tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post6246461490361511093..comments2024-03-29T09:34:59.827+03:00Comments on Daas Torah - Issues of Jewish Identity: Objecting to the term "Filipino" being used to refer to nannies or personal care aidesDaas Torahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252904288544083215noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-80419808941609573202014-09-28T00:38:48.331+03:002014-09-28T00:38:48.331+03:00I find it absurd how you have chosen which issue t...I find it absurd how you have chosen which issue to be more offended by. An unsuspecting reader may feel you have an ulterior motive in your bizarre position.Montynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-75432155570532759552014-09-24T18:15:26.919+03:002014-09-24T18:15:26.919+03:00The details of the case are irrelevant to the prop...The details of the case are irrelevant to the propriety of the terminology in question.yirmiahunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-17716888741248174152014-09-24T00:17:22.401+03:002014-09-24T00:17:22.401+03:00If my children were being taken care of by a perso...If my children were being taken care of by a person of a different nationality from myself, I'd almost certainly refer to them as "a Frenchwoman", "a Nigerian babysitter" or "a Brazilian carer", depending on where they originated from. There is nothing racist about that. It would be a pure statement of fact. Beth has wanted to indicate that 2 women whose mother tongues are not the same as her own or the boys' father's are caring for her sons instead of herself. That this might not be desirable if the carers did not speak either, in this case, German or English fluently and without a strong accent, is obvious.James Cliffordnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-51446120927724396442014-09-23T23:52:14.926+03:002014-09-23T23:52:14.926+03:00As someone who has only skimmed the articles on th...As someone who has only skimmed the articles on this topic, I have the repeated reference to the ethnic origin of the caregivers to be disappointing and offensive. It is not really of any significance whether the term is pejorative or , as some have alleged, Filipinos take pride in being known as caregivers. The context here is clearly a critical one. If an article similarly, arbitrarily, referenced someone's Jewish ethnicity this forum would not be so quick to dismiss it as benign. All of the spin-doctoring in the world doesn't change the race-baiting implicit in the formulation. I doubt it was meant maliciously, but when people are desperate they will make arguments they might not otherwise.yirmiahunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-3903120884060279062014-09-23T20:30:41.582+03:002014-09-23T20:30:41.582+03:00Identifying someone based on their country of orig...Identifying someone based on their country of origin is very different than identifying someone based on their religion. I'd think that's obvious.yitzchokmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-85937700748728467712014-09-23T18:54:38.851+03:002014-09-23T18:54:38.851+03:00Trust me... I have worked extensively with profess...Trust me... I have worked extensively with professionals (non-caretakers) in the Philippines. Filipinos are very proud of their reputations around the world as caretakers and are thrilled to have people associate "chesed" with their country. In the Philippines, virtually everyone has a close relative overseas.<br /><br />Not only that, Israel is one of the preferred destinations because Jews have a reputation of treating them very nicely.Yidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-10660609854722515332014-09-23T16:11:45.558+03:002014-09-23T16:11:45.558+03:00Some people feel the need to look for offence when...Some people feel the need to look for offence when none is meant. Eliezer Berkovitsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7309929059139673041.post-63064699717392194572014-09-23T15:55:13.446+03:002014-09-23T15:55:13.446+03:00I think it is relevant that the term Filipino is u...I think it is relevant that the term Filipino is used. It is not pejorative. The implication is that the caretakers are indeed workers temporarily in Austria, and would be expected to value their own culture, language and customs; and that they would, unless told otherwise, transmit their approach to life, at least in part, to their charges. This is not to demean the caretakers: they are presumably well meaning in their intentions; as Jews, however, we are a nation that dwells separately, and we don't want our children absorbing, even through passive immersion, the mores of any nation foreign to us. Austrian caretakers would fall in the same category. Under the circumstances, Jewish caretakers who would work in consultation with the mother and father would be ideal.<br /><br />There is much to learn from others -- I have a friend who learned from his nurse which common plants found everywhere growing wild in the region he grew up are edible, something his parents may not have had the background to pass on to him. Yet, are the boys' caretakers saying the Modeh Ani with them in the morning, or showing them how how to wash their hands upon awakening, or how to make a Bracha before breakfast?Joseph Orlownoreply@blogger.com