@Walter Hinteler,
Walter Hinteler wrote:
Graham Greene wrote about similar in one of his novels (The Quiet American) ... ehem, yes, Foofie, I know that Grene was a Catholic!
O.K. Let me explain my feelings towards Catholics in the U.S., specifically. Since many American Catholics have residual, less than positive feelings towards American Jews, going back to how their families viewed Jews in the first half of the 20th century, and much of it, in my opinion reflects a fair degree of Judeophobia (i.e., what could "the Jews" be up to?), one lasting canard about Jews is that "Jews take over." The fact is that there was such limited employment for Jews with a college degree, back in the 1950's/'60's, and beyond, many in urban America became teachers. When teacher unions won decent contracts (NYC), many of the marginally educated Gentiles thought, "see how Jews took over the teacher's union, and teaching." So, to maintain neighborhoods, corporations, etc., as places that white Catholics could have good jobs, and homogeneous neighborhoods, anti-Semitism just remained part of the culture of urban Catholic America, in my opinion.
Now here's my point, now that Catholics have become educated enough to call themselves progressive liberals, they are ready to change an America that is still a majority of white Protestant, and fairly conservative. The American capitalistic/political/military systems all became what they are due to a pre-1850 white Protestant America.
So, now when Catholics choose to be progressive liberals, and work to effect a different society, they do not think of themselves as "taking over." Only Jews do that!
So, the double standard, or perhaps lack of introspection, in my opinion, is just par for the course. Catholics, in my opinion, act like they "arrived" socially. In my opinion, the friendships with Protestants may be real, but the Protestants will "circle the wagons" when threatened by change to their country. Note who is in the Tea Parties.
So, I just think many a Catholic American looks upon Jews as what Jews were looked upon in Europe, that being outsiders that they would like to not compete against. Protestants do value Jews, even though their emphasis on social status/class really prohibits being too friendly to Jews.
I find many Catholics can be friendly; however, in my opinion, I consider them false friends that talk behind my back when the spirit moves them.
I hope you can appreciate my candidness.
