Nice Jewish Boy Stereotype
The nice Jewish boy is a stereotype of Jewish masculinity which circulates within the American Jewish community, as well as in mainstream American culture. In Israel and the parts of the diaspora which have received heavy exposure to the American media that deploy the representation, the stereotype has gained popular recognition to a lesser extent.
The qualities ascribed to the nice Jewish boy are derived from the Ashkenazic ideal of אײדלקײט (eydlkayt, either "nobility" or "delicateness" in Yiddish). According to Daniel Boyarin's Unheroic Conduct (University of California Press, 1997), eydlkayt embraces the studiousness, gentleness and sensitivity said to distinguish the Talmudic scholar and make him an attractive marriage partner (23).
Read more about Nice Jewish Boy Stereotype: Cultural References
Famous quotes containing the words nice, jewish, boy and/or stereotype:
“Well, that’s a nice social problem—an Indian in the family.”
—Howard Estabrook (1884–1978)
“Dr. Craigle: A good man, completely reliable. Not given to overcharging and stringing visits out, the way some do.
Phil Green: Do you mean the way some doctors do or do you mean the way some Jewish doctors do?
Dr. Craigle: I suppose you’re right. I suppose some of us do it, too. Not just the Chosen People.”
—Moss Hart (1904–1961)
“A quiet well-behaved boy is likely to be both frightened and ambitious.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“All official institutions of language are repeating machines: school, sports, advertising, popular songs, news, all continually repeat the same structure, the same meaning, often the same words: the stereotype is a political fact, the major figure of ideology.”
—Roland Barthes (1915–1980)