They were socialized in a racist culture, and although their individual views may be different, they can't fully shake the legacy.
---------------------
So true, mod that one up.
If you ever travel in the Balkans and parts of Central Europe you will be amazed how cruel the language still is to gypsies. "Lying gypsy", "stupid gypsy", "lazy gypsy", "dirty/shaggy like a gypsy"; also gypsy women are stereotyped as highway whores. In these parts of the world PC doesn't exist. There are adverts on television and billboards which make fun of the way gypsies speak. The PC straw man argument exists, but not actual political correctness. This kind of language is so mainstream you look weird when you speak against it.
Most people who use the awful racist language aren't really racist. They don't know what eugenics is, they don't have any ideologies that systematize or justify gypsy-bashing: there aren't any "Protocols..", or the "International Gypsy" books. There aren't any lynchings. They might be nice to gypsies and treat them as equals. To most people the anger those gypsies from the stereotypes are just a generalization and it is widely acknowledged that "there are good gypsies".
People actually think they are tolerant: they sometimes begin their sentences with "I am not a racist, but.." before they bash gypsies. In the old commie days people were taught that America was the place where they beat the black people.
There isn't any official discrimination in the countries gypsies live, but there is no PC. The unofficial discrimination still takes its toll. Most gypsies are poor, ill-educated, have short life-spans and trouble with the law. There isn't anything that provides deterrence against discrimination, which manifests itself in "common-sense": you aren't racist, but you don't want to take risks. When faced with such "common-sense" and prejudice you lose enthusiasm for trying. It happens in usually in high-school. And of course there are those bad-apples - the "nationalists" and the neo-nazis. Most people disapprove of them, but the extremists are not a problem when you have the rule of law.
Its the racist culture.
So please be careful with the language. Its does matter how much you mean it, but any amount of prejudice does harm.
They were socialized in a racist culture, and although their individual views may be different, they can't fully shake the legacy.
---------------------
So true, mod that one up.
If you ever travel in the Balkans and parts of Central Europe you will be amazed how cruel the language still is to gypsies. "Lying gypsy", "stupid gypsy", "lazy gypsy", "dirty/shaggy like a gypsy"; also gypsy women are stereotyped as highway whores. In these parts of the world PC doesn't exist. There are adverts on television and billboards which make fun of the way gypsies speak. The PC straw man argument exists, but not actual political correctness. This kind of language is so mainstream you look weird when you speak against it.
Most people who use the awful racist language aren't really racist. They don't know what eugenics is, they don't have any ideologies that systematize or justify gypsy-bashing: there aren't any "Protocols..", or the "International Gypsy" books. There aren't any lynchings. They might be nice to gypsies and treat them as equals. To most people the anger those gypsies from the stereotypes are just a generalization and it is widely acknowledged that "there are good gypsies".
People actually think they are tolerant: they sometimes begin their sentences with "I am not a racist, but.." before they bash gypsies. In the old commie days people were taught that America was the place where they beat the black people.
There isn't any official discrimination in the countries gypsies live, but there is no PC. The unofficial discrimination still takes its toll. Most gypsies are poor, ill-educated, have short life-spans and trouble with the law. There isn't anything that provides deterrence against discrimination, which manifests itself in "common-sense": you aren't racist, but you don't want to take risks. When faced with such "common-sense" and prejudice you lose enthusiasm for trying. It happens in usually in high-school. And of course there are those bad-apples - the "nationalists" and the neo-nazis. Most people disapprove of them, but the extremists are not a problem when you have the rule of law.
Its the racist culture.
So please be careful with the language. Its does matter how much you mean it, but any amount of prejudice does harm.