this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2026
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[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 42 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I'm American, but my grandma was a 1st generation immigrant. She always threatened to "sell [me] to the gypsies" if I didn't behave. I didn't have any idea what a "gypsy" was! There was no context for a 4 year old in the States. Hell, I didn't even know it was a slur until I was in my twenties. That was pretty gross, Gram. Boomers gonna Boom, though, I guess.

[–] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

All labels are slurs now, except for the word "label". I think that's still okay (and do look at Wikipedia's list of ethnic slurs, you say racist stuff every day without knowing!

"this word is Algongquin for 'friend'

SLUR HOW DARE YOU

I won't repeat the "Algongquin word for 'friend'" because... you know. Because everything is stupid now

[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

It is on Wikipedia's "List of Ethnic Slurs" and I remember it suddenly being kind of a big deal out of nowhere in the mid 2010's (not it being on the list, just in general on the corners of the internet I inhabited at the time). Like, my wife watched a lot of Kathleen Lights videos on YouTube at the time, and she had a sign in her background that said something like "gypsy soul" and she got backlash from her viewers.

I don't know that anybody in my daily life even now, here in Metro Detroit, considers it one or uses it as one. I know I don't use it anymore, really besides this comment chain. There are tons of immigrants from all over around here, I definitely don't want to offend anyone. I will hear it from time to time, in a general way to refer to people who are or want to be kind of nomads. Like, a positive thing. Idk, I still don't say it anymore.

[–] thespcicifcocean@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I was 30 years old before I learned that word's a slur

[–] Axolotl_cpp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 23 hours ago

When i was little i though a "Zingaro" (gypsy) was someone poor or like someone who didn't dress up well due to my mother saying stuff like "Don't use X clothing like that, you look like a gypsy"

[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 2 days ago

It's not necessarily a slur, depending on who you are using it to refer to. There are some communities who refer to themselves that way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy,_Roma_and_Traveller

[–] ZeroEightOneFive@reddthat.com 26 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Same for me, but Germany. I thought, "Zigeuner" (Gypsy) meant that someone had no address because they would live in trailers and would move from place to place. Which sounded very cool and I wished, I could do that, too.

I did not understand, however, why one should not trust them.

Turns out, it's just racism.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I encountered Romani a few times when I was living in Germany. It was not a positive impression. But even then I was well aware of how being historically marginalized breeds poverty and crime.

[–] blargh513@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I don't know what that is, but it sounds like a slur. I don't have any problem with Romani, only individuals who engage in antisocial behavior, same as anyone else.

[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

'sounds like a slur'

this used to be called a colloquialism or abbreviation for the sake of brevity back in the day.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 1 points 15 hours ago

Putting aside the fact that they're not the same thing, how is "colloquialism" or "abbreviation" more brief than "slur"?

[–] reptar@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago

Oh, dogs! Sure, I like dogs!