this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025

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Donald Trump calls bankers 'Shylocks', drawing criticism for antisemitic term. (www.usatoday.com)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Shylock is a fictional Jewish money-lender invented by Shakespeare.

The story ends when Shylock is defeated and forced to abandon Judaism.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shylock

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 days ago

Sadly, thats not really surprising. As his cognition deteriorates further we come to learn more and more about the 'real' Donald Trump. You think he's awful now? Wait till the dementia kicks in full force. I only hope he won't hold any power by that time anymore.

[+] [email protected] -11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's kind of weak... He's obviously comparing them to the character of Shylock, and the fact that he's Jewish is more of a criticism of Shakespeare being antisemitic. Trump might be antisemitic, but this isn't a very good example.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh yea that Trump guy is always dropping Shakespeare references

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Not sure I follow. He did say Shylock right? Clearly referring to the Shakespeare character? What else could he have been referring to? Or is Shylock somehow associated with Jews otherwise?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's a racist slur for a Jewish banker

[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Do you think Biden was also being racist when he used the term? Or was he using it in a more general sense, as a term to describe immoral and unethical bankers in general?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This time? https://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/joe-biden-shylocks-reaction-111053

Pretty obviously him being racist

Biden used the term when he spoke at the 40th anniversary celebration for the Legal Services Corporation and referred to his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, and his experience while in Iraq.

“People would come up to him and talk about what was happening to them at home in terms of foreclosures, in terms of bad loans that were being — I mean, these Shylocks who took advantage of these women and men while overseas,” Biden said.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It's not obvious at all. It used to be a commonly used term for dishonest bankers, and it's still defined as such in most dictionaries, though many of them also note that it is less common now because of more awareness of the harmful stereotype.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Sounds like it's always been used as a slur/terrible stereotype, hell Shakespeare made the entire character a stereotype....

https://time.com/3394403/shylock-biden/

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yes. Biden is/was a known racist. What is your point or is it just what about ism?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Was he racist in 2014? While he was vice president to a black man? The point is that some terms that old people use don't mean the same thing to them that they do to average people today.

Edit: lol, oops. Yes, Obama is black and not Jewish. I guess Biden could be antisemitic and not racist against black people. Or I suppose he could be racist and still work closely with a black man and appear convincingly to be on good terms with him. In any event it doesn't prove much about Biden being antisemitic. I think he just used a dated term because he is old.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I had to look it up cause I didn't recall that Biden had used it. To be honest I think using the term probably falls into two categories in modern area; anitsemtic or way too old to be running anything.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

I agree. There are a lot of terms like that. People used to use them commonly, but now there is more awareness of the harm in these stereotypes. A lot of old people have a hard time adjusting. Someone I know used to use the term cottonpicker until I pointed out how racist it is. Somehow he had never made the connection, which seemed crazy, but I actually believe him.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Yes. More specifically, Biden was being antisemitic when he used an antisemitic term to describe a group of people, regardless of their behavior.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

What if he used a term for crooked bankers to describe crooked bankers and didn't consider that it propagated harmful stereotypes?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Then he was negligently being antisemitic. The result is the same: harmful stereotypes propagated due to his choice of words and his failure to consider them more carefully.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah ok, failed purity test, got it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hey, you asked if Biden was being antisemitic by using antisemitic language. I assume you did so trying to "gotcha" someone with a double standard accusation, given the phrasing of your original question. However it didn't work out that way so you decided to shift the goalposts to try and score points which also hasn't worked. Just take the L and move on.

My guess (and this is pure speculation based on your other replies in this thread) is that you use words like "Shylock" and "Shyster" fairly often without considering their cultural connotations. Now you're confronted with your own internalized prejudice and don't like how it makes you look so you're trying to make it someone else's fault.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago

I've never used the word shylock and don't know for sure if I've ever even heard it prior to recent events, but until you mentioned it now I never made the connection to the word shyster, which i have used before. Although maybe it was more along the lines of sheister. Never really thought about the spelling or etymologyof the word. In any event I am not antisemitic and don't have any issues with Jews at all. They are normal people, who do good things and bad things like anyone else. My problem is in the pearl clutching that happens anytime something like this comes up. Trump got called out for it just like Biden did, and now he knows better. I guess we will see if he continues to use it. I don't think Biden has since his incident, probably because he isn't antisemitic and simply made a poor choice of words out of ignorance. I try to go by hanlons razor in these situations, "never attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance".

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago (4 children)

So he hates Jews, but loves Israel?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago

yhea, antisemitism nowadays tends to be best prozionist

anti-semites can deny the holocaust and use slurs and then say they support a genocide and the ADL/AIPAC will be ok with that

but if jews complain about the genocide they get the boot for antisemitism.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 days ago

This is a more common set of views than one might expect.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago

you might be shocked at how the israeli government acts

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago

So unlike him to contract himself.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 days ago

Racist uses racist slur.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 5 days ago

It’s only antisemitism if it attacks Israel or humanises Palestinians. Otherwise, it’s just “being a product of a different time”.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 days ago

"Shylock Holmes was a real detective documented by Author Conehead Boyle."
--maga