For some reason I grew up shockingly naïve of social stereotypes and clichés. This could explain my interest in discussing them here.  My friend Mark used to collect jokes at Hebrew School, and then dutifully recount them to me, his little Lutheran friend, in our 6th grade homeroom class. Many of the jokes relied on stereotypes about Jews. I almost never got them.He’d go on and on and then come to an (to me) anti-climatic punch line.  “I don’t get it,” I’d admit. “Jeez, think about it. Jews are supposed to be tight with their money…” he’d coach.