4 ms·

> Roma and the other gypsy peoples I thought gypsy was the exonym for the Roma(ni) people. Are there other "gypsy" peoples?

bigbubba 6y ago
Irish Travellers are sometimes called gypsies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers
de_Selby 6y ago
Travellers could also be considered gypsies. They are mainly in Ireland and England and are regarded similarly. Part of the problem is that a nomadic lifestyle just doesn't gel with modern society so they don't integrate at all. For the same reason it's hard for these people to find work and a subset do often turn to crime. Culturally they also have very conservative and often misogynistic views which acts as another barrier to integration. In ways it is similar to the issues with Islamic migrants integrating into European society. It's too simplistic to just label it as racism and be done with it (not to say there isn't racism). There are real issues.
- ithkuil 6y ago
  > Travellers could also be considered gypsies Yes I heard people use that label for all nomadic minorities. I wonder if it's improper use of the word.
  - ciceryadam 6y ago
    Well, in UK it seems that is either Gypsy or Irish Traveller: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers#/media/File:Population_identifying_as_Gypsy_or_Irish_Travellers_2011.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers#/media/File:P...
- Gibbon1 6y ago
  > issues with Islamic migrants integrating into European society. As an American this always baffles me.
- xyzzyz 6y ago
  Interestingly, English and Irish travelers are unrelated to mainland gypsies: they are mostly of the same ancestry as regular English and Irish, they just live different lifestyle on the edge of society. On the other hand, most mainland gypsies are actually their own ethnicity with their own separate genetic ancestry.
malkia 6y ago
My "shallow" understanding is that "gypsy" seemed to be related to "egyptian", because of their looks. Others point to 13th-14th century ottoman invasion bringing troops from South Asia that were forced to move out from there, and used them as supporting troops later settling in Europe. Hell if I know. I'm bulgarian, and you can imagine how this was portrayed to me, by parents, school, friends, etc. This article actually opened my eyes. Not that I didn't know how it looked, but how would it feel...
- thaumasiotes 6y ago
  Yes, the word "gypsy" comes from "Egypt". It's not immediately obvious why the term was applied to the gypsies. We know with certainty that the gypsies came from India, though we don't know the details.

bigbubba 6y ago

Irish Travellers are sometimes called gypsies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers

de_Selby 6y ago

Travellers could also be considered gypsies. They are mainly in Ireland and England and are regarded similarly. Part of the problem is that a nomadic lifestyle just doesn't gel with modern society so they don't integrate at all. For the same reason it's hard for these people to find work and a subset do often turn to crime. Culturally they also have very conservative and often misogynistic views which acts as another barrier to integration. In ways it is similar to the issues with Islamic migrants integrating into European society. It's too simplistic to just label it as racism and be done with it (not to say there isn't racism). There are real issues.

ithkuil 6y ago
> Travellers could also be considered gypsies Yes I heard people use that label for all nomadic minorities. I wonder if it's improper use of the word.
- ciceryadam 6y ago
  Well, in UK it seems that is either Gypsy or Irish Traveller: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers#/media/File:Population_identifying_as_Gypsy_or_Irish_Travellers_2011.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers#/media/File:P...
Gibbon1 6y ago
> issues with Islamic migrants integrating into European society. As an American this always baffles me.
xyzzyz 6y ago
Interestingly, English and Irish travelers are unrelated to mainland gypsies: they are mostly of the same ancestry as regular English and Irish, they just live different lifestyle on the edge of society. On the other hand, most mainland gypsies are actually their own ethnicity with their own separate genetic ancestry.

malkia 6y ago

My "shallow" understanding is that "gypsy" seemed to be related to "egyptian", because of their looks. Others point to 13th-14th century ottoman invasion bringing troops from South Asia that were forced to move out from there, and used them as supporting troops later settling in Europe. Hell if I know. I'm bulgarian, and you can imagine how this was portrayed to me, by parents, school, friends, etc. This article actually opened my eyes. Not that I didn't know how it looked, but how would it feel...

thaumasiotes 6y ago
Yes, the word "gypsy" comes from "Egypt". It's not immediately obvious why the term was applied to the gypsies. We know with certainty that the gypsies came from India, though we don't know the details.