I’ll have you know, before you accuse me of anti-Semitism, that according to Jewish Law, I am a Jew by blood. My sister is married to an Israeli Orthodox Jew, and I associate with many Jews from my high school and university. I am definitely not Jewish though.
Now that that’s out the way, what’s the deal with Jews still being cheap? Coming to my hotel, complaining about the most minor of inconveniences and demanding the world in return?
Situation:
A fire alarm went off Friday night in the hotel. A false fire alarm that probably rang for 20 minutes sometime between the hours of 11pm and 1am. It disturbed the entire floor. It’s not excusable. It’s annoying. Nobody likes being woken up by a fire alarm to find out that it’s technical error and no real danger. [i’d be rather pleased to find out it was no real danger, but that’s just me]
If this happens to you, the fire alarm passes, you’re informed it’s a false alarm, and you get your ass back to sleep.
The Goldsteins, however, could not manage to get back to sleep that night. I suppose they were up worried and shaken to the core. They come to me today, 2 days later, to check out and to demand we remove any and all charges they incurred during their stay and offer them 1 free night if they ever return. Their charges totaled about $130 [room rate had been prepaid through a travel agent] and a nightly rate, depending on the season, ranges from $300 to $900. So a twenty minute inconvenience that i personally consider minor is valued somewhere between $430 to $1130 to this couple.
When guests of the hotel come to me to complain, I often encourage them to think of what THEY would like in return. I only do this for guests with whom I can empathize. In the case of the Goldsteins, well Mrs. Goldstein in particular, she came to me told me of her minor inconvenience and then demanded her compensation immediately. In return I approve of the removal of her charges, but I refuse her free night. If you want something from me, you need to make me like you first. Such is a law of the world. When I met Mrs. Goldstein, she told her own husband to shut up when he attempted to recite the story to me in a calm manner. Mrs. Goldstein would not let up on the free night and demanded the manager get involved. My manager approved of the free night. [Better to give them what they want so that they’ll shut up sooner] When Mrs. Goldstein got her free night, she then asked for TWO free nights. I calmly and immediately told her “No”. The finality in my tone was so sharp, a mohel could’ve used me. [bad joke]
You would think that with all the stereotyping of Jews being cheap, that Jews would be a little more cautious not to appear that way. It’s not only Jews who do this of course, but when it is a Jew who does this, you can’t help but consider the obvious stereotype.
Subscribe to DBlock
this is one couple. they could have been the johnsons.
as far as having concern about reinforcing stereotypes, this can be very problematic and negative. take the case of the white liberal wracked with white guilt, who out of this kind of self centered concern, does harm through idiotic social policies to those whom he is obsessed with proving that he isn’t racist, or nativist, or sexist, and on and on.
it really doesn’t matter what the group identity is, if it’s based in factors simply incidental to birth, and not in beliefs arrived at through personal thought, exploration, intuition, insight, and etc, it will invariably alter one’s perceptions and thought processes negatively. it’s essentially trbalism.
I suppose your complaint could have been about anybody intentionally perpetuating their stereotype. It happens all the time, like white people who don’t train very hard as a race to increase their vertical leap, or Wookies who don’t manage their anger.
On certain levels, stereotypes work and some people are perfectly OK with their stereotype. The Goldsteins might not mind being perceived as being cheap. I know many people like the Goldsteins who would take being labled “cheap” as a compliment.
If someone is happy with a stereotype, there is no incentive to work against it. Take for instance the example of white people and jumping again. Somewhere along the line, the stereotype became easier to accept and everybody just started hitting shots from the outside. Now, nobody works on their ups.
The stereotype is perpetuated because it becomes comfortable and then at some point people identify with the sterotype and become proud of it.
I’m almost certain that’s what you would have found from the Goldsteins.
so the goldsteins shoot 3 pointers?
Yep. They are deadly from downtown. But they won’t dare drive the lane and I’ve heard some commentators call them “ball hogs” because they won’t share the love and are too cheap to dish it off.
As a very secular Jew, I find myself tending away towards stereotypes. As such, I generally tip even when the service wasn’t worth tipping, and as I am usually calm and relaxed about money, if I am slighted or something is amiss, I usually don’t bring it up with the staff unless it is life or death,
In the case of the Goldstein’s, they do represent a population in the Jewish Community who make those of us who aren’t cheapskates lives a bit harder. It is a trend of certain people always getting what they want, and then wanting more. I for one am of the group that would have been thankful there wasn’t a fire, bitched about the incident with my family, and gone back to sleep.
Jason Orkin on November 26th, 2007 at 3:03 pm | Link
So Jews and wookies can’t jump,play basketball well and are cheap ????????????????
Eric on January 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm | Link
LOL! I love it!
I know one security guard, he banked $720 of his $800/biweek pay into the bank, while going to the Sikh Temple to go eat for free and frequenting the food bank. When he makes about $1280/biweekly, he is seen banking over $1000, and when making around $2300/biweekly $2160 banked away. He crashed on the couch of his friends who are on income assistance. They provided him room and board. He lived below the standard of living of his two friends who gave him a free place to crash and feed him on occasion when they cook food. He of course contributes no money for rent nor food. He banked over $25K in 7 months time, living frugally. When I asked him why he needed to bank aside so much, he responded that he only banked peanuts, and it was nothing to consider. But then, I asked him why wouldn’t he be willing to contribute to rent, and he responded that it was beyond his budget.
Cheap on February 4th, 2009 at 6:42 pm | Link
My ex-boss is Jewish and unfortunately he fits the stereotype.
He is sitting on a couple of million but let go his assistant/office manager after six years because business has been down for a few months.
His assistant is a single mother whose ex-husband just lost his job. Yet he only offers her two week severance pay (although she is going to have to come in the entire two weeks at 40 hrs per week to earn it-how she is going to interview for other jobs I don’t know).
Oh, by the way, she didn’t get a raise in all the years she worked for him and had no medical benefits.
Oh, by the way, even though his business “is down” he still manages to get a manicure, pedicure, massage every week, yoga class and expensive dinners with his trashy girlfriend who is just using him for his money.
Kel M on March 26th, 2009 at 8:24 pm | Link
damn kikes
anonymous on May 19th, 2009 at 2:26 am | Link
I honestly think, if you try look for some kind of error, you will find it even if it is not there. I am a jew and we try to IGNORE stereotypes. That was one angry couple. I am tired of the stereotypes. One time a random person on a bus three a nickel at my head while I was walking home. Stop blaming everything on a religion. We are a religion not a type of people.
Skoote on June 11th, 2009 at 12:58 pm | Link
I struggle posting something like this, because I do not want to contribute to hatred or stereotypes, but in my experience many of them are cheap and consider non-Jews subhuman.
When I was a teenager, I was a golf caddy at a New York club exclusive to wealthy Jews — if you were any other religion, you could not join. One day, I caddied for an older Jewish woman who wanted to do a quick 9-hole run on a late afternoon. On the seventh hole, she hit a line drive and the ball caught me on my wrist as I was (according to her instructions) forecaddying.
She complained when I used cold water from the “members only” water dispensers near the tee (to stop the swelling), then decided after her ninth-hole drive that she would stop “early.” She paid me BELOW the $15 minimum for nine holes, handing me $13 and justifying it by saying we hadn’t done the whole nine. (Not only did she underpay, it is customary on the course to tip caddies, so the real “minimum” was $20).
During my days as a caddy, I saw grown men worth tens and hundreds of millions of dollars go nuclear when they sliced a ball deep into the woods off the fairway and the ball — which cost them less than a dollar — couldn’t be recovered.
And there was an attitude that pervaded the place, that the Jewish members were in every way the superiors of us, and we were subhuman scum worth of only serving as their pack mules so they would not have to do any physical labor while enjoying themselves.
True on June 20th, 2009 at 4:02 am | Link
I never had any encounters with any Jewish until I work in this company. Now, I don’t like to stereotype because as a (fill-in-the-blank-for-a-minority-group) male, I got stereotyped alot.
Similar to the experience the other guy mentioned on the top, my boss is super stingy. Everybody got paid minimum wage. There is no paid vacation, let alone medical insurance. In the summer, he would turn off the AC in the building after 5 pm, reasoning that he wants to save energy while he turned on the AC in his office 24/7. Now, mind that at 5 pm, there are still technicians who work in the warehouse! His employees are kinda come and go. Some people work for a year, cant stand it and quit. I myself will quit at the end of the year. One of the head programmer wanted to quit and my boss raised his salary a bit. HOwever it is still under the minimum amount of wage he deserves at that level of his career (I was nosy enough to check careerbuilder for that). So anyway the head programmer now works like however he wants it because he knows my boss wont fire him. Nobody else want to work with that amount of salary. I myself have been slacking off alot; looking for a job online and obviously doing phone interviews. But anyway, again I don’t like to stereotype people. I hope this is only him….
JustMe on July 6th, 2009 at 3:14 pm | Link
OH and more in regard to my boss, he has 5 cars. Yup, count the new Jaguar and Audi TT in, while some of my technicians have cars that are 13 years old.
JustMe on July 6th, 2009 at 3:17 pm | Link
I think that for some reason you hate orthodox jews because your sister married one. This is very common for secular jews whose siblings are orthodox. They begin to think they are being judged for not being observant. In most cases this feeling is unwarranted and the evidence is not even there.
I think you take that “anger” and project it on all jews. If a person really wanted to he can look through each and every race and find an incident where they “prove” their stereotype.
Like I said earlier you mentioned in your first paragraph that besides being born jewish you do not view yourself jewish. This to me proves the hatred against jews that I am talking about. Because of this I don’t feel you can give an opinion that comes from hate and not fact. I think you should look into your rich heritage and find the love and caring which has been a Jewish staple for the thousands of years the religion has been around.
anonymous on September 15th, 2009 at 5:46 am | Link
Jewish law? Is this not America? Screw religious BS. It’s all about myths and control over people. Religion has caused nothing but hatred and battles over the years,.
Oh trust me. Some Jews are cheap and I know. My boss is Jewish and he’s VERY cheap. Every single paycheck Ive gotten from him has been shorted a few dollars here and there. The equipment he has is old and should honestly be sent to the junkyard. He takes advantage of all his employees, except his daughter, of course. I’m so glad Im quitting in 3 weeks. I defiinitely agree with this stereotype. Effing cheap &*#$%*&
Tennboy on October 25th, 2009 at 6:07 am | Link
oh I forgot to mention, he expects us to be available to him at every moment, but considers us independent contractors which means, we pay our own taxes, AND no health insurance. Cheap $%&*#$. I plan on leaving with a BIG BANG is 3 weeks. Revenge is so sweet (Of course AFTER I get my last paycheck)
Tennboy on October 25th, 2009 at 6:11 am | Link
How was copper wire invented?
2 jews fighting over a penny!!!
Jewssuck on November 29th, 2009 at 7:06 pm | Link
“If you want something from me, you need to make me like you first”. Wow! The ego! What a shame so many people consider social grease over facts…
Bil on December 4th, 2009 at 5:15 pm | Link
From all the years of sales I’ve done I’ve learned one thing. If the last name contains a gold,silver, or any other mineral that’s worth money forget it. All jews are cheap They All comlain, & expect. That’s what agravates me. The chosen ones I think NOT. They were only chosen to ride in german cattle cars. And sorry to say their weren’t enough catle cars. Rebuild aushwitcz and get rid of them all. They are an Ugly race on top of it. And their women are the absolute worst in the sack. Muslims and jews are one of the same. Religous Whack jobs that mean nothing. God, please start the trans to aushwitz again, PLEASE!!
jimbo on May 8th, 2010 at 12:17 am | Link
One other thing. Why have they been hated and accused of being non-trustworthy since before the time of the Romans? How could one race be hated so much for so long? How,why? Were talking thousands of years Jews have been hated,& considered subhuman. The answer is because there is great truth to it. No one is hated for thousands of years with out their being solid reasons to pass on from generation to generation. Bottom line is they are what they are. Piles of **** who attempt to stick their hook nose above everyone else. I mean come on. Thousannds of years they have been hated and considered a wound on mother earth. NO other race even comes close to be hated that long. That’s why there is nothing better then Muslim on jew violence. Kills two religous jag offs at tje same time. Hated for thousands of years. Thousands of years. There has to be some truth to a people being hated by True whites for that long. Hell, they h?e been hated longer then the devil him self. They were hated before the bible was a glimps in some kikes eye. Aushwitcz please come back, please.
jimbo on May 8th, 2010 at 12:34 am | Link
6,000,000 is no where near enough. They didn’t even “earn” the state of isreal. Did they fight for it like men? Did they take it over? NO, the stupid damn USA made up kike land because they felt “sorry” for the wuss bags after Hitler taught them a lesson in behavior. They did not earn isreal, they do not deserve a country. Talk to a jew. They don’t even know what the heck they are. Some say their a race some say their a religon. What is it? Ill tell you, its a group of cheap money hungry kikes trying to pretend their tuff. As I said if your hated for thousands and thousands of years there has to be some truth behind it. Die, die,die. Then just maybe then will people stop wanting you dead. You just have to die first. Lol KIKES!!!! Fire up the ovens. Women and children first!
jimbo on May 8th, 2010 at 12:49 am | Link
That’s not right to say. You need all the camps up and running again. Not just Aushwitcz. If they are really the chosen ones then it looks like god chose them to be dead in the 40’s and a MAJOR pain in the wallet now a days. Don’t forget, we need the showers up and running first. The ovens only burn the dead. We need the showers to make them dead first. God, Germany was one a great nation. Was…..
Remember, if their last name has anything to do with something valuable IE,goldstein,Silverman, their kikes. Wow, why is that? Why do kikes have silver and gold in their last names? Oh, cuz it represents all they care about, MONEY!!!!
not right on May 8th, 2010 at 1:35 am | Link
Dear jimbo.
Since some of my family perished in the holocaust, it gives me great pride to see people like you have not accomplished what they wanted, god has promised the jews that they will never be wiped off the face of the earth, god has promised the jews that other nations will bless themselvs in you (the jews).
We are here to stay honey, not only that, we own you from top to bottom.
and for you I wish you what I wish for all people who are filled with so much hatred you should crumble in pain from colon cancer and see your children death in your life.
And for other people from any walk of life either jewish or not, who are peacefull, god should bless them. We as jews have the utmost respect for any human
power up on May 29th, 2010 at 9:40 pm | Link
Sorry but every Jew I have ever met has just perpetuated their stereotypes.
Even in the media. Look at the popular shows “Seinfeld” and “Curb your Enthusiasm”…. I love love love these shows but it’s so funny how so many episodes are centered around tipping, or lack thereof. Then look at the Real Housewives of New York… Jill Zarin. The typical, over-bearing Jewish mother! The list of Jewish stereotypes in the media goes ON AND ON AND ON AND…
Also I am in pharmaceutical sales and I have 1 doctor I sell to in particular, who happens to be Jewish. He is known for being extremely cheap. He will lie and manipulate to get free samples, hardly buys any product to begin with, and he totally rips off his clients by overpricing all of his services and products. And when I meet with him, all he can do is complain about the “economy” although his clinic is in one of the richest neighborhoods in town. I just want to scream at him. “STOP BEING SUCH A STEREOTYPE!” Don’t you think he’d be embarrassed? He has no shame.
Obviously you can’t say every single Jew is this way. But I would say MOST are and it’s a pity. Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason…because those traits have been observed time and time again.
STOP BEING SO CHEAP AND GREEDY JEWS!
Hope this doesn’t come off racist because I’m not. Seinfeld is my favorite show ever!
hmmm on August 13th, 2010 at 10:38 pm | Link