The Y-Word

[dom9]

Thoughts on this please.

YouTube - The Y-Word

I'm really not sure, but I have thought about the Yid thing before, and couldn't work out if it was offensive or not.

It seems to be more acceptable than the n or p words. Is that right? I dunno.

Need to do more research I guess.

[dom9]

I feel they have drawn more negative press towards it by making this video, now every thug fan that travels to WHL will give them a nazi chant, likewise when Spurs travel away, I wasn't aware anyone was offended by the Spurs version of it. As has been mentioned previously they call each other it, and I call a kid at work 'Yiddo' didn't realise it could be so offensive to some people.

Eh?

If you go to watch us play at Spurs, are you saying that you would now chant as a result of watching that video? That seems to be what you are saying.

If something is deemed to be unacceptable by society (and I am not sure whether this is or isn't), is it not wrong to highlight that rather than to turn a blind eye?

Edit: Just notice the word 'thug' in your post.

Second point stands though.

[rodo]

they even use the word in that vid that shaggy posted earlier by the spurs fans think its a bit ott myself

[Neil Young]

they even use the word in that yid that shaggy posted earlier by the spurs fans think its a bit ott myself

[dom9]

[Fredo]

Never heard of the word before. Any word which refers to someone's race/culture/religion in some kind of denigrating manner is out of order IMO.

[Craig_H]

You've seriously never heard the word 'Yid' before?

[Fredo]

Nope.

[Fredo]

If it's a diminutive of Yiddish, then I know what it refers to.

[Icon]

Bit of an odd one this - Spurs fans referring to themselves as 'Yids' comes across in a similar vain to blacks taking back the term 'nigga'.

Neither term can (or should) be aimed toward them but labeling oneself is something we can't do much about...

[little dave hedgehog]

is it though? at last black people are all actually black.

[Icon]

... at last black people are all actually black.

Haven't they always been?

TBH - I have no idea what percentage of Spurs fans might actually be Jewish, my point is they are just taking the term back...

[MrMichael]

Really is an odd one this.... I've never even thought of using the term, but I know 2 Spurs fans and they constantly refer to themselves by it.

I'm not sure its right to compare it to use of the "n word" particularly, there's far more offensive terms for Jewish people, ones which haven't mostly been used traditionally by Jews to refer to themselves. And yeah, I know the "n word" has been reclaimed so to speak, but its history is very different from this one. Of course if anything is said in a way intended to be racially derogatory that's out of order, whatever the language, but unlike a lot of other terms this isn't one I'd automatically classify as derogatory.

Urban dictionary say

An Eastern European Jew. The term is often interpreted as offensive, which is a major misconception. The word Yiddish is not offensive, so neither is Yid. The word Yid is used to differentiate between an Eastern European, Yiddish-speaking Jew and an Israeli, Hebrew-speaking Jew.

This seems to be the Spurs' fans position:

we want to make it clear that the Trust's stance is, and always has been, that when the word 'Yid' is used by Spurs fans it is done so in a positive way and in no way, shape or form is it being used as an insult.

[Kinell]

I always thought it was because they have a large Jewish community in the surrounding areas?

[MrMichael]

There always used to be, not sure that's so much the case now. The other reason is their ownership, both historical (post war, not originally) and current. Nowadays ENIC owns more than 3/4 of their stock, and it is basically controlled by a billionaire, Joe Lewis, who is I believe Jewish.

Having said that, the main reason for the link as it is understood today is it having started being used by other fans, primarily of Arsenal I believe, as an insult in the early 80's. Which is a little odd as apparently the ethnic/religious makeup of Arsenal's fanbase was/is extremely similar to that of Spurs. It was then adopted and perpetuated by Spurs fans themselves, without whom I suspect (though I could be wrong) almost all other footy fans, barring the tiny, neo-naziesque minority, would long since have forgotten about the whole thing.

I suspect from what I've read that although it may have a little basis in fact, for the most part its a bit like the supposed Catholic / Protestant thing with us and Everton, ie imagined rather than real.