Those who control, or are perceived to control, the societal form of money walk a perilous line. On one hand, they are highly compensated and enjoy luxuries afforded to few. On the other hand, if the skewed distribution of wealth causes intolerable stress for many others, then those perceived to control the societal form of money may suffer the wrath of a Market correction.

Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth by Gitta Sereny

"You have to think," Dr. Huphauer said, "that multiplying that ‘seven million unemployed’ figure by a conservative three to include families, there were then about twenty million people in need, with no unemployment insurance and only the most minimal social security benefits. When the earlier catastrophe, the inflation, struck, when a loaf of bread cost a million marks and butter and meat ceased to exist for millions of people, they grew to hate - really hate - anyone who had money, thereby exacerbating the already profoundly resented class system."

When the societal form of money does not function well for many, those who maintain wealth are perceived by the others to be privileged and conspirators. When monetary stress becomes critical, the simplistic tagging of all wealthy people prevails.

The History of Money by Jack Weatherford, 1997

Everyone seemed to be looking for a scapegoat to take the blame for the calamitous monetary and economic fallout of the era. In each country, politicians attacked the wealthy class or some particular segment of it - the aristocrats and landed peasants in Russia and the Armenians in Turkey, for example, or the Jews in Germany. Perhaps in an effort to counter the hostility directed toward them, the richest of the plutocrats began performing massive and highly publicized works of charity.

Tagging a specific social group that has been significantly woven into a society and then yanking that group from the fabric will tear the society significantly. All societal members will suffer the tear, rippling through generations. Instead, monetary frustrations should be focused towards eliminating flawed monetary concepts as root causes of monetary stress and cyclical conflict. A monetary collapse is a window of opportunity to make progress towards a more perfect Market.

EU Jewish leader: Anti-Semitism spurred by economy, not Gaza war

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1065223.html

18 Feb 2009

The leader of the European Jewish Congress said Wednesday the main blame for growing anti-Semitism across the continent was the economic crisis, not the Gaza war. Congress President Moshe Kantor said that what he believes to be anti-Semitism levels unseen since World War II had nothing to do with Middle East issues.

"Economical things trigger humanitarian tragedies," he said. "Jews were made scapegoats for economic difficulties Germany faced in the 1930s," he said. "And this is the lesson."

Poll: 31% of Europeans blame Jews for global financial crisis

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1063092.html

10 Feb 2009

A recent survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League found that anti-Semitic attitudes in seven European countries have worsened due to the global financial crisis and Israel's military actions against the Palestinians. Some 31 percent of adults polled blame Jews in the financial industry for the economic meltdown, while 58 percent of respondents admitted that their opinion of Jews has worsened due to their criticism of Israel.

"Jews are always a convenient scapegoat in times of crisis, but the Madoff scandal and the fact that so many of the defrauded investors are Jewish has created a perfect storm for the anti-Semites," Foxman said last year, following news of the Internet hate messages.

Form of Money Series