust. It’s safe to say he’s somewhat sensitive to issues of antisemitism.

He also did one of the best episodes of the Outer Limits I've ever seen: "Tribunal".

 

[Kross]

Yeah, when I watched it the first time, I noticed that Fajo looked and talked somewhat like a Jewish merchant stereotype. But then a lot of Jews have fun playing the stereotypical Jew, so I never gave it much thought.

Do they enjoy it, or is it the only role a short, curly haired guy with a large nose and bushy eyebrows can get? I mean, talking about the actor's other TV roles, he gets to be a lawyer - A LOT. It's like a black guy who is only offered roles as criminals.

The skull cap is what bugged me at first, but the clincher was the water supply poisoning. Just check this article for some historical context: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_poisoning . When you have so many "coincidences" it gets to seem either blindly dumb or suspicious.

That's what I meant by 1+1+1+1=4. Little, swarthy greedy guy is an unavoidable (if annoying) collective unconscious symbol. But a swarthy greedy guy with a skull cap, being a nebbish, and poisoning a well... that starts pushing the line just a bit. Just a bit. I apologize if pointing this out makes people uncomfortable.

Avery Brooks
Denzel Washington
Sidney Poitier
Samuel L. Jackson
Will Smith
LeVar Burton
Terrence Howard
Jesse L. Martin (Ed Green on Law & Order)
Morgan Freeman
Lawerence Fishburne
Michael Dorn
Nichelle Nicoles
S. Epatha Merkerson
Halle Berry

Should I go on or are you going to keep up with the "all minorities are typecast!" bullshit? Do you seriously fucking think that when they had to replace Rappaport with Rubinek that the producers went "hey let's give that dumb kike* a beanie, because all Jews are greedy sneaks!"

Pull the fucking stick out of your ass.

*You have no idea how much I hated typing that word, but I did it for effect. My deepest apologies to anyone here that's Jewish.

Edit: Leonard Nimoy is a Jew and I believe Shatner might be as well. yeah, big ole stereotypes there.

 

[Admiral Pike]

He is definitely both ugly, jewish and a stereotype, but I wouldn't at all call him an ugly jewish stereotype.

In fact, I always thought he was a gay stereotype myself.

 

[Kross]

To expound on my post, I'm not saying that black actors aren't frequently cast as criminals, but I'm disagreeing with the idea that they're only cast as such. Half the actors in my previous post have won Oscar's for best actor or best supporting actor at least once and most will go down in history as some of the finest actors to grace the silver and small screen. Same goes with Jewish actors.

 

[CaptainStoner]

Stereotypes are such a strange thing. They never really have much to do with the people they're supposedly stereotyping; quite the opposite - stereotypes always seem to describe the people who are doing the stereotyping.

We get a stereotype of a greedy jewish merchant from - nazi germans who literally just up and stole everything those jews had, and other Europeans who sold them to Germany for slave labor and gassing. All the while further stereotyping Jews as less-than-human while engaging in utterly barbaric behavior.
We have nazis feeding rumors of jews poisoning the water, while the SS were probably writing studies on how it could be done most efficiently.

I don't know. It is a good episode, though, I'd put it on my A-list for TNG. If you look at the original casting, you could go off on a whole spiel on how its a stereotype of little people. The greedy little Gnomish collector, bright clothing, funny little hats, collecting rare gems (and people). There's even a fairy-tale like element to how he imprisons them.
And yeah, he totally wanted to see Data "on display".

 

[Amaris]

For the record, I love funny little hats.


J.

 

[Gary Sebben]

To expound on my post, I'm not saying that black actors aren't frequently cast as criminals, but I'm disagreeing with the idea that they're only cast as such.

I NEVER said they ALL are. I said "A black actor", not all black actors. So that's pretty much the answer to both of your posts. Of course, that doesn't mean that even the A list stars are completely immune. I found uber nebbish Dustin Hoffman's casting in "Joan Of Arc" as the devil interesting to say the least...

I don't know. It is a good episode, though, I'd put it on my A-list for TNG. If you look at the original casting, you could go off on a whole spiel on how its a stereotype of little people. The greedy little Gnomish collector, bright clothing, funny little hats, collecting rare gems (and people). There's even a fairy-tale like element to how he imprisons them.

Oh, I love this episode still. This is the first time the thought occurred to me. If TNG was written in a vacuum then the character of Fajo is completely compelling as a villian. Data's reactions to the situation are all classic. It's a great show. It's just that when you do the math you say, hey this is based on something that's not quite kosher.

And then, of course if we move into fairy-tales, most gnomes and dwarves are based on Jewish stereotypes as well from Rumplestiltskin right on into the dwarves of LOTR (which is so laden with ethnic typecasting is reads like a nationalistic tirade against England's ex-colonies. Dark Men for the South and Oliphont riders indeed). It's all just food for thought.

 

[Kross]

Are you saying an actor shouldn't be cast in certain rolls because their religion/ethnic background? Seriously?

 

[RoJoHen]

Stereotypes are such a strange thing. They never really have much to do with the people they're supposedly stereotyping; quite the opposite - stereotypes always seem to describe the people who are doing the stereotyping.

My life experience tells me otherwise, at least when it comes to the way people behave in restaurants.

 

[Amaris]

Now that's a spicy meatball!


J.

 

[Samurai8472]

Fajo is more a stereotype of an obsessed collector, like a crazy comic book fan, than anything else.

Imagine if he got Seven of Nine

 

[Gary Sebben]

Are you saying an actor shouldn't be cast in certain rolls because their religion/ethnic background? Seriously?

I think that directors cast people for reasons. That's hard to deny. We can only guess what those reasons are. If you're going to cast a nebbishy, big nosed jew as the Devil, or a greedy business man who poison's wells, that's going to be up for scrutiny. Any first year art student knows that.

 

[Zameaze]

Yeah, when I watched it the first time, I noticed that Fajo looked and talked somewhat like a Jewish merchant stereotype. But then a lot of Jews have fun playing the stereotypical Jew, so I never gave it much thought.

Do they enjoy it, or is it the only role a short, curly haired guy with a large nose and bushy eyebrows can get? ….But a swarthy greedy guy with a skull cap, being a nebbish, and poisoning a well...

Whoa there, Bucko, that’ll be about enough of that crap. Short, curly haired, large nose, bushy eyebrows, skull cap, nebbish--I think you’ve crossed the line. I sure don’t know many Jews outside of your mind that look like that.

 

[Gary Sebben]

Whoa there, Bucko, that’ll be about enough of that crap. Short, curly haired, large nose, bushy eyebrows, skull cap, nebbish--I think you’ve crossed the line. I sure don’t know many Jews outside of your mind that look like that.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Half my family looks like that, buddy boy. So does Saul Rubenik: http://stage.cnsi.ucsb.edu/news/splitting-infinity/rubinek.jpg. Now, I ask you, is there anything wrong with being short, swarthy, and big nosed? Or do you consider that an insult? Because, you know, some of us actually look like that and I don't think it's a bad thing.

 

[Zameaze]

Yeah, when I watched it the first time, I noticed that Fajo looked and talked somewhat like a Jewish merchant stereotype. But then a lot of Jews have fun playing the stereotypical Jew, so I never gave it much thought.

Do they enjoy it, or is it the only role a short, curly haired guy with a large nose and bushy eyebrows can get? I mean, talking about the actor's other TV roles, he gets to be a lawyer - A LOT. It's like a black guy who is only offered roles as criminals.

The skull cap is what bugged me at first, but the clincher was the water supply poisoning. Just check this article for some historical context: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_poisoning . When you have so many "coincidences" it gets to seem either blindly dumb or suspicious.

That's what I meant by 1+1+1+1=4. Little, swarthy greedy guy is an unavoidable (if annoying) collective unconscious symbol. But a swarthy greedy guy with a skull cap, being a nebbish, and poisoning a well... that starts pushing the line just a bit. Just a bit. I apologize if pointing this out makes people uncomfortable.

Avery Brooks
Denzel Washington
Sidney Poitier
Samuel L. Jackson
Will Smith
LeVar Burton
Terrence Howard
Jesse L. Martin (Ed Green on Law & Order)
Morgan Freeman
Lawerence Fishburne
Michael Dorn
Nichelle Nicoles
S. Epatha Merkerson
Halle Berry

Should I go on or are you going to keep up with the "all minorities are typecast!" bullshit? Do you seriously fucking think that when they had to replace Rappaport with Rubinek that the producers went "hey let's give that dumb kike* a beanie, because all Jews are greedy sneaks!"

Pull the fucking stick out of your ass.

*You have no idea how much I hated typing that word, but I did it for effect. My deepest apologies to anyone here that's Jewish.

Edit: Leonard Nimoy is a Jew and I believe Shatner might be as well. yeah, big ole stereotypes there.

I got hot and didn't read on and see that you had already answered Gary Sebben's post far better than I could, Kross. And yes, both Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner are Jewish. While we are on things Jewish in Star Trek, the Vulcan “live long and prosper” hand sign is based on the blessing gesture used by the kohanim (descendants of Jerusalem Temple priests) during worship services.

 

[Zameaze]

Whoa there, Bucko, that’ll be about enough of that crap. Short, curly haired, large nose, bushy eyebrows, skull cap, nebbish--I think you’ve crossed the line. I sure don’t know many Jews outside of your mind that look like that.

Now, I ask you, is there anything wrong with being short, swarthy, and big nosed? Or do you consider that an insult?

Yes, asshole, I consider it an insult when you post it on a thread you started entitled Is Fajo an ugly Jewish Stereotype? Now back off of this kind of talk or I file a complaint.

 

[Trekker4747]

He is definitely both ugly, jewish and a stereotype, but I wouldn't at all call him an ugly jewish stereotype.

In fact, I always thought he was a gay stereotype myself.

That's the impression I had always gotten, far more so than Jewish -which never even entered my mind. His friend who visits to see Data is also a pretty strong gay/fey stereotype.

 

[mattyhugh]

And then, of course if we move into fairy-tales, most gnomes and dwarves are based on Jewish stereotypes as well from Rumplestiltskin right on into the dwarves of LOTR (which is so laden with ethnic typecasting is reads like a nationalistic tirade against England's ex-colonies. Dark Men for the South and Oliphont riders indeed). It's all just food for thought.

Good thing I like Stephan Colbert don't see race. Thank you for pointing this out for me as I would have been totally unawares.