Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slur but we don't have gypsies here.

My Jewish grandfather was from Romania! We learned early on that gypped was not to be used in our family. He rocked.

Oh please. Eastern European Jews dislike the Roma just as much as the non Jewish do.

I guess I wasn't clear. He was a Jew and a gypsy. They saved their money and fled as soon as they could. He was proud of the stable life he was able to create in NY. Five siblings. Four made it out alive. My other grandparents ran like hell from Russia.

Anonymous wrote:So don't welsh on your debts anymore, folks.

I thought the phrase was, "don't welch on your debts."

If anyone takes offense that's on them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, what? I haven't used the word in years, but when I was little my brothers and sisters used it. It's a slur? Yikes, I had no idea. What makes it a slur?

Derives from the word Gypsy, which itself is a derogatory term for Roma people.

Well, the truth is that the Roma culture and character is the problem. There are real, true, historical reasons for this. I have studied this deeply and carefully and there is very little redeeming about the Roma. That doesn't mean you have to / should use the word but there is little to admire about that particular culture.

Re-read this to yourself, substituting "Jew" or "black" for Roma, and you'll get a statement that is exactly what you might have heard a few generations ago about those two groups (and honestly, may still hear in some parts of the country today). I'm betting you do not personally know any Romani, and really have no idea what you're talking about beyond having read about Gypsies stealing passports from tourists in Italy or stealing children in Ireland (oh, wait, turned out those were their own children, but since they were Roma and the kids were blonde, they *must* have stolen them...)

Please be careful with stereotypes when you have no personal experience with the cultures (ethnic, racial, religious, or otherwise) you're stereotyping. Romanian history is pretty complex (and fascinating), and learning a bit about it, and about the Romani role in it, might be eye-opening.

I've lived among them and agree with the Pp you're quoting 100%. Go live among them too and come back and tell us what a noble culture they have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slur but we don't have gypsies here.

My Jewish grandfather was from Romania! We learned early on that gypped was not to be used in our family. He rocked.

Oh please. Eastern European Jews dislike the Roma just as much as the non Jewish do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slur but we don't have gypsies here.

My Jewish grandfather was from Romania! We learned early on that gypped was not to be used in our family. He rocked.

It cut too close to the bone

Snort - I spent 3 years in Romania and Moldova. Actually had a discussion with some host country nationals about whether it was worse to be a Jew or Gypsy in that part of the world. Both groups are hated but it seems it was better to be a Jew than a Gypsy (which by the way are both ethnicities in that area). I felt sorry for both groups but at least I never feared losing my wallet to a Jew.

And, when my grandmother (born in 1910) heard I was going to Romania, she piped up 'that's where the Gypsies come from'. She remembers them and their wagons coming through her Indiana farm community. Word quickly spread in the community and all the livestock/chickens were penned up until they left. I've also seen them around here offering to seal/topcoat driveways (it's just black paint) or cut/trim trees - pick up trucks seem to have replaced their wagons. My whole family uses "gypped" and probably always will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, what? I haven't used the word in years, but when I was little my brothers and sisters used it. It's a slur? Yikes, I had no idea. What makes it a slur?

Derives from the word Gypsy, which itself is a derogatory term for Roma people.

Well, the truth is that the Roma culture and character is the problem. There are real, true, historical reasons for this. I have studied this deeply and carefully and there is very little redeeming about the Roma. That doesn't mean you have to / should use the word but there is little to admire about that particular culture.

Re-read this to yourself, substituting "Jew" or "black" for Roma, and you'll get a statement that is exactly what you might have heard a few generations ago about those two groups (and honestly, may still hear in some parts of the country today). I'm betting you do not personally know any Romani, and really have no idea what you're talking about beyond having read about Gypsies stealing passports from tourists in Italy or stealing children in Ireland (oh, wait, turned out those were their own children, but since they were Roma and the kids were blonde, they *must* have stolen them...)

Please be careful with stereotypes when you have no personal experience with the cultures (ethnic, racial, religious, or otherwise) you're stereotyping. Romanian history is pretty complex (and fascinating), and learning a bit about it, and about the Romani role in it, might be eye-opening.

Anonymous wrote:I agree that gypsies are not a race.

I really don't care about this one at all, and I am someone who won't call the Washington Professional Football Team by its name, and who also flinches when someone says "retard."

After the season the had, you shouldn't call them professional

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Getting your passport stolen is terrible and inexcusable, but that doesn't make it ok to use a slur. Never, ever ok, period. What goes for one goes for all. Hard and fast rule or the rule will not have staying power."

A slur is something intentionally derogatory. Jew someone down - slur. Saying a word that many people think is spelled "jipp" and have no idea refers historically to gypsies - sorry, disagree that is a slur.

Ok, PP, now you know, so be a better person and just stop using this nasty term. Are we done here?

And P.S., if you made it through any type of higher education without figuring out where this term came from, what rock were you under? Have you ever left the United States?

I did but the gypsies stole my passport

Anonymous wrote:So don't welsh on your debts anymore, folks.

And don't carry coals to Newcastle either!

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe I just read this entire thread.

You was gypped

Anonymous wrote:I used to say "gypped" because it didn't really have any connotations for me (unlike something like "jewed" which clearly had derogatory roots). Once I learned the origins of the word, I trained myself to say "ripped off".

That being said, it's not one that would really stand out to my ear if someone else said it (unlike "jewed").

The Riparians are offended PP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slur but we don't have gypsies here.

My Jewish grandfather was from Romania! We learned early on that gypped was not to be used in our family. He rocked.

It cut too close to the bone

I agree that gypsies are not a race.

I really don't care about this one at all, and I am someone who won't call the Washington Professional Football Team by its name, and who also flinches when someone says "retard."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most people who use it have no idea it is a slur.

I had no idea it referenced gypsies. gypsies are not a race, so it cannot be a racial slur. So, we will continue to use it gladly, particularly in that we italians hate gypsy shit. they tried to pick pocket DH last trip there to visit his family.