“Gypsy” is NOT an Irish traveller- it’s a slur term for Romani (Roma) people.
A recent headline regarding the British tourists who were causing trouble in New Zealand (and are continuing to do so) has caused an uproar on Facebook. People have been rightfully angry over the behaviour of the tourists- they have been found to be littering one of Auckland’s beaches, in addition to some of their family members caught stealing from a gas station and the causing trouble in a motel. However- as we cannot prove they were Irish (some reports say they were from England, while others say they were from Ireland) and additionally, this group does not speak for all Irish/British tourists, it does not do wonders to stereotype. Also, as alot of us New Zealanders are ignorant regarding cultural appropriation and racist slur language (a Facebook group says it all about this), I now am going to explain how labelling this group of tourists as “gypsies” is extremely harmful and racist to Romani people. NB: I myself am NOT of Romani origin, so I cannot speak for them- I just use this knowledge to educate others who are wilfully ignorant.
For a start- referring to ALL Irish travellers as troublemakers is stereotyping a culture, and it can be harmful. Also they themselves are not “gy*psies”- they can be half Romani or have romani in them (or not at all) but not “g*psy”. Stereotyping them or anyone is never good as to racially stereotype someone is to perceive that all people from that specific country can lead to racial hatred, exoticization, and even race based violence, which the Facebook group (in the screenshot above) has done.
The definition of Romani people is a ethnic group of people found in Europe (and all over the world as well) but have originated from countries like India, which is an Asian country. Irish Travellers, on the other hand, are an ethnic group who maintain a set of traditions (and most of them are Europe- based). They are too, the subject of stereotypes and hate.
Romani people face racial persecution and violence and unemployment in the modern day due to racist (as well as sexist stereotypes) targeting their ethnicity in addition to their history of being subjected to racial discrimination in the past. Most of these stereotypes are attributed with the word “g*psy” and it’s the negative description of labelling them as “scammers”, “criminals” etc. that can cause Romani people to be subject to hate and even violence as well. In addition, there is the negative stereotype of them being referred to as “travellers” which causes them to be hated, even in the modern day world. The word in itself is also a form of racism. Not only are Instagram bloggers, lifestyle sites (urban list for example) and fashion retailers, and even popular films and media and as well as politicians using the word to describe a lifestyle of travel and tourism (that is harmful as well because it adds to the stereotype that Romani are “travellers”), but the word itself is the very definition means to cheat someone out of money or possessions (“Gypped” — or “gyp”). To add further insult to Romani, it was thought that they originated from Egypt hence the word but people later realised they originated from India.
You wouldn’t call black people the N word (you must never do so as it is not okay) , you wouldn’t call Pacific Islanders “coconut heads or monkey” or Muslims “terrorists” (absolutely not okay to stereotype Muslims like this also) so why do you think it’s okay to refer to Romani people as “g*psies”?
The slur word can be found everywhere, including in the media, TV programmes like “My Big Fat G*psy Wedding” and sites like the Urban List Auckland and even used by the Auckland Council Site in addition to politicians all over the world. It’s time that bloggers, the media and businesses should be educated on what racism actually is, in addition to racist slur words. And remember- racism isn’t just limited to throwing out angry hateful insults or yelling abuse. And think about it- just because a word is in the vocabulary, does not mean you have the right to use it. It’s time this racist slur is removed from the vocabulary. It’s also time that people stopped referring to tourists from places like Ireland and the UK as “g*psies” because not only are people generalizing an entire culture in a negative and an offensive way, it stereotypes Romani people as “travellers” and “liars/cheats/thieves” due to the meaning — as well as perceived meaning of the word, in addition to the confused mix up and offensive reference against Irish travellers.
