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| re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) | |
| Last Edit: Singapore/Fling 07:47 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 07:43 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
| In reply to: re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it - Billhaven 04:59 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
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| Yes, this is all true, but it does not change the fact that the word is regarded as a slur. As a queer person who was raised as a man, I identify as a - insert slur for gay people here - but that does not mean anyone else can use that word. Imagine if there was a - and I'm about to drop that slur right here, redacted but still visible, so fair warning - Imagine if there was a "F----- Moth". Queer people can have a robust debate about how we identify and which words we want to use (and there are some folks on this board who bristle at the word queer, and that's their right), but you better not use that internal diversity as an excuse to use a word that members of our community have made clear is a slur. |
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| re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) | |
| Posted by: FIG 02:51 pm EDT 07/16/21 | |
| In reply to: re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) - Singapore/Fling 07:43 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
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| Interesting enough, there is a "F----- Moth" in Spanish. | |
| Link | "F----- Moth" in Spanish |
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| Well, this is a kettle of fish... | |
| Posted by: Quicheo 12:25 pm EDT 07/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) - FIG 02:51 pm EDT 07/16/21 | |
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| The term, which is Spanish for ladybug, was adopted as a slur for gay people centuries after the original meaning was established. Perhaps some would argue that the F word in question was also so appropriated, though many disagree as to how that word came to be a slur. As language evolves, different words can take on different degrees of power and hatefulness and as a society, we may choose to decide they have been sullied enough to stop using them. The word for ladybug in the form you link has not crossed that line yet, but some of its derivatives have. I am sure I need not list the hundreds of English words that can and are used in a hurtful way that remain viable in their original meaning. | |
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| re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:58 am EDT 07/16/21 | |
| In reply to: re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) - Singapore/Fling 07:43 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
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| The word Gypsy is one I would never use in every day speech when referring to a person of the Roma ethnic group because I was taught as a child that it has a pejorative connotation. However, because the term has been present in our culture for centuries through literature, movies, songs, Broadway musicals, old TV shows, et cetera, it is probably impossible to eradicate it from common speech when discussing these things. I assume that some individuals, who identify as Roma, continue to use the word Gypsy perhaps out of habit or because it is their right even though it's a slur. Just recently I was listening to an interview of an up and coming young theatre actor. When asked about his background, he described his ancestry as part Russian and part Gypsy. He was born in one of the Central Asian countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union. I wonder exactly how he feels about the usage of the term Gypsy and if he thinks that it is definitely a slur and should not be used. He seemed very nonchalant when saying it and was aware that his interview was being recorded. However, in fairness I'm not going to mention his name. |
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| re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) | |
| Last Edit: Singapore/Fling 04:30 pm EDT 07/16/21 | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 04:27 pm EDT 07/16/21 | |
| In reply to: re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) - BroadwayTonyJ 08:58 am EDT 07/16/21 | |
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| Oh, I think it’s relatively easy to remove it from common speech by substituting the word Roma or Romani when referring to the people, and otherwise not using it to refer to anything else. When discussing a proper noun, like someone’s name or the title of a musical that’s nearly 70 years old, then the situation is different, of course. Likewise, if we wish to talk about historical usages, such as an unlicensed car service or a chorus robe, one might elect either to not use the word - there are plenty of alternatives - or to offer the word with an awareness of how our understanding of it as non-Romani people has changed (which increasingly I’m not doing, as it feels disrespectful). You will notice that in that entire paragraph, I have not used the word in question without sacrificing clarity. It’s pretty easy. A person of that heritage is of course able to use it to self-define, but that does not give you permission to use it. Recently, Black playwrights have begun to specify that the presence of the N word in their plays does not give non-Black people license to use the word. Likewise, a young man referring to his heritage using the G word does not give you permission to use it. The important thing is that we’re having a good faith conversation around the history and usage of the word, which is quite different than bemoaning the fact that non-Roma have been asked not to use it, especially when referring to an invasive moth. |
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| re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:27 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
| In reply to: re: "Gypsy" is a slur, deal with it (language warning, reference to gay slur) - Singapore/Fling 07:43 pm EDT 07/15/21 | |
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| Agreed and this is true with just about every group I can think of. There is no license for white people to use the N word because they hear some Black people use it. I can go on but I really didn't think this was a concept that required explanation. | |
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