In my experience, here in the US it is more of a description of style of fashion or decore than referring to a the people. Like you would buy clothes, beadspreads, curtains, jewelry etc described as "gypsie". Kinda synonymous with "hippy" stylings, but more vaguely Eurasian. I honestly didn't even learn that it was associated with a specific people, much less that it was a slur until last year very much into my adulthood. For the average American, this revelation is very new. Or at least, only very recently become common knowledge due to left-learning internet posters who are now spreading the info.
I actually work in a deli where one of the products was called "G____ salami". It got renamed to Zesty, and the company basically said it was because they didnt want a slur as part of one of their products. A customer asked me about the name change, and i explained it. They then proceeded to have a meltdown about just how sensitive this whole generation is, and thats why no one under 50 should be running companies. I just wonder why it really matters what its called. If its a slur, dont use it. Simple.
the irony here is that the person calling the deli "sensitive" is having a public tempter tantrum about a simple name change that doesnt affect them in any way.
i work in an industry that deals with specific colors. one was called "g_ blue". they changed the name a few months back. it doesn't impact their business sales in the slightest to change the name but it makes a whole world of difference to treating that word like what it is- a slur. im glad that people are waking up to understanding that making small changes is a rather simple way to respect others.
Wow nothing more sensitive than wanting an entire group of people to bend to your will because you like to use a certain word. Why is their feelings less important than your comfort.
"It was never okay, the people affected didn't have the platform at the time." I heard this in a D'Angelo video about use of slurs for "edgy" jokes. i feel like it applies here too, I'm glad you have the platform now. Thanks for the video
Jokes are what make’us human.laughter makes us kinder and more tolerant. If you were edgy with someone in the past ,it did imply that you were friends and you trust each other . Is the world more friendly today ?are we happier than in the past?everybody gets insulted and are we not at each others throats? Or or we living in anxiety ridden, inhuman world where everyone is afraid of each other and dislikes each other because someone told you you should be upset because all people are really mean. A hell of a thing putting your fellow human on your enemies list because someone told you should.just be human in the best meaning of that word.
Robin D’Angelo is a huckster and A really rotten writer. Because she has dark things in her psyche doesn’t mean the whole world suffers from the same malady. That is an assumption that is both ludicrous and hurtful. Physician heal thyself . If she cannot deal with her own flaws how is anything she says valid .didn’t have a platform? What a stage .you think everyone had a platform? Hate to tell you there is is a mighty big lack of power in the People Versus the government. As far as humor goes. Everybody had a platform in their own community and also on stage. It’s a myth to think humor ,cutting satirical humor is not foundational and needed for a sane society . A society emerged in “Sturm und Drung “(storm and stress)is a ailing society filled with emotionalism and without logic to guide it , things only get worse..
I once said the slur during a 9th-grade social studies class when learning the Roma. My teacher, Mrs.Swann stopped the class and described why and how that became a slur. I’m quite thankful she took it upon herself to correct me, for not only my sake but for the class as well. Thank you for showing up for your culture and enlightening others.
Sorry you were uneducated in an educational institution. Teachers today will tell boys they are girls because they like pink. Your teacher was just as out of touch with reality.
I disagree only because I feel like you can still tell people that something is offensive, (like telling an older family member not to say a certain word or phrase because it’s not appropriate and could offend someone.) I know as I continue on my anti racist journey I keep having uncomfortable conversations along the way, telling people that certain jokes, words or phrases aren’t ok for them to say and I’m not comfortable with them saying it around me. (Like I stand up for my mixed kids, and tell people I’m not ok with them telling offensive Asian jokes or perpetuating stereotypes or AAPIs and all POC.
@@EmmaGoldmanlovesyou I'm referring to a situation like a non-Black person telling a Black person that the N-word isn't offensive because it is used in rap music. That non-Black person doesn't get to decide that. Me, a woman of European descent, telling my Polish grandma, "don't call Hispanic folks w**b***. That isn't acceptable," is fine. If the Hispanic person says it is cool that Grandma said that, I don't get to tell the Hispanic person that they should be offended, regardless of my comfort level, because I'm not Hispanic. In your case, with mixed kiddos, you are protecting them from racism as their guardian. You get a say in your children's upbringing.
I am Romany and use the word Gitano in France, and also Tzigane, they accept that more than the word "Manushe" which is what they are known as over here. Personally, I think calling someone Manushe, over here, is like the equivalent of "Pikeys"and "Gypos" in Britain.
I'm a Portuguese gypsy and I don't understand how "gypsy" can be a racial slur. But this is my opinion. We are both gypsies, but we certainly have different cultural and social contexts. If you are American, then yes I believe this is important to you. As a Portuguese gypsy I don't care if they call me Romani or gypsy, as long as they respect me. Unfortunately, my community in Viana has bigger problems... stay safe
Moi ben falado! Describiches exactamente o estado da cuestión, é ben certo que por aquí, dos dous lados do Minho, hai problemas ben máis serios dos que preocuparse, tanto para as comunidades xitanas como para o conxunto da sociedade. Forza!
I'm a black american(important to the story) My friends use the term "gyp" like "they tried to gyp me out of my money" I told them that this word is racist against Romani people. They didnt believe me. I explained that romani people are often referred to as a slur, g*psy. The term "gypped" came when people labeled romani people as thieves. One of my friends told me i had no right to be offended for someone else. I told them if Romani people were using the N word i would want them to be offended and call it out! We are all human. Regardless of skin tone, hair type, religion. We all deserve respect.
Every few months I have to tell people that I know, or email in to a podcast, to remind them that “gyp” is a slur. My coworkers, my dentist, acquaintances at social events, they’d just use it like a regular old adjective. Fortunately, they were really upset to know they’d used a slur so carelessly for so long, and never tried to defend using the word but instead were embarrassed. I haven’t heard anyone use the slur again after I’ve informed them, so hopefully they’ve actually stopped using it and don’t just use it when I’m not around. There’s slurs for probably every minority group on the planet, but somehow this one seems to always persist (at least, in my experience as a Canadian). This is why I’m so grateful for your content, Florian. I’m sure at least some of the people who use the slur have no idea that Romani people exist at all, and you sharing information about your culture and heritage will ultimately help spread a much larger message of mindfulness and acceptance, beyond just tolerance. Being mindful of the words we use, our preconceived notions, the misinformation we’ve been given by media and our own communities, and choosing to combat those with acceptance and appreciation.
@@C-SD My grandmother said that one time! (Jew you down) I had a fit and told her what a terrible expression it was. I went to middle school and high school in the 1980s. And we were shown “Night in the Fog” in 8th grade. It’s a documentary that shows the horrific atrocities in Nazi Death Camps. And the thing was, my grandma wasn’t anti Semitic at all. I mean she had been to Israel and was very much for there being Israel. If anything, she was prejudiced against Muslims. Because of the Israeli athletes all being murdered at the Munich Olympics. There were a number of commercial airplanes that were hijacked by terrorist organizations were Muslim extremists And Egypt attacking Israel, in the 3 Day War. She was livid that Egyptian soldiers had shot down Israeli school children. (those were her words, I’m not sure if that really happened) My grandmother had never used that expression before, that I ever heard. And she didn’t call other people by racial slurs at all. I think that slur (Jew you down) was likely extremely common before WWII. She ended up being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was 90. And she said that expression a few years before that. I also didn’t understand that saying “That’s a gyp” , meaning “that’s a rip off”, was a slur against Romani people, until I was an adult. Because I had always thought the spelling was “jip” and not “gyp”. I just thought “jip” was some old timey expression. Then I believe I saw it written in a book or something. And realized the spelling was “gyp” , which I could see was short for “gypsy”, which I knew was a slur against Romani people.
Yikes. I feel like it's a good rule of thumb that calling anyone a short form version of a demographic is almost definitely a slur. Disappointing that that's not as common knowledge as I would have thought.
@@katrinaolsen2444 that's the thing, sometimes you don't know what the phrase means. There are a couple of phrases with slurs in them that I learned growing up. Most people are reasonable when you point it out.
And I’m just presenting the history behind the word, as with every group, Romani people are diverse, some hate the word altogether while others reclaim the word. Regardless, for non-Romani people it’s important to consider this history before getting mad when a Romani person says they don’t want to be called that word and that you shouldn’t be using that word to name your kids, pets, animals etc.
It is still far too prevalent and accepted as a positive-coded term among white hippies, and those who market products to them. Every time I see it in an Etsy shop name, product, teahouse, concert venue name, etc, I point out why it's harmful for them to use it and the company usually just gets really defensive or dismissive and refuses to listen. It's so frustrating, and this and other rampant issues of appropriation and cultural ignorance drive me away from folk music festivals, where I used to find community. I hope it helps to hear that some outside your culture are hearing and understanding your truth, and trying to get others to do right by you. Thank you for doing this work ❤
My wife is part-Romani and that's kinda made it more difficult to recognize the term as a slur, as she's always very casually referred to that part of her heritage as "Gypsy." I do try to keep it in mind though and generally remember not to use the term outside of conversation with her, although it doesn't really come up too frequently in Texas. You've reminded me of an awkward exchange where an acquaintance of ours, who was very much not Romani, confronted us about the use of the term. My wife's response was, "I will refer to myself as I damn well please."
I meet a lady who asked my where my beautiful accent came from I answered her “Moldova “and she with big smile answered back “ hi from G… over the river Prut “ is the river separates our birth countries. I asked her is ok to use this word she says she is proud who she is and if is not used as offense most of her fellow Romani/ Americans are good ✌🏼
I hate when people say "this generation is too soft!" No, this generation cares about people & refuses to accept racism & bigotry in any form! Go ahead, Gen Z!! Make this world a better place ❤
I was in a safety class with a bunch of blue collar workers being taught by a boomer who obviously had been through this type of thing a bunch. He calmly explained that the reason he doesn't swear is not about political correctness, it's about respect for people and making sure everyone can learn from him without his language getting in the way. Obviously, that is the point of political correctness too, but so many people have been brain-poisoned to think not being politically correct makes them tougher or better or something like that. It was neat to see how he was able to push through that and make the actual point clear, which is that avoiding offensive language is about making things accessible to people and treating them with respect. I think the concept of "respect" connects for a lot of the older generation and people who are more rough around the edges better than not offending people. It shouldn't have to be explained this way, but it was nice to see someone explain it well.
Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. You lot are going to cause hard times.
@@yousausageah yes, because many hard times all through history have been caused by people who very famously wanted to stop judging people on their ethnic backgrounds, right?
My family are European travellers not Romani, but have lived in the same camps as Romani families for generations so they were often mistaken as Romani. It's difficult because if I say about my family being travellers, to outsiders they don't really understand what I mean. I'm listed as gypsy on my government papers and that's what I have to use sometimes to explain my background. However, it pains me to use that word.
It’s honestly horrible. in the uk all Roma and travelers are lumped together dispite our cultural differences. The ethnic tab on paperwork almost always says gypsy too, I personally just leave it blank because I refuse to be labelled in a way that’s offensive. People are just ignorant to us here
@@russgardnon9284 agreed! I grew up in France and I kind of feel like the stereotypes and categorising were even worse there. I live 'in brick' now in the UK, so it's definitely a change.
@@romarose no, I'm don't have Roma ancestors (maybe a little but it's not the majority). Apparently my family are descended from a group of people who were kicked out of Spain during one of their 'cleansings.' I believe they originally had roots in Morocco
@@romarose I think so, although I don't know for certain if the stories are correct. However, my fathers sister was gifted a dna test and they had a lot of Moroccan and Kenyan ancestry. The family was travelling blacksmiths and I guess eventually joined travel routes with Roma families.
I've only heard the Roma be mentioned a few times in conversation and in history class and almost every time they were called g*psies. Before I fully knew the history of the word, I still knew that at least some Roma didn't like to be called that. I corrected my mom once, saying "its pretty rude to call them that, I heard they like to be called Roma or Romani instead." She responded "I met a g*psy once and they had no problem with it, so I'll use it until a g*psy tells me otherwise" There was another incident in my history class when we were learning about the Holocaust and my teacher put g*psies on the list of people killed. We had a discussion on it and I made a point to use the word Roma instead of the slur. My history teacher picked up on it and asked me about it. I told him g*psy was a slur and he was surprised, he then went and changed the presentation to say Roma instead. The next class he moved his lesson around a bit so we could have an in depth discussion about the Roma people and how their oppression throughout the centuries was similar to that of the Jews as we had discussed in the last class
That's impressive that you knew that and were confident enough to tell your teacher about it. i had to randomly hear somewhere that it was a slur and then I had to read into it more because it was so normalized to me that I couldn't believe it was a slur at first because it seemed so normalized. I'm glad I know now though because I would never intentionally use a slur.
To be fair, your mom's reasoning was pretty reasonable. In my country I once met a Roma person (in a rural area) to whom I reffered as Roma and he went like "oh please no, stop with that modern BS". Cuz in everyday convo you only hear the slurish version and the Roma in my country in everyday convo exclusively refer to themselves with the slurish version.
I don't know how it is in other places, but here in Spain I've heard plenty of people calling themselves "gitano" (gypsy in Spanish) with pride, it's the term everyone uses to acknowledge them even by themselves and they make songs referring to it and to reference their culture and music with pride. I don't think I've ever heard the term "romani" used in Spain
A mesma coisa acontece no Brasil, os proprios ''''romani'''' se identificam como ciganos quando conversam usando a lingua portuguesa. Nenhum brasileiro usa a palavra cigano com intençao de ofender os ''''romani'''.
The same thing happens in Brazil, the ''''romani'''' themselves identify themselves as gypsies when they talk using the Portuguese language. No Brazilian uses the word gypsy with the intention of offending the ''''Romani people'''
@@Brlghtm0on Negative? People are not aware of the history, because for at least a century it wasn't even used as a slur. Not a single time. I was even attacked by Romani people out of blue couple of times, luckily only with fists, but they are very much capable of attacking you with a knife (and that happened couple of times as well). I did nothing wrong, I just chilled at a bus stop, and couple of kids just walked up to me and punched me in the face, and walked away. I was in disbelieve. They also call us "white bitches" all the time, and nobody can say a word about it, because then you're the racist one. How come they can be racist towards us, but you can't even defend yourself? Like I'm all for it, let's end racism. But end racism for EVERYBODY! Not just those whose voices are most heard. There are most of white people in Europe. And who listens to our voice? Nobody. Just because we are not minority means they can be racist towards us with no consequences. I don't say it's okay for white dude to be racist towards an ethnic group. But I say it's NOT okay for an ethnic group to be racist towards us. We are an ethnic group as well, if you understand, and we also have our rights. If you don't want us to be racist towards you, then you don't be racist towards us. Thank you. That being said, I have Romani friends and I don't call them either Gypsies or Romani, I call them by their name, because that's how I remember them and how I want them to remember. Nobody asks me about their origin, and I don't really feel the need to mention their origin unless it's absolutely necessary. We went to the same class in primary school and they're great people. I'm happy to have such good friends. We don't see each other much, but time after time we occasionally meet each other randomly just out of blue. They have a job, and they love it.
Even if it's recent, even if they were "too sensitive" it still wouldn't be ok. It cost us so little to not use slurs when it hurt so much the ones on the receiving end I love your videos and your work
If you stop giving words power, people stop using them. You don't understand the reaction they get from you is the satisfaction they needed after calling you a slur. Just stop letting words hurt you and life will be so much easier
i remember being at a beautiful thrift store and seeing a bunch of clothes from this one brand that had the slur as apart of their name. the clothes were pretty but i didn’t buy any bc it felt uncomfortable and odd. it’s a shame how these things get watered down, and then the people who slurs actually affect get treated like they’re crazy for feeling some type of way about them. it’s like, the fact that some ppl are so nonchalant n uncaring abt what they’re saying is apart of the problem with using those words! bc some ppl don’t care how minorities feel! and yet many can’t seem to wrap their heads around that. it’s such a shame that your people had to and still have to experience these things and i hope that one day, the roma, along w other mistreated cultures, are able to exist in peace. i’m happy to have found your channel so that i have knowledge of these things and i can spread it to others.
I have that with an old t-shirt from my mother. The shirt is band merch for the band Gogol Bordello, and I’m sure if you look them up, you’ll find the title of the album in question that uses that word. There was even some controversy around the band as the singer claims to be reclaiming it, but other say he’s not entrenched enough in the culture to do so? I honestly can’t quite remember, it’s been years since I looked it up. But even if it is a reclamation, I think there’s a difference between buying and wearing things to support Romani people and their businesses, and actively wearing clothes that say slurs on them. I think people have had similar issues with N.W.A. merch, now that I think about it.
@@ChestersonJack yea i’m not sure if the brand i saw is owned by romani people, but i can’t remember the full name of it. i just didn’t wanna risk it at the time
Yeah it’s weird. I never knew it was a slur for almost my entire life. Then yesterday I heard a song I liked on the radio but at the end it was like “That was Waiting by The Tipsy G***s” and I was like 😃❗️❓huh?!?? I can understand people not being educated properly bc oppressors control the narrative but if you were going to name a BAND, you need to know what things mean right?!?!? I hope they’re Romani but there’s no info I could find on them so I don’t even know 😭
I have used the word gypsy many times to talk about people who move around very often and cause havoc when they move and I've never heard of it being used as a racial slur untill you channel.
In the US, I don’t ever recall learning anything about the Roma. The G word was used very much as an adjective and noun that held no emotional weight. But defending a continued use just because the history behind the term occurred somewhere so far removed is like listening to someone outside the US try to defend using the N word because they picked it up as a “normal” term from music and they don’t know the history or have any harmful intent. Your explanation shows such a clear parallel, and trying to defend based on “well, that’s not here” or “that was a long time ago” just sounds absurd when thinking of it terms of one of the biggest racial slurs here in the US.
No no growing up i remember it being a word for vaguely eastern european sounding fortune tellers with crystal balls, and tied them with putting voodoo curses on people. Have you seen Scooby Doo?
How do you feel about when Irish Travellers refer to themselves as “gypsies” because I’ve heard a lot of them doing that… as far as I’m aware they are completely different racial group/origin to the Romani people, but since the “travelling” lifestyle is similar, and the two communities have mixed somewhat in the UK I think people get confused between them. As far as I know the word “gypsy” is also used against Irish Travellers as well as the Roma (even though it shouldn’t because it was originally only used for the Romani people but now is used to refer to both groups in British English. Would love to know your thoughts/opinions on this?
Yeah... My friend's cat is named that (though I don't think she's the one who came up with the name, I'm pretty sure one of her other family members did). I won't address the cat by name because it's just messed up. I wish more people knew this.
Man I'm in the same stupid boat as your friend, the only reason I started calling my dog by weird nicknames as a kid is coz batman fanfics. No clue why my parents did rename her.
Agree. But I think it depends on the person's choice. Some Romani people in my country (Czech republic) refer to themselves as Romani and some others refer to themselves as "gypsies" which I think is interesting. Other thing that bugs me is that recently in my country younger people use trendy words that came from Romani language but majority don't know that and don't acknowledge the fact that Romani people contributed to popular culture.
I have a genuine question. If it is a slur and used as an insult. Why do you hashtag it to drive traction on like all your posts? Even if it were in the sense of “reclaiming” the word, it’s no different from me as a Mexican talking about racial slurs against my culture and then using the hashtag “Spic” or “wetback”. Obviously we think differently but I really don’t see it as being any different than that. I don’t know. I find it weird you teach us this lesson about how hateful it is and then use it in your hashes.
Romani people have only just gotten a chance to speak up for themselves with the internet age. Most people don't even know that romani people have an actual name besides the slur, so 🤷 It's the same reason why he had to make a video on how it is offensive and that romani are not romanian.
@@hyperboles6563 I don’t hear people throwing gypsy around. But I’m also not saying they haven’t had a long time in the struggle. obviously they have. I love Romani people and have known about them Since I was a young child. I think that’s a huge generalization like most things of today. But that still doesn’t change the fact that it’s so offensive he had to state how hurtful it is, yet I look back at other videos not including the lesson on the slur and he’s still tagging the word? I don’t see the point of that. It could reach with just Romani being tagged. I just stumbled across this guy and it’s not because I looked up “gypsy”.
I learned this in the early 90's, my mom refused to let anyone say "gyp" without telling them the history of that term and how bad it is. It's wild people still don't get it.
There was a whole episode of Charmed on the subject. So the Boomer producers presented this info to Gen X roughly 25-30 years ago. (God, I'm old). No excuses.
Another thing that should be noted is it’s okay for Romani people to use the G-word. My mom has a Romani friend and she uses it all the time, reclaiming it as part of her identity. If you’re not Romani though, don’t use it.
Yeah, definitely. Slurs generally should only be used by the people they're slurs for, who can thus reclaim them, such as black folks with the n word or gay folks who jokingly call themselves f@gs (I am also gay, but I'm not as comfortable with using the word as some are). Romani people, unfortunately, have one of the most commonly used slurs being used by people who can't reclaim it :( it's such a normalised word that I only recently became aware that it's a slur, and that's not okay I kinda rambled a bit, oops
@@MazDezViz some people think the c word is a slur, and as a woman not only is it mine to use, I also disagree with the premise that it's a slur, so like, it depends?
And that's why I struggle to say "Roma and Sinti" instead of gypsy. I'd be really careful. People forget that a so called gypsy is not necessarily from the Romani people. And I heard phrases like yours from several people. When I don't know if someone is Roma or Sinti person...I'd rather go for gypsy to avoid a very insulted person😅 (The non gypsys are surprisingly not the only "racist" people ;)
@@apmd9261 well then he isn't well educated about it. Example of self hatred he believes what environment tells him. He believes it to be right. That's just fostering self hatred
I remember my high school history teacher turning pale when I said casually to another student that I'd been gyped. He immediately explained how unacceptable that was. I legitimately didn't know where the word came from and was horrified. I don't use the slur gypsy or its derivatives anymore that I know of. It's been hard because that was simply the word used by so much media.
Before seeing your videos I knew absolutely nothing about Romani people. I barely remember hearing about them. Very sad, but I am glad I know now. Thank you for educating us:)
I’m Romani and I have family there, and I find myself using the word gypsy all the time, idk, it doesn’t hurt me or anyone else, but like anything else, if it’s used in a demeaning away. I’d be upset
I cry when I think about what your people have gone through from grief. And then I cry because I’m so touched by the resilience your people have shown and that despite such horrific treatment you are a loving people. I feel blessed to have found your channel and learn about the Romani people and the chattel slavery they endured. I’m so shocked by how many people don’t even know what chattel slavery is. God bless! ❤
I grew up sheltered as a kid, it took my neighbors, who had Romani ancestry, to point out it was a slur when I used it in the 6th grade and explain why.
For Spanish I was doing a project about the flamenco dance in Spain. I looked up the cultures that influenced it and the website I was looking at had the slur. I was shocked that the site used the proper names for all of the other groups but for Roma used a slur. On my project I changed it to Romani because that’s what it should’ve been. Love your videos!
In Spanish, gitano is not a slur but the coloquial name for romani. In fact, roamies call themselves that. There's also the word payo, wich is used by romanies to refer to people who are not romani. Neither gitano nor payo are considered slurs by anyone here.
If you were uncomfortable with the word you shoud have researched better and you should've changed it to caló or calé, because nobody uses romani in Spain.
Why does he pronounce Roma in Romanian on an English video? My mother is Romanian but I don't say Romanian in Romanian when I am speaking in English. I say "my mother is Romanian" I never say "My mother is Română"
I didn’t know this was a slur until recently. I was ignorant! I didn’t know the history of it all! One day, I used a slur but my younger sister read me for filth and I had a wake up call. I immediately did some Googling and some reflecting and changed the way I speak and the way I think. It’s shocking how many people still think Romani = Romanian. And it hurts even more when the ignorance is coming from other Black people. You would think people who have experienced discrimination would be more compassionate! Alas, we still have work to do.
@@romarose OMG, what a mixed up world we live in !! But actually, all "white" people (and anyone else not native American) in the Americas, are, or came from, immigrant ancestry... and even native Americans migrated here back in the ice age. Is there _any_ group that hasn't migrated to or from somewhere else, some time in the past? Well... maybe the people who stayed in Africa... but that's a BIG continent, even they probably migrated from one part to another over many thousands of years. We should all remember that... The human species just can't stay put.
In Andalucía, spain, you have “Gitanos” which translates to gypies (don’t mean to be disrespectful ). In the flamenco songs they refer themselves as gitano y gitana not in a slur way and that’s the only name I’ve heard them use, there are even cultural associations with the word gitano on the name. So im curious about the history behind that. Andalucía would not be the same without them, to the point that Gitana is commonly used to call a beautiful woman. If you haven’t seen flamenco performed in the caves of Granada you are missing out.
Its not my place to say if it's a slur, there are nomadic cultures during and after Romani persecution in Europe that will refer to themselves as 'Gypsy' but I do know that the entomology of gypsy does come from the term for Egyptian and specifically 'Gyptian' which was a common reference for Egyptians though it wasn't necessarily used as a slur just a shorthand vernacular of the time and from memory the term Gyptian originates in Greece.
"Dark people! Let's make them slaves!" Sounds familar. Btw, I think twitter nuts making every word in the dictionary a slur has made it very difficult for actual slurs to be taken seriously.
Yeah exactly, people think this is just another word people are just now deciding is a slur, when in reality it has been a slur for centuries and we have been advocating against it for centuries
The myth of the eternal slave as being dark skinned or black is debunked by history . For thousand of years slaves were not chosen because of their skin color but because they were beaten in a war and their neighbors were too weak to fight back. You enslaved neighboring nations or those with no economic power. Before whites enslaved Africans , African enslaved Africans. That is how the trans Atlantic slave trade began.the slaver never came to shore because Africa was deadly to Europeans. So other tribes or nations like Dahomey became slaver states and happily made money and created great kingdoms from the enrichment they received in selling to Europeans. . The Barbary pirates and the Ottoman Empire enslaved millions of Europeans often they were ransomed out of it. You can say the ottoman Empire was a leader in sex trafficking where European women where considered a great prize . Slavery lasted in other parts of the world way longer than the Americas.With the English being the First Nation ever to ban slavery , a monumental feat. The end of slavery , was believed to be at an end. It wasn’t Today there are more slaves than ever 40 million or more . I haven’t see one protest ,0ne movement that would save the captives . When you focus on then past the present horrors are forgotten. We shouldn’t forget the past so we can learn from it but dwelling on the past , dead ancestors helps no one in the here and now
@@juliamajor1I will say this, although the British did intact ban slavery, they didn’t really change any of the conditions in their colonies which were sometimes close to being or just full on being slave like conditions.
What about gitano/gitana? It’s widely used in flamenco music as in “gitano como yo, or gitana como ella” etc. In documentaries on flamenco music I’ve heard people describe themselves as being gitanos.
I grew up with hippies, who always used it in a romanticized fashion, such as describing bohemian or 60’s hippie aesthetic and way of life. I never knew it was a slur until very recently, and it saddens me thinking about the past when I’ve said the term to describe other people with the same type of off-grid living and free spirit my parents aligned it with. I really wish they would teach us about these people’s culture and the origins of these sayings as well as why the sayings are so harmful. I’ve seen other’s mention the same thing, how people that have mistakenly used it in the past but not in a derogatory way is like Europeans learning about the N word through songs but after finding out the origins of the word they stop using the word after they find out it’s not a good word to throw around or worse yet describe someone’s being. I know this probably just seems like lip service, but I truly wish they’d teach us these things in school so my ignorance wouldn’t wind up causing harm or distress to others :(! Thank you for sharing and for educating!!
I get why this makes sense in other languages but in my country romani people identify as gypsies. And that is the term they use themselfs. If you call them anything else then gypsies they get ofended. I actually had this conversation with a few people of this group and they all identify as gypsies. The word romani is never used.
Thank you so much for your education. Here in the US, a lot of people only know the slur for Romani people. honestly not knowing there even is another name for your people.
And that should be the end of the discussion. Romani people find it offensive, so it should not be used. End of story. I don’t see why people feel the need to justify the use of the word. Thank you for educating us on your culture, I’ve truly enjoyed watching your videos.
with my own personal research when you look up an ethnic group and if theres a line that reads "they call themselves abc" "or prefer the name abc" ect theres a good chance the word they *don't* refer to themselves as, which is usually the common name, is either a slur, derogatory, or just not (or no longer) accurate. and i personally been following that rule for many groups i look up, and Romani papers have similar lines (they prefer the romani usage instead of g slur) not aimed at floridan just putting it out there usually research articles that have that line is your sign that the historic word (i guess if thats what youd call it) is most likely not a good or accurate one.
I’m American and I don’t think I’ve ever met a Romani person yet I have encountered anti Romani racism. I found it to be incredibly bizarre how normalized anti Romani racism is. Thank you for educating people. The Romani people and culture is beautiful and deserve respect just as any other people and culture. ❤️
It is absolutely romanticized in the US. I even dressed as a "gy!ps!" for the second Halloween I was allowed to participate in. I felt lovely and exotic as an 8 yr old child wearing something that I thought was an accurate representation of a people I knew nothing about. It wasn't guady, or sexualized. Just a long skirt, worh a vest and a head scarf. As a more educated adult, though, I am embarrassed to have been proud to tell people that was dressed as a racial slur. 😶😶😶😶😶
i read somewhere that the slur came from a greek word which translates to "untouchables", is this true? it is heart-wrenching. btw love your videos, theyre so educative. recently did a project on SDG 4 for Roma children in my country, hopefully i will be able to start it officially on my university.
I literally have been saying the G word all my life because I honestly thought that's what your people were called. Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame and other pop culture made it seem like it was an official term. Thank you for educating me!
I’m SO SO thankful I came across your channel: I had no idea about this. I was completely ignorant to the fact that It was a slur. This was very informative thank you
I’m not Romani, but I’m so glad you’re informing people on the platform about Romani culture and how much hate there has been towards Romani people throughout the course of history Romani culture is absolutely stunning and I’m glad I could learn more about it from your channel Thank you so much and thank you for posting ❤❤❤
I teach English in Japan and it's almost impossible to teach about Romani people without using the slur at least once. That's the only word they know to call them and otherwise they get really confused and think I'm talking about Romans. I feel terrible each time but I try my best to explain to them why that word isn't okay. And yes, there are contexts where I get the chance to bring up Romani people. Specifically if the topic of the Holocaust ever comes up.
I make it a point to call out people on this slur and all the negative stereotypes associated with it, and I've literally had people tell me "its not racist if the stereotypes are true", because their great-uncle's cousin's wife's step-brother's niece's neighbour got robbed by a 'g*ppo' once. Even from people bragging about how they tan nicely because their 3x great grandma was romani, in the same breath they'll still proudly use slurs and insist that all romani are thieves. I think its basically the UK equivalent of white as hell Americans excusing their racism with "well I’m 1/93rd Native American". They claim a culture not their own solely to excuse their shitty behaviour to people of that culture, not to respect or reconnect with said culture.
So I can't remember the context but one time in my spanish class when I was like 15 or 16 our teacher asked us if we knew the character Esmeralda from Hunchback of Notre dame. I'm Irish, and my only exposure to the Romani community would be Esmeralda, and I'd only heard the term "G*psy" used in reference to her in the movie, and in reference to Irish Travellers, so I guess I considered it more a class and xenophobic thing than a racial thing, and I thunk I considered it more an insult, or just the actual name, since I know that some Romani people (and I think Irish travelers) have reclaimed the word and use it to describe themselves. Anyways, I've always been a massive fan of the movie and the musical, and so when she asked I quietly muttered to myself "The G*psy Girl" in quotation of Frodo, just as a reference to myself. I didn't say it to anyone, just quietly to myself. The boy behind me then teased me by saying "Wow, that's racist of you" or something like that, because I had a bit if a reputation for being a goody two shoes. It absolutely crushed me, and to this day I feel shame and guilt for it. Even if I tell myself that I had no racist intentions, didn't say it to anyone, never called someone it, I still feel so guilty Damn, I feel like I just went to confession
My flamenco teacher has always used this word to explain the origins of Flamenco and the people that in a way started Flamenco. I never knew it was a slur until this point. Is there a reason why she uses this word but still has a lot of respect for Romani people?
was proud of my local renfest for no longer calling them the g slur. even prouder now that they don't benefit from cultural appropriation and don't have romi acts ( ones that don't have actual romani/people of romani descent)
Most people who use the word "gypsy" do not mean it as a slur and would be surprised that it is now considered one.. I thought it was used, not because of the Romanys' skin color, but because they identified themselves as from a place called "Little Egypt", and they were in Egypt for a while. "Gypsy" is also used because "Romany" gets confused with Roman and Romanian.
Dude I'll be honest I never knew what a gypsy was or even meant. My mom used to call me and my sister one all the time and we would ask her and she would say she isn't quiet sure either. You and your videos have educated me about Romani, your people, and their struggles. I think it's important for people to be educated, especially about topics that they wish to put their opinions and inputs in. People must know the history and the facts of these things or they'll never know that it is happening in the first place and that it could very well happen to any of us on this earth no matter who we think we are. We must learn from history or we will be forced to repeat it.
Would love to hear your opinions on the “Gyptians” from His Dark Materials. Obv a pastiche for Romaní people but from my memories in childhood they were portrayed as a strong and extremely generous people with incredible community organisation. Would love to hear what you think or if you’ve read the books!
Because I do know of different itinerant communities that claim that term, my personal stance is to use the terms the individuals ask me to use. Similar to how I will respect people's pronouns. If I make a mistake, I'll apologise. I realise it's regional, and that different cultures, communities, families and individuals will have different customs etc. So I just try to respect the individual on a situational basis. I can't say "g-word" isn't a slur to you when it is to you, just because another group in my part of the world don't consider it a slur, but the least I can do is listen to your wishes and respect t them 😊
The Irish have their own group often confused as being Romani. They are ethnically Irish and are also travelers. Anytime they use that word I imagine they are retrenching them more, alongside their history of freedom and independence.-
I really wish that information like this was more out in the open because I didn't know g____ was a slur until I was 17. I'm quite embarrassed that I didn't learn this until so late.
i literally grew up thinking it was like. an occupation 😭 i'm really glad there's people like you getting attention when talking about this because my education was embarrassingly lacking
In the UK, English Romany people prefer to be called Gypsies and don't like being called Roma. British Roma (Romani people of European origin), on the other hand, usually hate being called Gypsies. Romani people are not a monolith, so it is not as simple as saying "don't say Gypsy", you have to understand the context and behave accordingly.
From around me in Hungary I see a similar phenomenon with this as the word queer. Some Romani people prefer it, some are against using it at all, and there is a bit of a debate around it. But, not being part of that group, I'm not comfortable using it.
Whenever I caution people about not calling Black folks 'negry' or Romani people 'tsygany', I always get the same puzzled look and "well, it wasn't _us_ who enslaved and persecuted them, why should _we_ abstain from using it" and "in _our_ language and culture they don't have the negative connotations". To be fair, the second one has a bit of sense in it. There are words like 'yid'/'zhid' (racial slurs for Jewish people) that were used as neutral words derived from the word 'yehudim', the one we used to describe ourseves. So in some languages, like Polish, 'yid' remains neutral. But in places that have a history of violence, persecution, pogroms and genocides of Jewish people, they became racial slurs, because if you hate a certain group of people that much, *any* word you use for them is derogatory. But words like 'negr' and 'tsygan' were *always* derogatory, these people never called themselves these words, so any attempt at defending them honestly looks pathetic. Like dude, you really just spent your time explaining to me that you have some kind of right to use racial slurs and be ignorant of cultures and histories aside from yours (and probably your own too)? That's so pathetic.
Honestly Romani culture is crazy interesting, Romani people are beautiful and I can't believe how forgotten, mistreated and misunderstood your culture is in our world. We need to bring life and appreciation for Romani culture in media and teach people about an amazing and beautiful piece of history that is Romani culture! Love your videos, keep it up! ♡
I had no idea it was an offensive term. In elementary school I dressed up as a "gypsy" and felt so pretty, loved the look, still do. So what is a shorthand title you like? Romani people is the prefered description?
It's important to separate the word gypsy from the culturally relevant usage of the word gypsy. No one uses it as a slur. Words have multiple meanings.
That’s what I’m learning I. My studies, because it’s intrinsically complex. Such as the word moor. The etymology of these two different words may be used entirely differently through centuries.
Perhaps not where you’re from. In the U.K. Gypsy is used to describe Irish travellers and that’s not a term of endearment in any way. I’ve never come across any romani people so can’t comment on them, but if you hear gypsies are around in the U.K. you start taking extra security precautions and keep on the lookout for thefts, scams, badly driven vans, caravans and lots of litter. People can’t stand them. Honestly I didn’t even realise until recently that it also referred to romani people.
my girlfriend is Romanian, I'm American. In the U.S. the term "Gypsy" refers to a lifestyle of moving from place to place and has no ethnic connotations except for people who know what it means in Europe. My girlfriend finds that very weird and told me it was a slur in Europe. personally i don't talk about Romani or Travelling Folk very often so its rare I'm in a situation where i should choose the more appropriate word. When I move to Romania to be with her though i know I'll have to be way more conscious about my wording. I just hope if i slip up people will understand linguistic differences exist in the American vernacular
OMG, I am so sorry I did not know what your people were called, and my family calls you guys "Gypsy" because we did not know. I am so sorry, and this is really helpful!😢
It's wild that people really think the new generations are sensitive. We are so DESENSITIZED to suffering that we view it as a part of the human condition when it doesn't have to.
@@romarose so, healthcare in America is a-ok to you? Because unnecessary suffering is just par for the course? And tell me how the generation that is used to being gunned down in classrooms are too sensitive. Let's hear it.
@@romarose or tell me how you can validate gas and oil companies gutting our planet and leaving us with a barren world, perfect for unnecessary suffering by the hands of humans. Or how asylum seekers at US borders are being ripped apart from their families and forced into encampments like dogs. That's all cool too right? Just how it is right?
It’s so sad that Romani get treated so badly especially in today’s day and age. 😢 💔 The culture and it’s people are so beautiful; it’s truly heartbreaking to hear all these injustices. People can be so cruel. 💔💔💔😢
I was born in the 70s in Canada and even I was taught that the term gypsy was considered a rude word-and my heritage is Scottish/Ukranian-no history to the Romani people. I'm surprised so many people don't/didn't know that.
It’s bizarre how romanticized the term is in the US vs how disparaging it is in Europe.
"G---- trucker" and all that.
Maybe because there aren't many Romani people living in the US. However there are a lot of them in Europe, especially in the eastern countries.
@janka You’d be surprised. Many are actually coming to the US.
In my experience, here in the US it is more of a description of style of fashion or decore than referring to a the people. Like you would buy clothes, beadspreads, curtains, jewelry etc described as "gypsie". Kinda synonymous with "hippy" stylings, but more vaguely Eurasian.
I honestly didn't even learn that it was associated with a specific people, much less that it was a slur until last year very much into my adulthood.
For the average American, this revelation is very new. Or at least, only very recently become common knowledge due to left-learning internet posters who are now spreading the info.
@@Brlghtm0ongood
I actually work in a deli where one of the products was called "G____ salami". It got renamed to Zesty, and the company basically said it was because they didnt want a slur as part of one of their products. A customer asked me about the name change, and i explained it. They then proceeded to have a meltdown about just how sensitive this whole generation is, and thats why no one under 50 should be running companies. I just wonder why it really matters what its called. If its a slur, dont use it. Simple.
the irony here is that the person calling the deli "sensitive" is having a public tempter tantrum about a simple name change that doesnt affect them in any way.
i work in an industry that deals with specific colors. one was called "g_ blue". they changed the name a few months back. it doesn't impact their business sales in the slightest to change the name but it makes a whole world of difference to treating that word like what it is- a slur. im glad that people are waking up to understanding that making small changes is a rather simple way to respect others.
A customer accusing others of being too sensitive while ranting about what to call a hunk of deli meat? 😂
I think my response ended up being something along the lines of "I just cut the stuff, I dont make the name" because i was just so done with it
Wow nothing more sensitive than wanting an entire group of people to bend to your will because you like to use a certain word. Why is their feelings less important than your comfort.
"It was never okay, the people affected didn't have the platform at the time." I heard this in a D'Angelo video about use of slurs for "edgy" jokes. i feel like it applies here too, I'm glad you have the platform now. Thanks for the video
Jokes are what make’us human.laughter makes us kinder and more tolerant. If you were edgy with someone in the past ,it did imply that you were friends and you trust each other . Is the world more friendly today ?are we happier than in the past?everybody gets insulted and are we not at each others throats? Or or we living in anxiety ridden, inhuman world where everyone is afraid of each other and dislikes each other because someone told you you should be upset because all people are really mean. A hell of a thing putting your fellow human on your enemies list because someone told you should.just be human in the best meaning of that word.
@@juliamajor1thats all fine and dandy, but its not a very good joke if only one race is in on it.
@@juliamajor1aying the N word or any other slur over and over isnt comedy.
Robin D’Angelo is a huckster and A really rotten writer. Because she has dark things in her psyche doesn’t mean the whole world suffers from the same malady. That is an assumption that is both ludicrous and hurtful. Physician heal thyself . If she cannot deal with her own flaws how is anything she says valid .didn’t have a platform? What a stage .you think everyone had a platform? Hate to tell you there is is a mighty big lack of power in the People Versus the government. As far as humor goes. Everybody had a platform in their own community and also on stage. It’s a myth to think humor ,cutting satirical humor is not foundational and needed for a sane society . A society emerged in “Sturm und Drung “(storm and stress)is a ailing society filled with emotionalism and without logic to guide it , things only get worse..
This. Just because you didn't learn it was a slur until recently doesn't mean it only became a slur recently.
I once said the slur during a 9th-grade social studies class when learning the Roma.
My teacher, Mrs.Swann stopped the class and described why and how that became a slur.
I’m quite thankful she took it upon herself to correct me, for not only my sake but for the class as well. Thank you for showing up for your culture and enlightening others.
way to go mrs swann!
Sorry you were uneducated in an educational institution. Teachers today will tell boys they are girls because they like pink. Your teacher was just as out of touch with reality.
That isn't a slur..
@@keribere244you misspelled gypsy
gypsy gypsy gypsy, I have personally experienced gypsies scamming, so who cares about them.
Basic rule of thumb: if you aren't part of a racial or ethnic group, you don't get to tell them what is and isn't offensive.
Lol then why do non jews get to define that antizionism isnt antisemitism? This seems to only work when the group isnt jewish!
Amen 👏👏👏
This should go viral, so true!
I disagree only because I feel like you can still tell people that something is offensive, (like telling an older family member not to say a certain word or phrase because it’s not appropriate and could offend someone.) I know as I continue on my anti racist journey I keep having uncomfortable conversations along the way, telling people that certain jokes, words or phrases aren’t ok for them to say and I’m not comfortable with them saying it around me. (Like I stand up for my mixed kids, and tell people I’m not ok with them telling offensive Asian jokes or perpetuating stereotypes or AAPIs and all POC.
@@EmmaGoldmanlovesyou I'm referring to a situation like a non-Black person telling a Black person that the N-word isn't offensive because it is used in rap music. That non-Black person doesn't get to decide that. Me, a woman of European descent, telling my Polish grandma, "don't call Hispanic folks w**b***. That isn't acceptable," is fine. If the Hispanic person says it is cool that Grandma said that, I don't get to tell the Hispanic person that they should be offended, regardless of my comfort level, because I'm not Hispanic.
In your case, with mixed kiddos, you are protecting them from racism as their guardian. You get a say in your children's upbringing.
In Spanish "Gitano" is not a slur. Spanish romani use it as well. It's, in fact, the only word for romani people in Spanish.
I am Romany and use the word Gitano in France, and also Tzigane, they accept that more than the word "Manushe" which is what they are known as over here. Personally, I think calling someone Manushe, over here, is like the equivalent of "Pikeys"and "Gypos" in Britain.
I'm a Portuguese gypsy and I don't understand how "gypsy" can be a racial slur. But this is my opinion. We are both gypsies, but we certainly have different cultural and social contexts. If you are American, then yes I believe this is important to you. As a Portuguese gypsy I don't care if they call me Romani or gypsy, as long as they respect me. Unfortunately, my community in Viana has bigger problems... stay safe
Moi ben falado! Describiches exactamente o estado da cuestión, é ben certo que por aquí, dos dous lados do Minho, hai problemas ben máis serios dos que preocuparse, tanto para as comunidades xitanas como para o conxunto da sociedade. Forza!
I'm a black american(important to the story)
My friends use the term "gyp" like "they tried to gyp me out of my money" I told them that this word is racist against Romani people. They didnt believe me. I explained that romani people are often referred to as a slur, g*psy. The term "gypped" came when people labeled romani people as thieves.
One of my friends told me i had no right to be offended for someone else. I told them if Romani people were using the N word i would want them to be offended and call it out!
We are all human. Regardless of skin tone, hair type, religion. We all deserve respect.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
You DO have the right. It's called being an ally. Keep up the good work.
Thankyou, your comment warms my heart. Best wishes to you ❤️🌞
Every few months I have to tell people that I know, or email in to a podcast, to remind them that “gyp” is a slur. My coworkers, my dentist, acquaintances at social events, they’d just use it like a regular old adjective. Fortunately, they were really upset to know they’d used a slur so carelessly for so long, and never tried to defend using the word but instead were embarrassed. I haven’t heard anyone use the slur again after I’ve informed them, so hopefully they’ve actually stopped using it and don’t just use it when I’m not around. There’s slurs for probably every minority group on the planet, but somehow this one seems to always persist (at least, in my experience as a Canadian). This is why I’m so grateful for your content, Florian. I’m sure at least some of the people who use the slur have no idea that Romani people exist at all, and you sharing information about your culture and heritage will ultimately help spread a much larger message of mindfulness and acceptance, beyond just tolerance. Being mindful of the words we use, our preconceived notions, the misinformation we’ve been given by media and our own communities, and choosing to combat those with acceptance and appreciation.
I call people out on this. If you don't get this slur you get "Jew you down". Its frustrating because people don't know what they're actually saying.
Most people aren’t even aware of where the verb “gyp” comes from.
@@C-SD My grandmother said that one time! (Jew you down) I had a fit and told her what a terrible expression it was. I went to middle school and high school in the 1980s. And we were shown “Night in the Fog” in 8th grade. It’s a documentary that shows the horrific atrocities in Nazi Death Camps. And the thing was, my grandma wasn’t anti Semitic at all. I mean she had been to Israel and was very much for there being Israel. If anything, she was prejudiced against Muslims. Because of the Israeli athletes all being murdered at the Munich Olympics. There were a number of commercial airplanes that were hijacked by terrorist organizations were Muslim extremists And Egypt attacking Israel, in the 3 Day War. She was livid that Egyptian soldiers had shot down Israeli school children. (those were her words, I’m not sure if that really happened) My grandmother had never used that expression before, that I ever heard. And she didn’t call other people by racial slurs at all. I think that slur (Jew you down) was likely extremely common before WWII. She ended up being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was 90. And she said that expression a few years before that. I also didn’t understand that saying “That’s a gyp” , meaning “that’s a rip off”, was a slur against Romani people, until I was an adult. Because I had always thought the spelling was “jip” and not “gyp”. I just thought “jip” was some old timey expression. Then I believe I saw it written in a book or something. And realized the spelling was “gyp” , which I could see was short for “gypsy”, which I knew was a slur against Romani people.
Yikes. I feel like it's a good rule of thumb that calling anyone a short form version of a demographic is almost definitely a slur. Disappointing that that's not as common knowledge as I would have thought.
@@katrinaolsen2444 that's the thing, sometimes you don't know what the phrase means. There are a couple of phrases with slurs in them that I learned growing up. Most people are reasonable when you point it out.
And I’m just presenting the history behind the word, as with every group, Romani people are diverse, some hate the word altogether while others reclaim the word. Regardless, for non-Romani people it’s important to consider this history before getting mad when a Romani person says they don’t want to be called that word and that you shouldn’t be using that word to name your kids, pets, animals etc.
Makes sense
Just many Black people can choose to reclaim the N word, but people outside the community still should not use it.
My mom has a Romani friend who identifies as a G****.
@@romarose Exactly
It is still far too prevalent and accepted as a positive-coded term among white hippies, and those who market products to them. Every time I see it in an Etsy shop name, product, teahouse, concert venue name, etc, I point out why it's harmful for them to use it and the company usually just gets really defensive or dismissive and refuses to listen. It's so frustrating, and this and other rampant issues of appropriation and cultural ignorance drive me away from folk music festivals, where I used to find community. I hope it helps to hear that some outside your culture are hearing and understanding your truth, and trying to get others to do right by you. Thank you for doing this work ❤
My wife is part-Romani and that's kinda made it more difficult to recognize the term as a slur, as she's always very casually referred to that part of her heritage as "Gypsy." I do try to keep it in mind though and generally remember not to use the term outside of conversation with her, although it doesn't really come up too frequently in Texas.
You've reminded me of an awkward exchange where an acquaintance of ours, who was very much not Romani, confronted us about the use of the term. My wife's response was, "I will refer to myself as I damn well please."
I meet a lady who asked my where my beautiful accent came from I answered her “Moldova “and she with big smile answered back “ hi from G… over the river Prut “ is the river separates our birth countries. I asked her is ok to use this word she says she is proud who she is and if is not used as offense most of her fellow Romani/ Americans are good ✌🏼
It's OK for Romani ppl to use the word, not ok for non Romani.
Confusing I know. ❤
@@sofonda9008That makes no sense and I’ll call gypsies gypsies if I please ❤
@@Duckcalculator its the same as the N word. Upto you if you want to use it but I will call ppl who do an ignorant racist 'if I please!'
@@Duckcalculator If you stopped speaking over Romani voices and listened maybe it would make sense? It's really very simple.
I hate when people say "this generation is too soft!" No, this generation cares about people & refuses to accept racism & bigotry in any form! Go ahead, Gen Z!! Make this world a better place ❤
I was in a safety class with a bunch of blue collar workers being taught by a boomer who obviously had been through this type of thing a bunch. He calmly explained that the reason he doesn't swear is not about political correctness, it's about respect for people and making sure everyone can learn from him without his language getting in the way.
Obviously, that is the point of political correctness too, but so many people have been brain-poisoned to think not being politically correct makes them tougher or better or something like that. It was neat to see how he was able to push through that and make the actual point clear, which is that avoiding offensive language is about making things accessible to people and treating them with respect.
I think the concept of "respect" connects for a lot of the older generation and people who are more rough around the edges better than not offending people.
It shouldn't have to be explained this way, but it was nice to see someone explain it well.
The sad part of living creatures nature is, no one cares about anyone.
I mean, anyone who thinks that not using racial slurs is too politically correct is an absolute moron
Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.
You lot are going to cause hard times.
@@yousausageah yes, because many hard times all through history have been caused by people who very famously wanted to stop judging people on their ethnic backgrounds, right?
My family are European travellers not Romani, but have lived in the same camps as Romani families for generations so they were often mistaken as Romani. It's difficult because if I say about my family being travellers, to outsiders they don't really understand what I mean. I'm listed as gypsy on my government papers and that's what I have to use sometimes to explain my background. However, it pains me to use that word.
It’s honestly horrible. in the uk all Roma and travelers are lumped together dispite our cultural differences. The ethnic tab on paperwork almost always says gypsy too, I personally just leave it blank because I refuse to be labelled in a way that’s offensive. People are just ignorant to us here
@@russgardnon9284 agreed! I grew up in France and I kind of feel like the stereotypes and categorising were even worse there. I live 'in brick' now in the UK, so it's definitely a change.
@@romarose well we moved around a lot, but I lived for the longest period of time just outside fontgombault.
@@romarose no, I'm don't have Roma ancestors (maybe a little but it's not the majority). Apparently my family are descended from a group of people who were kicked out of Spain during one of their 'cleansings.' I believe they originally had roots in Morocco
@@romarose I think so, although I don't know for certain if the stories are correct. However, my fathers sister was gifted a dna test and they had a lot of Moroccan and Kenyan ancestry. The family was travelling blacksmiths and I guess eventually joined travel routes with Roma families.
I've only heard the Roma be mentioned a few times in conversation and in history class and almost every time they were called g*psies. Before I fully knew the history of the word, I still knew that at least some Roma didn't like to be called that.
I corrected my mom once, saying "its pretty rude to call them that, I heard they like to be called Roma or Romani instead."
She responded "I met a g*psy once and they had no problem with it, so I'll use it until a g*psy tells me otherwise"
There was another incident in my history class when we were learning about the Holocaust and my teacher put g*psies on the list of people killed. We had a discussion on it and I made a point to use the word Roma instead of the slur. My history teacher picked up on it and asked me about it. I told him g*psy was a slur and he was surprised, he then went and changed the presentation to say Roma instead. The next class he moved his lesson around a bit so we could have an in depth discussion about the Roma people and how their oppression throughout the centuries was similar to that of the Jews as we had discussed in the last class
That is a good teacher. Making a slight change is the minimum, but researching and reporting back to the class? That is excellent.
That's impressive that you knew that and were confident enough to tell your teacher about it. i had to randomly hear somewhere that it was a slur and then I had to read into it more because it was so normalized to me that I couldn't believe it was a slur at first because it seemed so normalized. I'm glad I know now though because I would never intentionally use a slur.
To be fair, your mom's reasoning was pretty reasonable. In my country I once met a Roma person (in a rural area) to whom I reffered as Roma and he went like "oh please no, stop with that modern BS". Cuz in everyday convo you only hear the slurish version and the Roma in my country in everyday convo exclusively refer to themselves with the slurish version.
@@grdicf04 what country iis that
@@rikboswell Croatia
I don't know how it is in other places, but here in Spain I've heard plenty of people calling themselves "gitano" (gypsy in Spanish) with pride, it's the term everyone uses to acknowledge them even by themselves and they make songs referring to it and to reference their culture and music with pride. I don't think I've ever heard the term "romani" used in Spain
Exactly because they are gypsies not romani
A mesma coisa acontece no Brasil, os proprios ''''romani'''' se identificam como ciganos quando conversam usando a lingua portuguesa. Nenhum brasileiro usa a palavra cigano com intençao de ofender os ''''romani'''.
The same thing happens in Brazil, the ''''romani'''' themselves identify themselves as gypsies when they talk using the Portuguese language. No Brazilian uses the word gypsy with the intention of offending the ''''Romani people'''
These comments did not pass the vibe check
How? He’s deleting all the comments that have something “negative” to say. Or, are you talking abt something else?
americans will never have a single experience with gypsies in their lives and still try to tell people how they should be treating them lmao
@@Brlghtm0on Negative? People are not aware of the history, because for at least a century it wasn't even used as a slur. Not a single time. I was even attacked by Romani people out of blue couple of times, luckily only with fists, but they are very much capable of attacking you with a knife (and that happened couple of times as well). I did nothing wrong, I just chilled at a bus stop, and couple of kids just walked up to me and punched me in the face, and walked away. I was in disbelieve. They also call us "white bitches" all the time, and nobody can say a word about it, because then you're the racist one. How come they can be racist towards us, but you can't even defend yourself? Like I'm all for it, let's end racism. But end racism for EVERYBODY! Not just those whose voices are most heard. There are most of white people in Europe. And who listens to our voice? Nobody. Just because we are not minority means they can be racist towards us with no consequences. I don't say it's okay for white dude to be racist towards an ethnic group. But I say it's NOT okay for an ethnic group to be racist towards us. We are an ethnic group as well, if you understand, and we also have our rights. If you don't want us to be racist towards you, then you don't be racist towards us. Thank you.
That being said, I have Romani friends and I don't call them either Gypsies or Romani, I call them by their name, because that's how I remember them and how I want them to remember. Nobody asks me about their origin, and I don't really feel the need to mention their origin unless it's absolutely necessary. We went to the same class in primary school and they're great people. I'm happy to have such good friends. We don't see each other much, but time after time we occasionally meet each other randomly just out of blue. They have a job, and they love it.
Even if it's recent, even if they were "too sensitive" it still wouldn't be ok. It cost us so little to not use slurs when it hurt so much the ones on the receiving end
I love your videos and your work
If you stop giving words power, people stop using them. You don't understand the reaction they get from you is the satisfaction they needed after calling you a slur. Just stop letting words hurt you and life will be so much easier
@@molotochnik.i "just stop letting words hurt you" wanna tell a person with asthma to just start breathing next?
i remember being at a beautiful thrift store and seeing a bunch of clothes from this one brand that had the slur as apart of their name. the clothes were pretty but i didn’t buy any bc it felt uncomfortable and odd. it’s a shame how these things get watered down, and then the people who slurs actually affect get treated like they’re crazy for feeling some type of way about them. it’s like, the fact that some ppl are so nonchalant n uncaring abt what they’re saying is apart of the problem with using those words! bc some ppl don’t care how minorities feel! and yet many can’t seem to wrap their heads around that. it’s such a shame that your people had to and still have to experience these things and i hope that one day, the roma, along w other mistreated cultures, are able to exist in peace. i’m happy to have found your channel so that i have knowledge of these things and i can spread it to others.
I have that with an old t-shirt from my mother. The shirt is band merch for the band Gogol Bordello, and I’m sure if you look them up, you’ll find the title of the album in question that uses that word. There was even some controversy around the band as the singer claims to be reclaiming it, but other say he’s not entrenched enough in the culture to do so? I honestly can’t quite remember, it’s been years since I looked it up. But even if it is a reclamation, I think there’s a difference between buying and wearing things to support Romani people and their businesses, and actively wearing clothes that say slurs on them. I think people have had similar issues with N.W.A. merch, now that I think about it.
@@ChestersonJack yea i’m not sure if the brand i saw is owned by romani people, but i can’t remember the full name of it. i just didn’t wanna risk it at the time
@@ChestersonJack I'm Romani, I love that band. ❤
@@sofonda9008 Awesome! Yeah, their music rocks
Yeah it’s weird. I never knew it was a slur for almost my entire life. Then yesterday I heard a song I liked on the radio but at the end it was like “That was Waiting by The Tipsy G***s” and I was like 😃❗️❓huh?!?? I can understand people not being educated properly bc oppressors control the narrative but if you were going to name a BAND, you need to know what things mean right?!?!? I hope they’re Romani but there’s no info I could find on them so I don’t even know 😭
I have used the word gypsy many times to talk about people who move around very often and cause havoc when they move and I've never heard of it being used as a racial slur untill you channel.
One of my professors is Romani and he refers to himself and his culture as gypsy, and only sometimes adds Romani
I am in love with this channel. I’m Caribbean but we all been through the same thing. It’s heartbreaking but very pleasing to be educated this way.
In the US, I don’t ever recall learning anything about the Roma. The G word was used very much as an adjective and noun that held no emotional weight. But defending a continued use just because the history behind the term occurred somewhere so far removed is like listening to someone outside the US try to defend using the N word because they picked it up as a “normal” term from music and they don’t know the history or have any harmful intent. Your explanation shows such a clear parallel, and trying to defend based on “well, that’s not here” or “that was a long time ago” just sounds absurd when thinking of it terms of one of the biggest racial slurs here in the US.
Ditto anyone isolated from American society using the N-word.
No no growing up i remember it being a word for vaguely eastern european sounding fortune tellers with crystal balls, and tied them with putting voodoo curses on people. Have you seen Scooby Doo?
How do you feel about when Irish Travellers refer to themselves as “gypsies” because I’ve heard a lot of them doing that… as far as I’m aware they are completely different racial group/origin to the Romani people, but since the “travelling” lifestyle is similar, and the two communities have mixed somewhat in the UK I think people get confused between them. As far as I know the word “gypsy” is also used against Irish Travellers as well as the Roma (even though it shouldn’t because it was originally only used for the Romani people but now is used to refer to both groups in British English.
Would love to know your thoughts/opinions on this?
Because Roma isn’t a race neither are travellers it’s a culture. One is Irish other is Indian/ Caucasian
Is it just me or is his voice calming af
A woman at they gym was saying how her favourite perfume was 'gypsy water', people have no idea this is a slur.
This is a perfume «gypsy water” by byredo. There are flowers called gypsy though I’m not sure whether they are in this perfume tho
Yeah... My friend's cat is named that (though I don't think she's the one who came up with the name, I'm pretty sure one of her other family members did). I won't address the cat by name because it's just messed up. I wish more people knew this.
Man I'm in the same stupid boat as your friend, the only reason I started calling my dog by weird nicknames as a kid is coz batman fanfics. No clue why my parents did rename her.
Thank you for the informative videos. Ive never used the word myself but I'm glad i now know the history of that word and how it's actually a slur.
Agree. But I think it depends on the person's choice. Some Romani people in my country (Czech republic) refer to themselves as Romani and some others refer to themselves as "gypsies" which I think is interesting. Other thing that bugs me is that recently in my country younger people use trendy words that came from Romani language but majority don't know that and don't acknowledge the fact that Romani people contributed to popular culture.
I have a genuine question. If it is a slur and used as an insult. Why do you hashtag it to drive traction on like all your posts? Even if it were in the sense of “reclaiming” the word, it’s no different from me as a Mexican talking about racial slurs against my culture and then using the hashtag “Spic” or “wetback”. Obviously we think differently but I really don’t see it as being any different than that. I don’t know. I find it weird you teach us this lesson about how hateful it is and then use it in your hashes.
Romani people have only just gotten a chance to speak up for themselves with the internet age. Most people don't even know that romani people have an actual name besides the slur, so 🤷 It's the same reason why he had to make a video on how it is offensive and that romani are not romanian.
@@hyperboles6563 I don’t hear people throwing gypsy around. But I’m also not saying they haven’t had a long time in the struggle. obviously they have. I love Romani people and have known about them
Since I was a young child. I think that’s a huge generalization like most things of today. But that still doesn’t change the fact that it’s so offensive he had to state how hurtful it is, yet I look back at other videos not including the lesson on the slur and he’s still tagging the word? I don’t see the point of that. It could reach with just Romani being tagged. I just stumbled across this guy and it’s not because I looked up “gypsy”.
I learned this in the early
90's, my mom refused to let anyone say "gyp" without telling them the history of that term and how bad it is. It's wild people still don't get it.
There was a whole episode of Charmed on the subject. So the Boomer producers presented this info to Gen X roughly 25-30 years ago. (God, I'm old). No excuses.
Another thing that should be noted is it’s okay for Romani people to use the G-word. My mom has a Romani friend and she uses it all the time, reclaiming it as part of her identity. If you’re not Romani though, don’t use it.
Exactly! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Yeah, definitely. Slurs generally should only be used by the people they're slurs for, who can thus reclaim them, such as black folks with the n word or gay folks who jokingly call themselves f@gs (I am also gay, but I'm not as comfortable with using the word as some are). Romani people, unfortunately, have one of the most commonly used slurs being used by people who can't reclaim it :( it's such a normalised word that I only recently became aware that it's a slur, and that's not okay
I kinda rambled a bit, oops
I believe slurs shouldnt be used by anyone. An insult shouldnt be part of an identity
@@MazDezViz some people think the c word is a slur, and as a woman not only is it mine to use, I also disagree with the premise that it's a slur, so like, it depends?
@@_lil_lil you are entitled to your own opinion, but for me I believe slurs just shouldn't be used by anyone, no one benefits from their use
I'm a Gypsy and would much rather be called Gypsy than romani
And that's why I struggle to say "Roma and Sinti" instead of gypsy.
I'd be really careful. People forget that a so called gypsy is not necessarily from the Romani people. And I heard phrases like yours from several people.
When I don't know if someone is Roma or Sinti person...I'd rather go for gypsy to avoid a very insulted person😅
(The non gypsys are surprisingly not the only "racist" people ;)
I have Gypsy friend and he dont like be called Romani
@@apmd9261 that's just self hatred
@@-rate6326 no, for him word romani is offensive he say I'm tsigan (gypsi)
@@apmd9261 well then he isn't well educated about it. Example of self hatred he believes what environment tells him. He believes it to be right. That's just fostering self hatred
I remember my high school history teacher turning pale when I said casually to another student that I'd been gyped. He immediately explained how unacceptable that was. I legitimately didn't know where the word came from and was horrified. I don't use the slur gypsy or its derivatives anymore that I know of. It's been hard because that was simply the word used by so much media.
Gangsta brother man, I salute you as a person of Indian origin and human supporting consciousness! Thank you for your wonderful content 🙏🏾🔥🙌🏾
Before seeing your videos I knew absolutely nothing about Romani people. I barely remember hearing about them. Very sad, but I am glad I know now. Thank you for educating us:)
The Romani I grew up around always referred to themselves as "Gypsies". That was in the 70s. Time moves on, things change. Romani it is.
I’m Romani and I have family there, and I find myself using the word gypsy all the time, idk, it doesn’t hurt me or anyone else, but like anything else, if it’s used in a demeaning away. I’d be upset
I cry when I think about what your people have gone through from grief. And then I cry because I’m so touched by the resilience your people have shown and that despite such horrific treatment you are a loving people. I feel blessed to have found your channel and learn about the Romani people and the chattel slavery they endured. I’m so shocked by how many people don’t even know what chattel slavery is. God bless! ❤
Bless you x
You'd get over it really fast if you interacted with them daily.
@@user-qh9gq7iy7p I have yet to step or hurt someone, so yeah, I will judge.
I grew up sheltered as a kid, it took my neighbors, who had Romani ancestry, to point out it was a slur when I used it in the 6th grade and explain why.
For Spanish I was doing a project about the flamenco dance in Spain. I looked up the cultures that influenced it and the website I was looking at had the slur. I was shocked that the site used the proper names for all of the other groups but for Roma used a slur. On my project I changed it to Romani because that’s what it should’ve been. Love your videos!
In Spanish, gitano is not a slur but the coloquial name for romani. In fact, roamies call themselves that. There's also the word payo, wich is used by romanies to refer to people who are not romani. Neither gitano nor payo are considered slurs by anyone here.
@@_extrathiccso true. I would even go on to say that the word Gitano is used with pride!
@@darlenek.acosta2241Ben falado!
If you were uncomfortable with the word you shoud have researched better and you should've changed it to caló or calé, because nobody uses romani in Spain.
I am so sorry about the people using the slur on the comments, your people’s culture is beautiful and that word shouldn’t be used against you.
The problem is, if you say "Romani" to most people, they have no idea whom you mean.
Unfortunately yes.. I had no idea who they were. I’m glad I know now.
Why does he pronounce Roma in Romanian on an English video?
My mother is Romanian but I don't say Romanian in Romanian when I am speaking in English.
I say "my mother is Romanian"
I never say "My mother is Română"
Yeah it’s so awkward to have to try to explain the whole meaning of that to someone who doesn’t know
I didn’t know this was a slur until recently. I was ignorant! I didn’t know the history of it all! One day, I used a slur but my younger sister read me for filth and I had a wake up call. I immediately did some Googling and some reflecting and changed the way I speak and the way I think. It’s shocking how many people still think Romani = Romanian. And it hurts even more when the ignorance is coming from other Black people. You would think people who have experienced discrimination would be more compassionate! Alas, we still have work to do.
@@romarose You’re the first person in 44 years to teach me this! 🙏🏿❤️
@@romarose OMG, what a mixed up world we live in !!
But actually, all "white" people (and anyone else not native American) in the Americas, are, or came from, immigrant ancestry... and even native Americans migrated here back in the ice age. Is there _any_ group that hasn't migrated to or from somewhere else, some time in the past? Well... maybe the people who stayed in Africa... but that's a BIG continent, even they probably migrated from one part to another over many thousands of years. We should all remember that... The human species just can't stay put.
Also saying the word "jipped/gypped" when you feel you were swindled is a variation of this racist slur.
Words change meanings overtime, dumb used to be a slur against deaf people but now a days used for just calling someone an idiot
@@kingnightmarevin ur point?
Words change meaning over time@@Quynnd.3491
Gy!ps! Is such a pretty name, I didn't know it was a slur until now , I feel bad for the girl in my form named that
It’s only a slur if it’s purpose is to demean someone
@@ch3rrybl0ss0m3ev That's why it was made. So yes it is a slur
Folks really feeling more uncomfortable saying a made up slur like "mudblood" before respecting the feelings of real oppressed people.
@@romarose i thought mudblood was a term from harry potter, since I've never heard it used outside the fandom
@@romarose No its from Harry Potter
Thank you. I appreciate this information. It’s sad hearing songs like “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac. If only they knew this back then.
Yes I was just thinking that too. I absolutely adored that song growing up.
Please continue to adore it ♥️as Fleetwood Mac was representing GYPSY as free spirit not being racist! ✌️❤😊
You people are such deplorable snowflakes.
In Andalucía, spain, you have “Gitanos” which translates to gypies (don’t mean to be disrespectful
). In the flamenco songs they refer themselves as gitano y gitana not in a slur way and that’s the only name I’ve heard them use, there are even cultural associations with the word gitano on the name.
So im curious about the history behind that. Andalucía would not be the same without them, to the point that Gitana is commonly used to call a beautiful woman.
If you haven’t seen flamenco performed in the caves of Granada you are missing out.
Its not my place to say if it's a slur, there are nomadic cultures during and after Romani persecution in Europe that will refer to themselves as 'Gypsy' but I do know that the entomology of gypsy does come from the term for Egyptian and specifically 'Gyptian' which was a common reference for Egyptians though it wasn't necessarily used as a slur just a shorthand vernacular of the time and from memory the term Gyptian originates in Greece.
"Dark people! Let's make them slaves!" Sounds familar.
Btw, I think twitter nuts making every word in the dictionary a slur has made it very difficult for actual slurs to be taken seriously.
Yeah exactly, people think this is just another word people are just now deciding is a slur, when in reality it has been a slur for centuries and we have been advocating against it for centuries
The myth of the eternal slave as being dark skinned or black is debunked by history . For thousand of years slaves were not chosen because of their skin color but because they were beaten in a war and their neighbors were too weak to fight back. You enslaved neighboring nations or those with no economic power. Before whites enslaved Africans , African enslaved Africans. That is how the trans Atlantic slave trade began.the slaver never came to shore because Africa was deadly to Europeans. So other tribes or nations like Dahomey became slaver states and happily made money and created great kingdoms from the enrichment they received in selling to Europeans. . The Barbary pirates and the Ottoman Empire enslaved millions of Europeans often they were ransomed out of it. You can say the ottoman
Empire was a leader in sex trafficking where European women where considered a great prize . Slavery lasted in other parts of the world way longer than the Americas.With the English being the First Nation ever to ban slavery , a monumental feat. The end of slavery , was believed to be at an end. It wasn’t
Today there are more slaves than ever 40 million or more . I haven’t see one protest ,0ne movement that would save the captives . When you focus on then past the present horrors are forgotten. We shouldn’t forget the past so we can learn from it but dwelling on the past , dead ancestors helps no one in the here and now
@julie borges Well said. We need more people like you.
@@juliamajor1I will say this, although the British did intact ban slavery, they didn’t really change any of the conditions in their colonies which were sometimes close to being or just full on being slave like conditions.
What about gitano/gitana? It’s widely used in flamenco music as in “gitano como yo, or gitana como ella” etc. In documentaries on flamenco music I’ve heard people describe themselves as being gitanos.
That's the word for romani people in Spanish (or at least I've seen romani people call themselves that word in Spanish)
I grew up with hippies, who always used it in a romanticized fashion, such as describing bohemian or 60’s hippie aesthetic and way of life. I never knew it was a slur until very recently, and it saddens me thinking about the past when I’ve said the term to describe other people with the same type of off-grid living and free spirit my parents aligned it with. I really wish they would teach us about these people’s culture and the origins of these sayings as well as why the sayings are so harmful. I’ve seen other’s mention the same thing, how people that have mistakenly used it in the past but not in a derogatory way is like Europeans learning about the N word through songs but after finding out the origins of the word they stop using the word after they find out it’s not a good word to throw around or worse yet describe someone’s being. I know this probably just seems like lip service, but I truly wish they’d teach us these things in school so my ignorance wouldn’t wind up causing harm or distress to others :(! Thank you for sharing and for educating!!
I get why this makes sense in other languages but in my country romani people identify as gypsies. And that is the term they use themselfs. If you call them anything else then gypsies they get ofended. I actually had this conversation with a few people of this group and they all identify as gypsies. The word romani is never used.
I’ve heard that’s the case in the UK right? Isn’t it mostly Irish travelers there though?
I had no idea! I feel so bad. The number of stories I've read that casually used that word, i had no idea it was bad.
Is the spanish word "gitano" a translation of the word "gypsy"?I think those words sound quite similar.If it is, will it offensive to use "gitano"?
Yes it’s a translation, however it has a slightly different history so its usage as a slur depends
@@florida.florian thanks for the info! I really want to be as respectful as possible and it help a lot to found content creators like you
Thank you for educating me. I appreciate it.
More people should adopt the ethos of calling ethnicities what they call themselves as a general rule.
Thank you so much for your education. Here in the US, a lot of people only know the slur for Romani people. honestly not knowing there even is another name for your people.
And that should be the end of the discussion. Romani people find it offensive, so it should not be used. End of story. I don’t see why people feel the need to justify the use of the word. Thank you for educating us on your culture, I’ve truly enjoyed watching your videos.
I want to thank you for informing and educating us about the Romani people. Please keep it up.
As a Romani man I appreciate your page . Great job!
with my own personal research when you look up an ethnic group and if theres a line that reads "they call themselves abc" "or prefer the name abc" ect theres a good chance the word they *don't* refer to themselves as, which is usually the common name, is either a slur, derogatory, or just not (or no longer) accurate. and i personally been following that rule for many groups i look up, and Romani papers have similar lines (they prefer the romani usage instead of g slur)
not aimed at floridan just putting it out there usually research articles that have that line is your sign that the historic word (i guess if thats what youd call it) is most likely not a good or accurate one.
Pretty sure the person experiencing the slur gets to decide if it's offensive or not. Romani people have a rich and vast history, and deserve respect.
cap
I think the problem is that the word is so commonly used that most people don't realize that it's a racial slur.
I’m American and I don’t think I’ve ever met a Romani person yet I have encountered anti Romani racism. I found it to be incredibly bizarre how normalized anti Romani racism is.
Thank you for educating people. The Romani people and culture is beautiful and deserve respect just as any other people and culture. ❤️
It is absolutely romanticized in the US. I even dressed as a "gy!ps!" for the second Halloween I was allowed to participate in. I felt lovely and exotic as an 8 yr old child wearing something that I thought was an accurate representation of a people I knew nothing about. It wasn't guady, or sexualized. Just a long skirt, worh a vest and a head scarf. As a more educated adult, though, I am embarrassed to have been proud to tell people that was dressed as a racial slur. 😶😶😶😶😶
i read somewhere that the slur came from a greek word which translates to "untouchables", is this true? it is heart-wrenching.
btw love your videos, theyre so educative. recently did a project on SDG 4 for Roma children in my country, hopefully i will be able to start it officially on my university.
That’s actually a different word which is the origin for most of the European translation for “Gypsy” such as Tzigan/Cigano/Ziguenner
@@florida.florian oh yes pardon me! youre right
I think the word gypsy is of slavic origin?
@@laylariza7224 the word of greek origin i mentioned was referring to the one Florian wrote, im not sure about the slur you mentioned though.
I literally have been saying the G word all my life because I honestly thought that's what your people were called. Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame and other pop culture made it seem like it was an official term. Thank you for educating me!
I’m SO SO thankful I came across your channel: I had no idea about this. I was completely ignorant to the fact that It was a slur. This was very informative thank you
Okey mr bot noone asked you or did ur script say that?
I’m not Romani, but I’m so glad you’re informing people on the platform about Romani culture and how much hate there has been towards Romani people throughout the course of history
Romani culture is absolutely stunning and I’m glad I could learn more about it from your channel
Thank you so much and thank you for posting ❤❤❤
I teach English in Japan and it's almost impossible to teach about Romani people without using the slur at least once. That's the only word they know to call them and otherwise they get really confused and think I'm talking about Romans. I feel terrible each time but I try my best to explain to them why that word isn't okay.
And yes, there are contexts where I get the chance to bring up Romani people. Specifically if the topic of the Holocaust ever comes up.
I make it a point to call out people on this slur and all the negative stereotypes associated with it, and I've literally had people tell me "its not racist if the stereotypes are true", because their great-uncle's cousin's wife's step-brother's niece's neighbour got robbed by a 'g*ppo' once. Even from people bragging about how they tan nicely because their 3x great grandma was romani, in the same breath they'll still proudly use slurs and insist that all romani are thieves. I think its basically the UK equivalent of white as hell Americans excusing their racism with "well I’m 1/93rd Native American". They claim a culture not their own solely to excuse their shitty behaviour to people of that culture, not to respect or reconnect with said culture.
As a person of Irish descent, I appreciate your fight against racial slurs. They are so much a part of the racial tensions - "othering" our fellows.
So I can't remember the context but one time in my spanish class when I was like 15 or 16 our teacher asked us if we knew the character Esmeralda from Hunchback of Notre dame. I'm Irish, and my only exposure to the Romani community would be Esmeralda, and I'd only heard the term "G*psy" used in reference to her in the movie, and in reference to Irish Travellers, so I guess I considered it more a class and xenophobic thing than a racial thing, and I thunk I considered it more an insult, or just the actual name, since I know that some Romani people (and I think Irish travelers) have reclaimed the word and use it to describe themselves.
Anyways, I've always been a massive fan of the movie and the musical, and so when she asked I quietly muttered to myself "The G*psy Girl" in quotation of Frodo, just as a reference to myself. I didn't say it to anyone, just quietly to myself.
The boy behind me then teased me by saying "Wow, that's racist of you" or something like that, because I had a bit if a reputation for being a goody two shoes. It absolutely crushed me, and to this day I feel shame and guilt for it. Even if I tell myself that I had no racist intentions, didn't say it to anyone, never called someone it, I still feel so guilty
Damn, I feel like I just went to confession
Oh my god there are a few people in the comments calling you the slur wtf is wrong with some idiots
It's the Internet,what did you expect?
Yep it sucks also I love your pfp
are you 6 have you not been on the internet
im so confused i thought its just an ethnic group. just like slavic, germanic, scandanavian etc. its a slur?"
@@The.one.true.critter doesn't stop me from calling out dumbasses bro
My flamenco teacher has always used this word to explain the origins of Flamenco and the people that in a way started Flamenco. I never knew it was a slur until this point. Is there a reason why she uses this word but still has a lot of respect for Romani people?
I think a lot of us forget that we aren’t the arbiters of slurs. If the group (individual) say it’s a slur and offensive- it is. End of story
was proud of my local renfest for no longer calling them the g slur. even prouder now that they don't benefit from cultural appropriation and don't have romi acts ( ones that don't have actual romani/people of romani descent)
Most people who use the word "gypsy" do not mean it as a slur and would be surprised that it is now considered one.. I thought it was used, not because of the Romanys' skin color, but because they identified themselves as from a place called "Little Egypt", and they were in Egypt for a while. "Gypsy" is also used because "Romany" gets confused with Roman and Romanian.
Dude I'll be honest I never knew what a gypsy was or even meant. My mom used to call me and my sister one all the time and we would ask her and she would say she isn't quiet sure either. You and your videos have educated me about Romani, your people, and their struggles. I think it's important for people to be educated, especially about topics that they wish to put their opinions and inputs in. People must know the history and the facts of these things or they'll never know that it is happening in the first place and that it could very well happen to any of us on this earth no matter who we think we are. We must learn from history or we will be forced to repeat it.
Would love to hear your opinions on the “Gyptians” from His Dark Materials. Obv a pastiche for Romaní people but from my memories in childhood they were portrayed as a strong and extremely generous people with incredible community organisation. Would love to hear what you think or if you’ve read the books!
Because I do know of different itinerant communities that claim that term, my personal stance is to use the terms the individuals ask me to use. Similar to how I will respect people's pronouns. If I make a mistake, I'll apologise. I realise it's regional, and that different cultures, communities, families and individuals will have different customs etc. So I just try to respect the individual on a situational basis. I can't say "g-word" isn't a slur to you when it is to you, just because another group in my part of the world don't consider it a slur, but the least I can do is listen to your wishes and respect t them 😊
A lot of Irish folk musicians are going to have to start changing a lot of lyrics.
The Irish have their own group often confused as being Romani. They are ethnically Irish and are also travelers. Anytime they use that word I imagine they are retrenching them more, alongside their history of freedom and independence.-
I really wish that information like this was more out in the open because I didn't know g____ was a slur until I was 17. I'm quite embarrassed that I didn't learn this until so late.
i literally grew up thinking it was like. an occupation 😭 i'm really glad there's people like you getting attention when talking about this because my education was embarrassingly lacking
Same!
Very well said. I love your content. Big hug from Sydney, Australia.
If Romani people say it’s a slur against them then it is. How is this even a discussion for non-Romani people?
Ikr…
It’s a matter of respect
If your ass really values a WORD more than being decent to a person, there’s something up with you.
I guess people are confused. Because in some places, like the uk, they prefer to be called gypsy, not Roma.
In the UK, English Romany people prefer to be called Gypsies and don't like being called Roma. British Roma (Romani people of European origin), on the other hand, usually hate being called Gypsies. Romani people are not a monolith, so it is not as simple as saying "don't say Gypsy", you have to understand the context and behave accordingly.
In the Iberian Peninsula, "ciganos" and "gitanos" are fine to use according to Iberian roma
From around me in Hungary I see a similar phenomenon with this as the word queer. Some Romani people prefer it, some are against using it at all, and there is a bit of a debate around it. But, not being part of that group, I'm not comfortable using it.
Whenever I caution people about not calling Black folks 'negry' or Romani people 'tsygany', I always get the same puzzled look and "well, it wasn't _us_ who enslaved and persecuted them, why should _we_ abstain from using it" and "in _our_ language and culture they don't have the negative connotations".
To be fair, the second one has a bit of sense in it. There are words like 'yid'/'zhid' (racial slurs for Jewish people) that were used as neutral words derived from the word 'yehudim', the one we used to describe ourseves. So in some languages, like Polish, 'yid' remains neutral. But in places that have a history of violence, persecution, pogroms and genocides of Jewish people, they became racial slurs, because if you hate a certain group of people that much, *any* word you use for them is derogatory.
But words like 'negr' and 'tsygan' were *always* derogatory, these people never called themselves these words, so any attempt at defending them honestly looks pathetic. Like dude, you really just spent your time explaining to me that you have some kind of right to use racial slurs and be ignorant of cultures and histories aside from yours (and probably your own too)? That's so pathetic.
Never has there been a video you made in which you haven’t spit absolute facts...
I didn’t know that! Im neither American or European and didn’t know that it has negative impact. Ive only ever seen it on the internet. Thank you!
Honestly Romani culture is crazy interesting, Romani people are beautiful and I can't believe how forgotten, mistreated and misunderstood your culture is in our world. We need to bring life and appreciation for Romani culture in media and teach people about an amazing and beautiful piece of history that is Romani culture! Love your videos, keep it up! ♡
I had no idea it was an offensive term. In elementary school I dressed up as a "gypsy" and felt so pretty, loved the look, still do. So what is a shorthand title you like? Romani people is the prefered description?
Yes Roma/Romani
Don't beat yourself up for something you didn't know in the past. You've learned now. That's all that matters.
@@florida.florian Thank you for letting me know.
It's important to separate the word gypsy from the culturally relevant usage of the word gypsy. No one uses it as a slur. Words have multiple meanings.
That’s what I’m learning I. My studies, because it’s intrinsically complex. Such as the word moor. The etymology of these two different words may be used entirely differently through centuries.
Perhaps not where you’re from.
In the U.K. Gypsy is used to describe Irish travellers and that’s not a term of endearment in any way.
I’ve never come across any romani people so can’t comment on them, but if you hear gypsies are around in the U.K. you start taking extra security precautions and keep on the lookout for thefts, scams, badly driven vans, caravans and lots of litter. People can’t stand them. Honestly I didn’t even realise until recently that it also referred to romani people.
my girlfriend is Romanian, I'm American. In the U.S. the term "Gypsy" refers to a lifestyle of moving from place to place and has no ethnic connotations except for people who know what it means in Europe. My girlfriend finds that very weird and told me it was a slur in Europe. personally i don't talk about Romani or Travelling Folk very often so its rare I'm in a situation where i should choose the more appropriate word. When I move to Romania to be with her though i know I'll have to be way more conscious about my wording. I just hope if i slip up people will understand linguistic differences exist in the American vernacular
Hopefully you guys break up
OMG, I am so sorry I did not know what your people were called, and my family calls you guys "Gypsy" because we did not know. I am so sorry, and this is really helpful!😢
Weak westoid 💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬💪🇧🇬
It's wild that people really think the new generations are sensitive. We are so DESENSITIZED to suffering that we view it as a part of the human condition when it doesn't have to.
@@romarose but not everyone *has* to.
@@romarose yeah, missed the point here. The conversation is revolving around the unnecessary suffering caused by one another.
@@romarose so, healthcare in America is a-ok to you? Because unnecessary suffering is just par for the course? And tell me how the generation that is used to being gunned down in classrooms are too sensitive. Let's hear it.
@@romarose or tell me how you can validate gas and oil companies gutting our planet and leaving us with a barren world, perfect for unnecessary suffering by the hands of humans. Or how asylum seekers at US borders are being ripped apart from their families and forced into encampments like dogs. That's all cool too right? Just how it is right?
@@romarose you just sound uninformed.
It’s so sad that Romani get treated so badly especially in today’s day and age. 😢 💔 The culture and it’s people are so beautiful; it’s truly heartbreaking to hear all these injustices. People can be so cruel. 💔💔💔😢
Thank you god bless you
I was born in the 70s in Canada and even I was taught that the term gypsy was considered a rude word-and my heritage is Scottish/Ukranian-no history to the Romani people. I'm surprised so many people don't/didn't know that.
I never knew this, thank you for educating us