Something that has left me frustrated lately is how society is still using the G-word, a slur that is racist toward Roma and Sinti people, both of whom are different ethnic groups within the larger Romani people who share similar roots. I learned in my genocide class at high school that this word was offensive and when people mention that Roma and Sinti people were victims of the Holocaust in addition to Jewish people and other minority groups, they use this slur to refer to them. In addition to that, society has used this as a word for “traveler.” For example, one of Lady Gaga’s songs is titled the slur and the lyrics are off-putting when she describes her lover as that word and portrays them as someone who travels. I am a big fan of her music and think she is inspirational, but I am frustrated with that song in particular. Additionally, Alice Merton’s song, No Roots, uses this slur and she embeds a stereotype of Roma and Sinti people in it. It is important that society knows that Roma and Sinti people widely view this term as highly offensive. This word originated in the early 16th century from the false belief that Roma and Sinti people were from Egypt. Roma and Sinti people originally were from India in South Asia, but have immigrated and currently live in multiple countries. Many stereotypes about them predicting the future and being fortunate tellers” as well as “travelers” are harmful.
We as a society need to recognize that people of these ethnic groups have culture and history that is relevant. People formed these harmful stereotypes from Roma and Sinti people’s culture and actions taken out of context and it is dehumanizing to refer to this group of people that way. In addition to talking about Roma and Sinti people being victims of the Holocaust, we should talk about the history of oppression they faced, as well as accomplishments and heritage. This can help reduce discrimination and stereotypes about these ethnic groups. Overall, how can we move forward as a society when approaching offensive language that is not widely known to be offensive? How do we educate people about marginalized ethnic groups that are not mentioned often?
I can totally see what you’re saying! I’ve seen this myself and find it very upsetting that people can’t seem to listen to Romani and Sinti voices. However, I do find it interesting that the G-word has become so ingrained into our society and wonder what we can possibly do to fix this problem; for example, there is a horse breed with the G-word in its name. How should we refer to this horse without being offensive to Romani and Sinti people?
Hi Brandon! I think an educational program will be able to help society realize that the harms of offensive language can help people understand the harmful effects of that language, as those programs can show how, throughout history, that language caused harm that can apply to the present day. This can be helpful, as you pointed out how socially normalized it is for people to use language they are not well-informed about, as they see the use of that language in popular online forums, such as songs written by well-recognized artists, e.g., Lady Gaga using the g-word, as you mentioned.
This is so true. There just seems to be no regard for different ethnic groups when coming up with terms or slurs to describe them. It makes me think about learning about ‘eskimos’ as a kid and just kind of being told that’s what we call people who live in igloos. I didn’t learn till recently that they were an actual indigenous group called the Inuit people. And you know what I think it is? I think that kind of history has been erased and we’ve become solely focused on the truths that come from those who tell the story. Just like the Roma and Sinti people, the Inuit have had a slur placed on them as a way of describing this false idea of their way of being. We really need to start pushing for inclusive language and educating ourselves on what we know because a lot of what we’ve learned is not the truth for what we know it to be.
This is so insightful! I feel like we, as a society, have granted ourselves the power to determine when certain words are “too offensive.” We pick and choose what words we can and can’t say, sometimes neglecting the outcries of the targets of the derogatory language. The targets of the language should be listened to when they feel certain words are offensive. We should all be more careful with what we say and the impact it causes!