This may be funny but the actual context makes it a) less rationalist and b) a bit sad. There’s some argument that he was actually talking about the standard at the time that Jews couldn’t have any access to the trendier clubs.
I sent the club a wire stating, “PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON’T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER”.
Telegram to the Friar’s Club of Beverly Hills to which he belonged, as recounted in Groucho and Me (1959), p. 321
Groucho sent the quote to a club which he was a member of, that was founded by a Jew. I can see how one could infer an ironic reference to antisemitism from that. Interesting that the quote as often paraphrased drops the ‘people like me’ part.
This may be funny but the actual context makes it a) less rationalist and b) a bit sad. There’s some argument that he was actually talking about the standard at the time that Jews couldn’t have any access to the trendier clubs.
Interesting—below I give the wikipedia take on it.
Groucho sent the quote to a club which he was a member of, that was founded by a Jew. I can see how one could infer an ironic reference to antisemitism from that. Interesting that the quote as often paraphrased drops the ‘people like me’ part.