Such madness over one simple item....

[Maze]

Be that as it may, a lack of intent to harm does not prevent people from being harmed from anyone's actions or even words.

I think the world at large should just get eduated and grow up because then people would actually have a grasp of vocabulary, and say what they intended to say, rather than what they thought they were going to say.

But you know people.. They stubborn.

To be fair, though, a carnival would be the perfect place for someone posing as Rroma so they could earn a few bucks lying to people about their future based on cultural stereotypes that nobody really bothered to correct or care about in about as long as they've existed.

Isn't it great when a culture is underrepresented and doesn't have any bearing on your country's politics?  

[Nexus Carbuncle]

Szen

Allow me to copy and paste the response I gave in an email. XD

Szen

The "Gypsy fortune teller" is an offensive stereotype much like the "mammy" is for those of African heritage.

The word "Gypsy" is offensive when used to describe anything other than an ethnic group. That is, people who choose to live a nomadic lifestyle are not Gypsies. People who make their livings going around swindling people are not Gypsies. (That one is especially offensive.) Fortune tellers are not Gypsies. Hippies who like to wear long skirts and belly dancing costumes are not Gypsies.

Some people think that using the word "Gypsy" at all is equivalent of certain other taboo racial words. Those are the people I think are silly, because we call ourselves that, and if they claim to be Roma, I question their claims. XD

Thanks for asking. :3 I saw the item and didn't buy it because of the name. Otherwise I would have, because I like it. If it was just "Fortune Teller", I would own it now.

I did not read the thread, nor do I want to, because I strongly suspect that the thread is full of wannabes and haters, and I don't associate with either group. Nor do I really give 2 shakes about Gaia anymore. XD;

Well, if you put it like that, yeah. I'd be incredibly offended if they had "mammy/black sambo" items.

O.o

 

[Megas Alexandros]

Thank you, Nexus.

I am very tolerant with people who just don't know any better, compared to most of my Romani friends who will bite your head off, because I know that most people just don't have a clue and that's not their fault. They've been educated about the loud minorities, but not the silent ones. But when people continue to use ignorance as an excuse after they've been enlightened, that is inexcusable.

And it's the fact that people care more about keeping and justifying their stereotypes than about the feelings of others that ended it for me. I'm not going to stay here and write out long speeches, because I've done it all before and no one gives a flying ********. It's not worth the energy. It's much less draining spending my time with people who I can relate to.

I stopped by to check if I'd been demoted yet and saw that people had posted. >_>;; But now, back to work--defying the European stereotype that we hate working.