Take back "Gypsy?"

Recently someone suggested to me that we 'take back' the word "Gypsy" by giving it a positive meaning, by showing the world what it really means to be Rromani. Perhaps the logic behind it is that since people are already using the word, if we 'step up' and give people a reason to realize that Gypsies really are decent people, then everything will be fine. We can live happily together as a global people.

There are some difficult obstacles to overcome to do this. In order to reclaim this word, we have to define it.

What exactly IS a "Gypsy" according to 'reliable' sources?

Google Dictionary: 1. A member of a traveling people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and traditionally live by seasonal work, itinerant trade, and fortune-telling. Gypsies are now found mostly in Europe, parts of North Africa, and North America, but are believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent.
3. A nomadic or free-spirited person.

That leaves me out but includes every hippie I know.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gypsy:  (sometimes pejorative) An itinerant person or any person or group with qualities traditionally ascribed to Romani people, including suspected of making a living from dishonest practices or theft etc.; one of a vagabond race, not necessarily Romani.

In this case, Gypsies aren't even Romanies, though Romanies making a dishonest living. Again, most Romanies I know are left out of the Gypsy portion of this definition, yet are included in the second portion as Romani and, by default, are dishonest. So I am not Gypsy because I am Romani, but because I am Romani I am dishonest.

http://www.northdorsetlocalplan.co.uk (Gypsies) Persons who wander or travel for the purpose of making or seeking their livelihood. New Age Travellers do not normally fall under this definition.

Again, Romanies who are settled with jobs are not Gypsies. This also doesn't include me or most Romanies I know.

Other sources down the list on the Google search were blog sites describing Gypsies as "born with mystic powers", "diviners", and the like.

How do people use the word "Gypsy"?

Like this:

 

 



And they shout slogans like "Leave, Gypsy!" or "Die Gypsy!" or "Gypsies into glue!"

How do people react to the word "Gypsy?"

like this....







Why would we want to 'reclaim' this word?

The word has negative connotations and doesn't even represent who and what we are. It is a name placed upon us by outsiders. We didn't even come up with this ourselves. The word came from "Egyptian", used when people didn't understand who we were. Yes, we applied this to ourselves as well, but now the word has once again taken on a violent meaning with genocidal proportions.

The Answer

"Gypsy" isn't who we are. It is the definition and the image the world has projected upon us. 'Taking back' the word is not the answer. The answer is education, both for outsiders and for Romanies. We need to teach the world what ROMANI means and in that process, we need to protect and preserve who we are. Teach the next generation the old ways and understand the new; remaining separate but equal as is our right as human beings.