"This is really simple: it wasn't our word to reclaim."
My first reaction to this statement you made about the word "gypsy" is that you have a very good point, but on second thought, of course the word did not originate as a word that the Roma people used to describe themselves, but rather as a word used by others to describe them -- often in a derogatory way, and apparently as the eventual source of the word "gyp," meaning to cheat someone.
So I do think one way to look at what happened is that a word used in an often negative way towards the Roma people was later adopted by Broadway chorus dancers to refer to themselves, in a completely positive and affectionate way, as performers who would move from show to show. It can arguably be seen as turning a word once often used as a slur into an honorific, which is why I feel the removal of the word from the annual "Gypsy of the Year" event was ultimately a big mistake (even though I do understand the opposite argument). |
