It has been difficult lately to integrate my-self. The more I become open to talking with people about being Roma, the more I open myself to criticism from both sides.
One thing I’ve had leveled at me a lot lately, is the ‘white privilege’ argument. usually it consists of several arguments:
- …
I think it would be difficult to transition from living in a place where…..your ethnicity HAS TO BE something you keep in mind all of the time. A place where if you make one wrong move….and that mistake turns into a mistake made due to you being Rroma….to living somewhere ..where being Rroma is relatively unknown. I would carry that attitude with me. The attitude that my ethnicity = systematic institutionalized racism …even when, in this country, being Rroma doesnt necessarily mean those things. I think being Rroma in America is a minor nuisance whereas being Rroma in Europe…well..there arent any words really for what its like being Rroma in Europe. Its so far beyond my reach that, despite the fact I am AWARE of the hate, the oppression and persecution….I still cannot fathom it.
whewww
Me On White People.
I follow a black conservative on Twitter. Yesterday I noticed her giving someone hell with the Twitter name “GenericNigga.” Insinuating all sorts of things about him, chastising him for using the word “Nigga.” That set me off. A black person trying to tell another black person how to be black. How to have their human experience. Fuck no. So I decided to ask:
Me: Do you think that white people are free from responsibility regarding the situations of PoC throughout the world?
: …Actually I got no answer from her for a very long time. So I asked again.
Me: Do you think that white people are free from responsibility regarding the situations of PoC throughout the world?
Her: My answer to your question, in today’s world everyone makes their own destiny, the white man is not holding me back
Me: No, thats not the answer to the question that I ASKED. What I asked was….do you think that white people are free from responsibility regarding the situations of PoC all over theworld? You also do not live in America, so I know that you cannot answer this question from the perspective of a Black American. But, sweetie, racism is real. The ideology of white superiority is real, and it pervades here, and around the world everyday. Centuries of systematic oppression DOES PLAY A ROLE in the lives of the descendants of those being oppressed and enslaved. It is incredibly difficult for a people to bring themselves up, when theyve only ever been put down. This is hard on an individual level, especially a collective level. The prevailing ideology of white superiority is still very real and it has everything to do with the lives of blacks in this country. everything. You should read ‘The Mis-Education of the Negro’, ‘Brainwashed: Challenging the myth of black inferiority.” And many more. It is not easy being black in this country. It is not easy being non-white in this WORLD. Who elses fault would that be? Do you think that centuries of slavery, oppression, deprivation and humiliation? Its only been 150-someodd years since the emancipation
proclamation.Do you think that centuries of slavery, oppression, deprivation and humiliation can be erased in 151 years?
The emotional and physical destruction, humiliation and enslavement pushed upon those who survived the Middle Passage has evolved into a perpetuating cycle. Maybe self perpetuating but it is not the VICTIMS fault.
(I dont know why the fonts changed, etc. I repasted from twitter, maybe thats why.)
Its become absolutely amusing to be able to open up my inbox and see a slew of white butthurt. Its honestly something that I have started looking forward to. It never fails to amaze or amuse me just HOW butthurt white people get. If you look at white people as anything OTHER than superior human beings….GET READY FOR THE WHITE TEARS!!
Im gonna start screen capping the best ones.
I might make a tumblr about it.
Everyone send me your best white butthurt.
Often times when I am trying to explain to an individual why they should not wear tribal headdresses, or why they should not say things like “I think I was a gypsy in a past life, because I love to travel!” Or, when they post pictures of themselves with a crystal ball, or wearing a skimpy “gypsy” or “Native” Halloween costume….I am often met with the response that there is nothing wrong with admiring and incorporating other cultures traditions, dress, etc into our wardrobes, lives, pictures, etc.
That is true. There isnt. Cultural appropriation is not, in itself, inherently wrong. However, cultural MISappropriation is. A lot of people debate over the words “appropriation” and “misappropriation” so here, I am using appropriation to refer to the natural effects and outcome of living in multicultural societies, and the result of cultural exchange. I am using misappropriation to refer to the negative appropriation of a culture and their traditions by reinforcing negative or untrue stereotypes about said culture or tradition..whether by clothing, pictures, or whatever else.
This is what needs to be understood. Living in a multicultural society, a multicultural world..there will be cultural exchange and the result of that is appropriation ALL around the block. Not just whites appropriating non white cultures and traditions…but all cultures appropriating and borrowing from all different types of cultures and traditions. I admire MANY cultures and traditions, and oftentimes incorporate attire from cultures other than my own, into my own wardrobe.
However, I would not ever take a sacred, traditional item and devalue it by exploiting it, or devalue it by using it to reinforce negative and incorrect stereotypes about a people or culture. This is where the difference lies.
Many of you need to learn the meaning of the word “respect.” I am, many times, met with the response that, for example, the reason a young woman has taken a picture of herself in a field, wearing an extremely revealing, cheap halloween costume, with a crystal ball in her hands..is because she “loves and respects gypsy culture.”
No. Learn the definition of the word respect. Respect is not devaluing a people by depicting yourself in attire that reinforces negative and incorrect stereotypes about them. That is not respect.
On being Caucasian.
This article is from http://www.gypsyjournal.com/Chapter.asp?ChapterID=1940, however, I found it to be EXACTLY how I feel, right down to the paternal Nordic heritage! Haha. Its a great read. If youre Rroma, or gadje….read it!
“In addition to the more socially ‘visible’ minority groups in the United States, there are less socially visible racial and ethnic groups that tend to be smaller in population size, and lumped under or assumed to be part of the larger more socially recognizable groups. Few adults and children have any accurate knowledge about the Romani people. While for many the words “Roma” and “Romani” might be new, stereotypical images of Gypsies are rampant throughout the world. These include: dark earringed men, exotic women in colorful skirts, barefoot people dancing around campfires, caravans, violins, tambourines, palm reading, and crystal balls. Gypsies are perceived as carefree, romantic, and mysterious wanderers. They are also negatively stereotyped as thieves, child-stealers, and criminals.
The word “Gypsy” comes from the Middle Ages. At the time, the darker-skinned Romani people were mistakenly thought to have come from Egypt. Thus, they were called “Egyptians”, then “Gyptians,” and eventually “Gypsies.” While Gypsies are too often seen as anybody who follows a so-called Gypsy lifestyle (as presented in popular culture and literature), the designation “Romani” helps stress that the group is a genuine ethnic minority with its own culture, customs, history, and language.
It is estimated that more than 12 million Romani live throughout the world. The European Romani population is estimated to be between 7 million and 8.5 million. Of this number, about 5 million live in Central and Eastern Europe. It is difficult to obtain accurate numbers of Romani populations, however, since many are not recorded in official census counts. In most countries, the Romani population is much larger than is generally known. Many people conceal their Romani identity-a cautionary tactic learned through centuries of persecution. Romani in North America have been called the hidden minority, because they remain largely invisible among the many ethnic groups.
I am what I would call an ‘invisible minority’, which is to say that I am invisible to the ethnic perception of the white racial groups and are therefore treated as a ‘white’ person. This puts me in a category all by myself. No one is ever quite sure what to make of my ethnic identity and it is usually assumed to be anything from Italian to Native American to Persian to Greek, (something I usually don’t correct, unless I know the person, as I’ve found that explaining that Gypsies are not only real, but also an actual ethnic group is lost on most and requires more energy than I care to expend on the casual onlooker). And, since most people classify ethnicity by skin color, (and mine is fairly pale, thanks to my paternal Nordic heritage,) I can choose to skate by as ‘white’ without much protest, should I ever decide that I needed to. There is also the fact that I live in the United States, which, while there is still racism here, it’s a walk in the park compared to other parts of the world, particularly Eastern Europe (where I wouldn’t be wise to reveal my actual ethnicity, as they’re rather fond of beating, sterilizing and killing Gypsy women over there).
In any case, for these reasons I wouldn’t classify myself as a ‘minority’, even though that would technically be correct. While I don’t necessarily take offense to people in my position who do use the term, I do find it to be somewhat ridiculous, because even though technically the word ‘minority’ means ‘a group differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population’, I think the perception is that those who are minorities also have to contend with a considerable amount of racism, based solely on their physical appearance. As I have yet to find this to be true in my own personal experience, using such a ‘charged’ word seems to imply a lot more than simply that my heritage is not of Caucasian origin. On the flip side, however, I do take offense to being referred to as ‘white’, since ethnically I am not. My objection to that term is also out of respect for my darker-skinned ancestors, {something I don’t have to go very far back to find, since my mother is darker-skinned and an obvious ‘minority’). So, I suppose you could say that my feelings on this issue lie somewhere in the middle… I’m not ‘white’ and will never identify as ‘white’, {choosing ‘Middle Eastern’ on census forms when asked) but I don’t consider myself a minority, in the Americanized sense of the word.”
source: http://www.gypsyjournal.com/Chapter.asp?ChapterID=1940
