In the post about my Brooklyn walkabout I wrote:
Even though the temperature was in the upper eighties and extremely humid, the Hasidim wear these heavy outfits. Maybe that explains why I didn’t see very many of them about. Who wants to walk around in the heat dressed like that?
It turns out that I guessed right! From a recent NY Times article about how the Hasidim wear heavy clothing in the summer:
Samuel Heilman, a professor of sociology at the City University of New York who specializes in Orthodox Jewry, pointed out that Hasidim did not spend idle time outdoors, at best going “from the shop to the yeshiva to the study hall to the house.”
“They spend a lot of time indoors, and they’re not Amish or Luddites, so they have air-conditioning,” Dr. Heilman said.
Hasidim believe that casual time outdoors exposes them to the temptations of the streets, not the least of which are skimpily dressed New Yorkers, said Alexander Rapaport, a Hasid who runs the Masbia soup kitchens in Brooklyn and Queens.
Maybe the Hasidim have more sense than SWPLs who spend unnecessary time outdoors?
What a paradox it is that those who are the most narcissistic about their looks tend to enjoy damaging their skins with harmful UV rays.
Posted by: Drole Prole | July 16, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Yes, but the Hasidim have their unique pathologies. Scamming the gov't and studying in the halls at the expense of others just to name a few. Having large families that do the same over and over again is as useless as what SWPLs and NAMs like to do. Much ado about nothing!
[HS: Their pathology is believing in their stupid religion. But they are quite sensible in taking advantage of the welfare system, because they value huge familes and studying the Torah more than conventional upper-midde-class measures of success. It's not their fault that gentiles are stupid enough to pay them to have children.]
Posted by: Just Speculating | July 16, 2012 at 11:11 AM
"It's not their fault that gentiles are stupid enough to pay them to have children".
Then can we make the same point about NAMs and how they work the system? Different outcomes but the same results. A society of unproductive parasites living off the tax dollars of the working class.
[HS: I am on the record of supporting welfare plus sterilization:
http://www.halfsigma.com/2008/10/welfare-plus-sterlization.html
That would surely cut down on those huge Hasidic families.]
Posted by: Just Speculating | July 16, 2012 at 12:17 PM
There's a lot of suffering and deprivation that Orthodox youth go through. Naturally, some rebel. I guess the mentality of some is that if they have 10 kids, maybe 3 or 4 will remain in the fold.
Posted by: jewamongyou | July 16, 2012 at 12:27 PM
So as a practical matter how are they turning on the air conditioners?
[HS: Hashem allows the use of thermostats.]
Posted by: Turambar | July 16, 2012 at 12:33 PM
1/ Walking outside gets you 100% free vitamin D.
2/ HBD'ers want to sterilise higher procreating higher IQ people?
Outside of Utah where else are you going to find higher IQ higher procreating Americans?
Posted by: Dave | July 16, 2012 at 01:32 PM
OMG OMG
People actually go outdoors willingly?
the horror...
Posted by: Camlost | July 16, 2012 at 02:34 PM
Their (our?) religion might be "stupid", but the "frummies" (as my wife calls them) are outbreeding Half Sigma and sestamibi here by a long shot. Someday they'll be the only Jews left.
Posted by: sestamibi | July 16, 2012 at 04:13 PM
"But they are quite sensible in taking advantage of the welfare system,"
This just proves giving welfare to people who can't afford to take care of their own children encourages bad behavior even among high IQ populations.
There should be further reductions to how much welfare is given to help raise children in order to discourage this bad behavior.
The 1996 welfare reform law helped push black fertility below replacement. In 1996, black TFR was about 2.4, today, black birth rates are down to ~1.9. Reducing welfare may be more effective than voluntary sterilization programs because simply reducing welfare payments is a stealthier form of eugenics and less likely to garner a pubic backlash.
Posted by: The Undiscovered Jew | July 17, 2012 at 12:14 AM
"The 1996 welfare reform law helped push black fertility below replacement. In 1996, black TFR was about 2.4, today, black birth rates are down to ~1.9."
For those that haven't heard, Obama has already started to roll back those Clinton era reforms:
http://www.redstate.com/mikeparanzino/2012/07/15/obama-boasted-in-2008-about-gop-clinton-welfare-reform-he-had-opposed-for-a-decade-and-gutted-this-week/
He will certainly do more to keep able-bodied adults dependent on government if re-elected.
Posted by: Camlost | July 17, 2012 at 08:25 AM
""Their (our?) religion might be "stupid", but the "frummies" (as my wife calls them) are outbreeding Half Sigma and sestamibi here by a long shot. Someday they'll be the only Jews left".
Hasids are no different from the NAMs in this regard. The Undereducated and lower income combo people tend to have more children than those who are in the middle and upper class.
Posted by: Just Speculating | July 17, 2012 at 02:27 PM
@ HS
Hasidic Jews are like NAMs when it comes to welfare and kids. Interestingly, they are also like Proles when it comes occupations (that is if they work). We never mentioned that Hasidic Jews are found among the ranks of the NYPD. Now the NYPD is definately prole, just like any gov't blue collar work is lined up with working class proles.
A Hasidic cop refusing to trim his beard for religious reasons was terminated from the NYPD probably because of hygenic reasons.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57450019/hasidic-jew-fired-from-nypd-over-beard-length/
Posted by: Just Speculating | July 22, 2012 at 11:54 PM