[Artemisia] the "G" word

[Sonda Stott]

Esther, I must disagree with you. 
First, all of our personas are ' idealized fantasy'. Otherwise this wouldnt be any fun. 

Second, the term 'Gypsy' does not refer to the Romani people exlusively. It is more commonly used to reference a nomadic person.
    Gyp·sy
  <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/audio.html/lunaWAV/G04/G0425500" target="_blank"><img src="http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/g/d/speaker.gif" border="0" alt="gypsy pronunciation" /></a> /ˈdʒɪpsi/  Show Spelled [jip-see]  Show IPA noun, plural -sies, adjective  
    noun 
    1. a member of a nomadic, Caucasoid people of generally swarthy complexion, who migrated originally from     India, settling in various parts of Asia, Europe, and, most recently, North America.
    2. Romany; the language of the Gypsies.
    3. (lowercase) a person held to resemble a gypsy, especially in physical characteristics or in a traditionally     ascribed freedom or inclination to move from place to place.
    4. (lowercase) Informal. gypsy cab. 
    5. (lowercase) Informal. an independent, usually nonunion trucker, hauler, operator, etc.
 
Third, not all gypsies are dark skinned romani decendents. There are 'gypsies' all over the world. http://www.scottishgypsies.co.uk/
 
Fourth, brightly colored dresses, headcoverings and multiple scarves are not just Hollywood fluff. The first places the gypsies were documented as an ethnic group are the Kingdom of Hungary and the surrounding countries. The traditional dress of these native people is brightly colored and often clashing. Originally the gypsies did try to assimilate and dress like their fellow countrymen. There are records and documents that the gypsies married into their local communites, so the idea that they isolated themselves is false. It was only after their continuing immigration that the receiving governments started trying to control them.
 
Fith, if some of us want to put on pretty skirts and scarves with bells to dance, celebrate life and have a good time, why is that problem? It's no different than those that choose to wear a fox tail pinned to the back of their skirt because they think its cute and fun, when originally this was a sign of a woman for hire. It certainly doesn',t mean that in the SCA.
    
Casper, Zita
Kingdom of Hungary 1356



________________________________

From: "arwenmc at aol.com" <arwenmc at aol.com>
To: artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org
Sent: Thursday, November 3, 2011 1:34 PM
Subject: [Artemisia] the "G" word


Hey all,  I've been giving this subject a lot of thought lately and I thought I'd share my opinion.  Please know I'm not one of those type of people looking to be offended where offense is not intended.  I'm only looking to be informative on this particular topic.

The SCA and the mundane belly dance community sometimes intersect.  It's been very popular in both communities to have what people like to call a Gypsy persona.  Please be aware that the word Gypsy is now
 widely considered a pejorative term for ethnic Romani and related groups.  There are movements to reclaim the word, but it's better to err on the side of caution as a person not of that very persecuted ethnic group.  Please ask them what they prefer to be called.

Because these people have been horribly treated and still are, we should try to avoid garb that looks like a Hollywood racial stereotype, i.e. headscarf, hoop earrings, coin belt, and what not.  The romance of traveling the "Gypsy Trial" is an idealized fantasy.  If you are interested in leaning more, I'd like to recommend  Dr. Ian Hancock's book "We are the Romani People."  

Thank you for your kind attention. 

Esther
not one of "the people"

I feel I must make two points regarding this topic-
1]  The Romani family I knew when I lived in Billings preferred Gypsy to Romani, they said too many Montanans thought Romani meant "from
 Rome" (at least that's what they told me).
2]  As with the dreaded "N word", "S word" {hispanics}, "R word" {mentally handicapped}, "F word" {homosexuals}, and the other half-dozen or so "offensive words", I believe and will maintain until my dying day that the words themselves have no power, it is the *context and intent of the user* that matters.  If you doubt me, replace the "offensive word" with any other descriptive term in the same context, it will be just as offensive. 
 
Of course, I could be wrong.
Morgan


Baron Morgan Blaidd Du,
GHA(2), CQC, PCA, CCH;

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