Re: Gould's Nationality, "Race," Religion, etc.

[Elmer Elevator <bobmer@javanet.com>]

I didn't mind your original question. I do resent the conclusion you
chose to
draw from the absence of replies. Such a conclusion is entirely
unsupported by
any distortion of logic.

Perhaps the question "Was Gould a Jew?", coupled with your country of
origin,
made people a bit leery.

The US and Canada have evolved a culture where questions of that sort
most often
receive the reply: "Who gives a rat's ass?"

In unhappy Europe, "Is he a Jew?" takes on an entirely different
complexion.
Often European police agencies have been fascinated with that question
and have
maintained extensive files of answers. Europeans think it's an important

question. For ghastly reasons. With ghastly consequences. The question
looks the
same on both sides of the Atlantic, but it's actually a fundamentally
very
different question.

Bob Merkin

BONG wrote:

> Lately I've asked about Gould's nationality, namely, if he was Jewish,
as Mr
> Lehman mentioned the surname Gold on Gould's birth certificate. Having

> received no answer so far, I'm forced to think that my question was
regarded
> as improper. I cannot see any impropriety in asking about the
nationality of
> a famous person and I do not understand why such information should be

> concealed.
>
> Juozas Rimas
> Lithuania