The problem in a nutshell
Thanks to an amazing writer, here is the problem with America and the word “gypsy”:
The press is not interested in human rights in Europe unless some country blows up another. Now they will care a little bit about human rights involving something that will sell papers, but a human rights violation against a minority that the average US citizen doesn’t think really exists or doesn’t live in the US means nothing to them.
The people of the US need to understand that not every Hispanic or Native American IS Hispanic or Native American. For most Rromani in the States, it is easier to pass themselves off as Native American or someone else because of the pathetic stereotypes. When I tell people I am Rromani, I have to explain what it means. I am often corrected in my definition: “Oh, you mean you like spiritual music, so you call yourself a Gypsy.” or “Oh, you mean you are into spiritualism (paganism/witchcraft/fortune telling) so you call yourself a Gypsy.” One of my favorites was a doctor who, when I told her I was Rromani, informed me that she was as well. “Oh? Where is your family from?” “Oh no,” she said. “I mean that if I could spend the day running through a field playing a tamborine, I would love that. I like hippies, so that makes me a Gypsy.” This came from an educated woman. When I explained the true defininition of a Gypsy, she smiled and shook her head. “Anyone can be a Gypsy if they love nature.”
I was introduced to a woman who had requested to meet me after learning I was Rromani. She had a lot of questions to ask about the “Gypsy ways.” She kept referring to me as a Gypsy and when I informed her that I preferered the word Rromani to the racial slur of “Gypsy” as she was using it, she smiled at me and shook her head. “I could never call you a Rromani. Gypsy is such a beautiful word. It means wagons rolling down the road, flowers in spring, peace and joy, and music every night. When I told her the real meaning of the word, I was informed that the word really DIDN’T mean anything at all negative and that we, as Gypsies, should embrace such a beautiful word that embraces our true nature.
Americans are clueless as to what the word means, what the lifestyle is, or the conditions and penalties for being born Rromani. Education is critical.
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It’s crazy, ‘gypsy’ was always such a word with negative connotations when I was growing up, that I had no idea that the fantastical, magical stereotype was so rampant in the US until fairly recently.
I saw a girl from the US say that, “We don’t have them here.”
So people aren’t even aware that Romanichals and other Rrom peoples were brought over as slaves to the US, or that there are many living in North America.
I just, I can’t.
It’s like it’s an invisible ethnicity.
And I always wonder how many people are ignorant of it. There must be tons of Romanichal descendants in the UK and US who know nothing of their culture and history because of obliteration of our ancestors ways and struggles from the history books.
I fucking hate when people make jokes about Roma. Bullshittery.
