I’m American, but my grandma was a 1st generation immigrant. She always threatened to “sell [me] to the gypsies” if I didn’t behave. I didn’t have any idea what a “gypsy” was! There was no context for a 4 year old in the States. Hell, I didn’t even know it was a slur until I was in my twenties. That was pretty gross, Gram. Boomers gonna Boom, though, I guess.
All labels are slurs now, except for the word “label”. I think that’s still okay (and do look at Wikipedia’s list of ethnic slurs, you say racist stuff every day without knowing!
"this word is Algongquin for ‘friend’
SLUR HOW DARE YOU
I won’t repeat the “Algongquin word for ‘friend’” because… you know. Because everything is stupid now
It is on Wikipedia’s “List of Ethnic Slurs” and I remember it suddenly being kind of a big deal out of nowhere in the mid 2010’s (not it being on the list, just in general on the corners of the internet I inhabited at the time). Like, my wife watched a lot of Kathleen Lights videos on YouTube at the time, and she had a sign in her background that said something like “gypsy soul” and she got backlash from her viewers.
I don’t know that anybody in my daily life even now, here in Metro Detroit, considers it one or uses it as one. I know I don’t use it anymore, really besides this comment chain. There are tons of immigrants from all over around here, I definitely don’t want to offend anyone. I will hear it from time to time, in a general way to refer to people who are or want to be kind of nomads. Like, a positive thing. Idk, I still don’t say it anymore.
When i was little i though a “Zingaro” (gypsy) was someone poor or like someone who didn’t dress up well due to my mother saying stuff like “Don’t use X clothing like that, you look like a gypsy”
Same for me, but Germany. I thought, “Zigeuner” (Gypsy) meant that someone had no address because they would live in trailers and would move from place to place. Which sounded very cool and I wished, I could do that, too.
I did not understand, however, why one should not trust them.
I encountered Romani a few times when I was living in Germany. It was not a positive impression. But even then I was well aware of how being historically marginalized breeds poverty and crime.
I don’t know what that is, but it sounds like a slur. I don’t have any problem with Romani, only individuals who engage in antisocial behavior, same as anyone else.
I’m American, but my grandma was a 1st generation immigrant. She always threatened to “sell [me] to the gypsies” if I didn’t behave. I didn’t have any idea what a “gypsy” was! There was no context for a 4 year old in the States. Hell, I didn’t even know it was a slur until I was in my twenties. That was pretty gross, Gram. Boomers gonna Boom, though, I guess.
……wait that’s a slur?
All labels are slurs now, except for the word “label”. I think that’s still okay (and do look at Wikipedia’s list of ethnic slurs, you say racist stuff every day without knowing!
"this word is Algongquin for ‘friend’
SLUR HOW DARE YOU
I won’t repeat the “Algongquin word for ‘friend’” because… you know. Because everything is stupid now
It is on Wikipedia’s “List of Ethnic Slurs” and I remember it suddenly being kind of a big deal out of nowhere in the mid 2010’s (not it being on the list, just in general on the corners of the internet I inhabited at the time). Like, my wife watched a lot of Kathleen Lights videos on YouTube at the time, and she had a sign in her background that said something like “gypsy soul” and she got backlash from her viewers.
I don’t know that anybody in my daily life even now, here in Metro Detroit, considers it one or uses it as one. I know I don’t use it anymore, really besides this comment chain. There are tons of immigrants from all over around here, I definitely don’t want to offend anyone. I will hear it from time to time, in a general way to refer to people who are or want to be kind of nomads. Like, a positive thing. Idk, I still don’t say it anymore.
I was 30 years old before I learned that word’s a slur
When i was little i though a “Zingaro” (gypsy) was someone poor or like someone who didn’t dress up well due to my mother saying stuff like “Don’t use X clothing like that, you look like a gypsy”
It’s not necessarily a slur, depending on who you are using it to refer to. There are some communities who refer to themselves that way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy,_Roma_and_Traveller
Same for me, but Germany. I thought, “Zigeuner” (Gypsy) meant that someone had no address because they would live in trailers and would move from place to place. Which sounded very cool and I wished, I could do that, too.
I did not understand, however, why one should not trust them.
Turns out, it’s just racism.
I encountered Romani a few times when I was living in Germany. It was not a positive impression. But even then I was well aware of how being historically marginalized breeds poverty and crime.
So ya don’t like dags?
I don’t know what that is, but it sounds like a slur. I don’t have any problem with Romani, only individuals who engage in antisocial behavior, same as anyone else.
‘sounds like a slur’
this used to be called a colloquialism or abbreviation for the sake of brevity back in the day.
Oh, dogs! Sure, I like dogs!