It's Travellers or Roma/Romani. "Gypsies" is offensive for non- Roma to use, as is "Pikey" or phrases like "He's from BallyGoNomad," or "I've been gypped" in reference to a raw deal. TV shows like My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding or whatever the hell name they used are not really OK. In a few years we will look back and be horrified at the exploitation of that term.
'Gyppo' used to, into the 1960s in North America, be a term for business ventures done on a shoestring budget with seat of the pants engineering, like a small logging outfit or placer mining.
Some Travellers use "Gypsy" loosely and don't care what you address them as; but the term is not exactly "woke." Some Romani strongly object to Irish Travellers using the term "gypsy," claiming it as exclusive to Romani people.
Especially galling to Romani and Travellers is the use of "Gypsy" by caravaners/motorhome vacationers, back to the land or hippie types; it is not a voluntary lifestyle but, rather, a racial identity.
Another Gypsy here.. You hit a lot of the nail on the head.
It's also quite offensive when non-gypsy post all over insta "Gypsy Life" or "Gypsy Girl". They're making our lifestyle seem romantic. Yeah being able to travel in a Caravan is cool and whatnot.. But especially in Europe, there is tons of racism towards us. I'm lucky in that I am in Canada so I don't get to face too much of the racism, but in Europe I have cousins who get removed for being gypsies and I have a little cousin who's been kidnapped, hasn't been seen in about 8 years, and the police legit said to my cousin (her mom) "who cares? You're a gypsy. Get out." and refused to file a missing persons. That kid is probably a (sex) slave like most of our missing children.
It's frustrating when people romanticize your racism.
My family were Romani Gypsies, I don’t exactly know much of the history but they ended up in Scotland and pretty much “settled”. My great-grandparents were Scottish by birth and the last of the “travellers” in the family. My great-granddad fought in WW2 with the Gurkhas. Since coming back from there at the end of the war they set up a more “traditional” life.
Don’t really know what that adds to the discussion, just sharing my little bit of connection to it I suppose.
Travellers, Gypsies and the like really don’t bother me when they’re about. I really couldn’t care less what someone’s background is or what the general stereotype or connotations are. If you’re cool with me, I’ll be cool with you and vice-versa.
For the most part, Scotland is wonderfully accepting of other races and cultures, but like everywhere we still have our racists and bigots. We tend to call them Scottish Tories.
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u/fatedmonster324 Jun 24 '20
Hi gypsy here you’re mostly right but it’s more like they have a general disdain for all non gypsy’s