On the Usage of Gypsy and Gyp: Don’t!
So not too long ago I was having a conversation with a coworker and a began to say that someone got “gypped”. I caught myself with a minor pause and corrected to “ripped off”. The coworker caught the pause and said yeah at least you didn’t say “jewed”, obviously another derogatorily term. I said “Actually I almost slipped and said ‘Gypped’, which is derogatorily in the same way as ‘jewed’ but against Roma or Romani people because it refers to Gypsies.” His response was “Oh yeah Roma people. I never would have put that together” I fully expected this and was fine with it but then...
“There’s a whole community of Gypsies in X place, you know!” and then he continued to tell me how they make their living stealing and robbing... No I am very white, from a small rural white town, with very conservative white parents, with the most European Ancestry DNA results I have ever seen, so I do encounter this kind of blind ignorance a lot. Honestly, white folks feel more comfortable flopping it out there with other white folks. However, this one got me a bit. This guy knew what Roma meant, which is not normal, and connected directly to the derogatory term gypsy and chose to use that instead of the proper identification of this culture of people. I first learned about the Roma people in a weird way. When I was young, Law & Order: SVU actually had an episode which showed the discrimination that Roma people face on a day to day basis, including the expectation that they are all thieves and criminals. The episode showed that the term Gypsy is not a term the Roma people choose and not one they identify with. It is a term used to degrade and diminish their culture. Something in this episode struck home deep and I kept it with me.
Fast forward to my college days, I had a friend who was Roma. She drew the connection for me between the derogatory term Gypsy and the shortened version Gyp, and I was appalled that I used that slang word at all, let alone frequently. She had probably heard that slang word used daily. And I am not convinced that the users’ ignorance of the true background of the word diminishes the sting that comes with its usage. She very likely still has to smile and listen to people drop that derogatory word casually.
After learning the meaning of the word it began to stick out and even sting every time some one used it. I live in an extremely educated world, and yet I have heard some of the most educated people I have ever met casually drop this word, including professors. The fact is you really don’t know if a Roma person is in the room, listening, trying to get an education from you. This whole culture of people have been so battered that those who still identify with the culture often do not do so publicly or openly. Now when I hear that word feel just a piece of the pain it can cause a person who is a part of that culture. Please y’all, if you would not use the Jewish equivalent of Gypped, do not use Gypped. It refers to a whole culture of people as thieves, criminals, and con-artists and it causes harm and shame. Also, if you are running around claiming to be a gypsy, living the gypsy lifestyle, please know how ridiculously ignorant you appear to a culture of people who have been persecuted for centuries! Again, I am not Roma, and I am certain my ancestors probably were a part of the persecution of Roma people in France. If I have anything wrong please let me know!
