Yeah it's tantamount to the "N Word"

I often wonder if people will be looking back in twenty years time, seeing us as we do previous generations that thought other such derogatory terms were acceptable.

That said - the word "gypsy" does apparently come from "egyptian", which was what the Roma claimed to be in order to garner safe passage upon first arriving in Europe. So it's originally a self-applied term - almost a joke - the negative connotations have come over the years as a result of gadji intolerance, rather than being a word made up by gadji.

Also - unless I'm mistaken (happens all the time), 'Sinti' is a particular branch/blood line/set of clans, rather than a general term.


p.s. most of this is not my opinion, but that of the _generally_ accepted research.. a lot of it's still disputed in academic circles..

It seems that there are no hard and fast rules. E.g., in the excellent liner notes of Kal's CD, the word Gypsy is used by the musicians to describe themselves and their work. Given that, I am inclined to assume that it is not necessarily terrible to use the term Gypsy music.

... ask a gypsy ! In Bulgaria last year, some wag let it out to the gypsies that the EU had "banned"
their name and they had to be called Rom from now on ... there were protests, many said: "We are gypsies !... "
"we never heard of these rom !" Of course the eleven educated gypsies in Bulgaria who like to keep company
with foreigners, get visas and money from abroad provided by the "noble savage" movement must have been
left looking at their shoes...

What about me ? I'll call a gypsy anything he wants out of simple consideration ... In most parts of the world,
the sort of intellectual constipation known as "political correctness" is considered an unaffordable,
incomprehensable and silly luxury.

BTW, the name "Gypsy" comes from people calling them Egyptians. :-)

The term "Gypsy" is NOT the correct term for the minority. Rom or Roma would be prefered.

For history on these people, check out www.radoc.net/radoc.php