Fraier

Fraier ( _he. פראייר) is an Israeli slang term, generally translated as "sucker". the term serves as a key concept in the Israeli society, somewhat a central motive in the conception of what it is "to be an Israeli" and has three interconnected meanings:

# A person who is exploited by others
# A loser
# A person who gives up his own success in favor of outdated values

History of the concept

From an etymology examination of the source of the word, apparentlyFact|date=February 2007 it comes from the German word "Freiherr", which is a minor nobility rank (parallel approximately to Baron). It is possible that the word was chosen because of the prominent German tone of the word in order to suggest on the local stereotype that the Israeli Jews that originated from Germany were too receiving of authority, linkages to the firm and formal rules on account of flexibility, soberness and improvisation. Related terms exist in several other languages, including Russian, Polish.
DEX'98 gives as an etymology of the Romanian ' the German ' ("suitor to the hand of some woman")." [http://dexonline.ro/search.php?cuv=fraier fraier] " at "Dicţionarul explicativ al limbii române", Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică "Iorgu Iordan", Editura Univers Enciclopedic, 1998.]

Definition of the word in the culture

Many Israelis see Fraier status as something to avoid, and gives rise to a behaviour roughly equivalent to "I'll screw them before they screw me". The ultimate desire is to be the person who has gained the most from a situation whilst expending the least energy or money. However, many Israelis, particularly new American immigrants, see it as a mark of pride to be described as a Fraier, as this means that they have made a positive contribution to society.

A typical non-fraier Israeli will emerge from a shop after a dispute with the shopkeeper with the merchandise in hand feeling pleased at having saved a few Sheqels. The money is not the issue, the important thing is that he did not come out of there a fraier.

One might choose to refer to this Israeli non-fraier generation, as a third sociological generation, after the generations of the Israeli pioneer and the Israeli Sabra. In the generation of the pioneers the social hierarchy was determined on the basis of the service for the community, thus how much one served the community and how prestigious one's contribution was considered. In the Sabra generation the social hierarchy was determined not only on the basis of the status of one's achievements but also on the basis of one's status of ascription - The person which was born in Israel was considered a Sabra. In contrast with the pioneers and the sabras, the non-fraiers don't seek to create a social hierarchy in the macro sense of it, and rather seeks for social equality.

References

External links

* [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/818353.html "Thou shalt not be a Fraier" from Ha'Aretz.com]