“At the very core of the female born J.A.P. aesthetic are two guiding principles: 1) I am terrific; 2) Daddy will pay.”
This one line just summed up everything about my (Jewish) mother’s ethos, and the one she tried to instill in me—and the reason I’m ultimately estranged from my natal family. Whew.
Man. I am not Jewish but I grew up in a very Ashkenazi-Jewish area and went to school with many Jewish students (many of whom were/are my good friends). This... resonated with me a lot.
I remember JAP being a sort of loving insider term. (I think I had a shirt as a little kid that said “JAP in training”). Was very shocked to learn in high school that it was also a racist slur! (Used against japanese people) and I think that freaked me out of JAP culture so badly I never reengaged.
I'm thinking about Sam Cohen's Sarahland (thank you for assigning it :)) and displays of wealth as self-preservation and safety for many white Ashkenazi Jews: "I sort of understood [these purses] had something to do with the Holocaust. ... Granddaughters could send pictures of themselves standing in a row of flat-ironed and haltered girls, each with a Prada bag, and their bubbes would feel, 'these girls were so safe.'"
I'm also thinking about Rabbi Elliot Kukla's 10/7/24 essay "I Come from Holocaust Survivors. They’re Why I’m Demanding a Ceasefire": "For much of my community, the suffering of the Jewish past ignites empathy for Palestinian losses today, leading us to protest for a ceasefire, and an arms embargo of Israel. For others, the Holocaust has exactly the opposite meaning, and is used to justify escalating Israeli violence in order to bolster a Jewish sense of safety."
I think all of the above must fall somewhere on Sequoia's JAP/non-JAP chart.
yup yup YUP to all of this! It absolutely must and does. I would suspect that wealthy jews who have dealt with more of their assimilation fear and are in solidarity with Palestine would be "not JAP" by Sequoia's assessment and Zionism is inherently JAP
Hi Emma! I'm just curious -- what did you think about Catalina? I liked Cornejo Villavicencio's first book, but I couldn't stay with Catalina's narrative voice for long. It felt a little one-note to me as the narrator repeatedly insisted that she could outsmart everyone around her. I think I'm in the minority here about the novel -- I think it has lots of fans!
This took me back. Read it in HS, a time of dueling bibles, the Preppy Handbook or this one, (pre-meme). Very much enjoyed your current day insights.
Hmm, no math....LR or C&C? My kids are forever math addled!
“At the very core of the female born J.A.P. aesthetic are two guiding principles: 1) I am terrific; 2) Daddy will pay.”
This one line just summed up everything about my (Jewish) mother’s ethos, and the one she tried to instill in me—and the reason I’m ultimately estranged from my natal family. Whew.
oof <3
Man. I am not Jewish but I grew up in a very Ashkenazi-Jewish area and went to school with many Jewish students (many of whom were/are my good friends). This... resonated with me a lot.
This was a thoughtful take, per usual!
I remember JAP being a sort of loving insider term. (I think I had a shirt as a little kid that said “JAP in training”). Was very shocked to learn in high school that it was also a racist slur! (Used against japanese people) and I think that freaked me out of JAP culture so badly I never reengaged.
Very fair
Emma, thank you for this post!
I'm thinking about Sam Cohen's Sarahland (thank you for assigning it :)) and displays of wealth as self-preservation and safety for many white Ashkenazi Jews: "I sort of understood [these purses] had something to do with the Holocaust. ... Granddaughters could send pictures of themselves standing in a row of flat-ironed and haltered girls, each with a Prada bag, and their bubbes would feel, 'these girls were so safe.'"
I'm also thinking about Rabbi Elliot Kukla's 10/7/24 essay "I Come from Holocaust Survivors. They’re Why I’m Demanding a Ceasefire": "For much of my community, the suffering of the Jewish past ignites empathy for Palestinian losses today, leading us to protest for a ceasefire, and an arms embargo of Israel. For others, the Holocaust has exactly the opposite meaning, and is used to justify escalating Israeli violence in order to bolster a Jewish sense of safety."
I think all of the above must fall somewhere on Sequoia's JAP/non-JAP chart.
yup yup YUP to all of this! It absolutely must and does. I would suspect that wealthy jews who have dealt with more of their assimilation fear and are in solidarity with Palestine would be "not JAP" by Sequoia's assessment and Zionism is inherently JAP
Fascinating piece! Would love to think and read more about the concept of the “revisionist JAP” and what that looks like today…
I know! That part really killed me
I feel very seen.
Hi Emma! I'm just curious -- what did you think about Catalina? I liked Cornejo Villavicencio's first book, but I couldn't stay with Catalina's narrative voice for long. It felt a little one-note to me as the narrator repeatedly insisted that she could outsmart everyone around her. I think I'm in the minority here about the novel -- I think it has lots of fans!
I really liked it! The voice felt unexpected and strange in a good way to me, a veneer of strength with a fragility underneath it