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→Shylock as money lending Jew: reply to AdmiralNelson
::::Portia's religion is not mentioned in the quoted passage. Shylock's religion is mentioned. Portia's profession (trial lawyer?) is mentioned in the introductory sentence, yet her profession appears nowhere in the cited text. To be consistent, we should probably delete the mention of both Portia's and Shylock's professions, or just note accurately that Shylock is a Jew as in, "Shylock (a Jew)"). I would be interested in opinions as to whether simply and accurately denoting that someone is a "Jew" could be seen as pejorative. --[[User:AdmiralNelson|AdmiralNelson]] 22:12, 11 September 2008 (EDT)
::::Portia's religion is not mentioned in the quoted passage. Shylock's religion is mentioned. Portia's profession (trial lawyer?) is mentioned in the introductory sentence, yet her profession appears nowhere in the cited text. To be consistent, we should probably delete the mention of both Portia's and Shylock's professions, or just note accurately that Shylock is a Jew as in, "Shylock (a Jew)"). I would be interested in opinions as to whether simply and accurately denoting that someone is a "Jew" could be seen as pejorative. --[[User:AdmiralNelson|AdmiralNelson]] 22:12, 11 September 2008 (EDT)
:::::As noted in the quotation, Shylock is a Jew. No further attention need be drawn to this fact, lest it seem that Conservapedia is endorsing outdated an stereotype. The information adds nothing to the description of mercy, which is the point of the article. --[[User:Hsmom|Hsmom]] 22:24, 11 September 2008 (EDT)
:::::As noted in the quotation, Shylock is a Jew. No further attention need be drawn to this fact, lest it seem that Conservapedia is endorsing outdated an stereotype. The information adds nothing to the description of mercy, which is the point of the article. --[[User:Hsmom|Hsmom]] 22:24, 11 September 2008 (EDT)
::::::In reply to Admiral Nelson, yes, denoting that somebody is "a Jew" can be seen as pejorative (depending on context) and the phrase "money lending Jew" is especially offensive because of the negative stereotype it evokes (even if it is used accurately). Drawing unnecessary attention to somebody's race or religion in a context where it is irrelevant can often be offensive. NB. I am talking here about modern usage - Portia addresses Shylock as "Jew", which would have been uncontroversial in Shakespeare's time, but would be a very offensive way to address somebody today.
::::::Where it is relevant to mention somebody's Judaism, it is ''usually'' best to describe them as "Jewish", since using phrases like "a Jew" or "the Jews" is often associated with antisemitism. These phrases don't necessarily have to be avoided altogether, but should be used very carefully. I have changed the description of Shylock in ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' article from "a Jew" to "a Jewish moneylender" since both aspects are relevant to the subject of that article (the play). As for ''this'' article (Mercy), I don't think it's necessary to refer to Shylock as a Jew outside of the quote where Portia identifies him as one. [[User:Sideways|Sideways]] 09:50, 12 September 2008 (EDT)