Thank you for the clarification from the Voice of Roma. Having learned the dance move and the term, and used it in complete ignorant innocence, I feel sad that it's leaving.
But I'm sentimental about the Confederate flag, too and sad that my high school's arch-rival will no longer be Robert E Lee High School. I've just been living my life in a pool of ignorance and not realizing I'm offending people right and left. Lissa Bengtson San Antonio Sent from my iPhone > On Nov 4, 2015, at 3:01 PM, via Callers <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > [email protected] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [email protected] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [email protected] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Fwd: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances - > Response from Voice of Roma (Martha Wild via Callers) > 2. Re: Fwd: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances - > Response from Voice of Roma (Winston, Alan P. via Callers) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2015 19:43:31 -0800 > From: Martha Wild via Callers <[email protected]> > To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > Subject: [Callers] Fwd: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances > - Response from Voice of Roma > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" > > All, I have received the following response from a representative from the > Voice of Roma. This seems to be a pretty definitive response to whether the > term is insulting or not to the Roma people. > Martha > > > Begin forwarded message: > >> From: Carol Silverman <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances >> Date: November 3, 2015 7:28:00 PM PST >> To: Martha Wild <[email protected]>, Voice of Roma <[email protected]> >> Cc: Petra Gelbart <[email protected]> >> >> Dear Martha, >> Sani Rifati, President of Voice of Roma forwarded you message to me. >> Although I am not Romani, I am on the Board of VOR and we do care deeply >> about the terms used for the people we represent. >> A large number of Roma (but not all) are offended by the term Gypsy, >> especially with a small g. To ?gyp" someone means to steal and swindle; plus >> the word connotes a false history? it a short for Egyptian whereas Roma are >> from India. Roma have faced centuries of discrimination, and today are >> subject to deportations and racial profiling; this would be an opportunity >> to teach your community a little about their history. >> >> So whatever the history of the dance step, I know that names can be changed >> by sensitive callers like you. I would urge you to change the names and >> seize and educational moment! >> Sincerely, Carol Silverman >> PS Check the VOR webs page fro my information: >> http://www.voiceofroma.com/culture/gyp_vs_rom.html >> >> >> >> >> >>> From: Martha Wild <[email protected]> >>> Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 1:56 AM >>> Subject: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances >>> To: [email protected] >>> >>> >>> Hi, >>> I am a folk dancer - I do a lot of contra dancing and English Country dance >>> and I call the dances as well. >>> >>> Recently a newcomer who came to a dance at another venue brought to our (a >>> group of caller's that talk about such subjects on a list) attention that >>> we have been using the word gypsy for one of the dance moves in both types >>> of dance. This dancer (not a Roma) came to one of our dances and was upset >>> that we used the term "gypsy" for this dance move, as they felt that the >>> word was insulting to the Roma people. >>> >>> I would like to know if this is the case, as we have never intended to be >>> derogatory to anyone, but lots of dances have this move, and dance names >>> even contain the name, like "The Gypsy Star" and others. >>> >>> The move in question is a move where two people walk around each other and >>> back to place, while facing each other. There is some confusion about >>> origin of the term, but the best guess is that there was an English Country >>> dance called "The Spanish Gypsy" that was written over a hundred years ago, >>> and it was the first to include this move of people walking around each >>> other while facing (prior to that people generally did a "back to back, or >>> what is also called "do-si-do". The move was not called a "gypsy", but >>> because this dance used it and other dances copied it, people called it a >>> "gypsy" because it was the same move that was in that dance. >>> >>> I've been calling these dances for over 25 years and have used this term to >>> indicate this move, never intending anything by it other than as an >>> established name for a dance figure. I am hoping that some of the folks at >>> Voice of Roma could give me an opinion as to whether you find it offensive >>> or not for us to continue to use it. We've been discussing on the web >>> whether we should try to find a different name, but if you feel that this >>> use of the word gypsy is not an issue then we can stop arguing over words >>> like "eddy" or "swirl" and continue to use it. If you do find it offensive, >>> however, I will gladly alter my dance cards to something else so as not to >>> continue to be offensive. >>> >>> Thanks for your input, >>> Martha Wild >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Sani Rifati >>> 707/823-7941 >>> http://www.voiceofroma.com >> >> Carol Silverman >> Professor >> Department of Anthropology and >> Folklore Program >> University of Oregon >> Eugene OR 97403-1218 >> Office 541-346-5114 >> Fax 541-346-0668 >> [email protected] > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > <http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/attachments/20151103/258f8352/attachment.html> > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2015 19:47:15 -0800 > From: "Winston, Alan P. via Callers" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Callers] Fwd: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk > dances - Response from Voice of Roma > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"; Format="flowed" > > Thank you for doing this, Martha. > > -- Alan > > >> On 11/3/2015 7:43 PM, Martha Wild via Callers wrote: >> All, I have received the following response from a representative from >> the Voice of Roma. This seems to be a pretty definitive response to >> whether the term is insulting or not to the Roma people. >> Martha >> >> >> Begin forwarded message: >> >>> *From: *Carol Silverman <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> >>> *Subject: **Re: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances* >>> *Date: *November 3, 2015 7:28:00 PM PST >>> *To: *Martha Wild <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>>, Voice of Roma <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> >>> *Cc: *Petra Gelbart <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> >>> >>> Dear Martha, >>> Sani Rifati, President of Voice of Roma forwarded you message to me. >>> Although I am not Romani, I am on the Board of VOR and we do care >>> deeply about the terms used for the people we represent. >>> A large number of Roma (but not all) are offended by the term Gypsy, >>> especially with a small g. To ?gyp" someone means to steal and >>> swindle; plus the word connotes a false history? it a short for >>> Egyptian whereas Roma are from India. Roma have faced centuries of >>> discrimination, and today are subject to deportations and racial >>> profiling; this would be an opportunity to teach your community a >>> little about their history. >>> >>> So whatever the history of the dance step, I know that names can be >>> changed by sensitive callers like you. I would urge you to change the >>> names and seize and educational moment! >>> Sincerely, Carol Silverman >>> PS Check the VOR webs page fro my information: >>> http://www.voiceofroma.com/culture/gyp_vs_rom.html >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>> From: *Martha Wild* <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> >>>> Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 1:56 AM >>>> Subject: Use of the word "gypsy" in various folk dances >>>> To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >>>> >>>> >>>> Hi, >>>> I am a folk dancer - I do a lot of contra dancing and English >>>> Country dance and I call the dances as well. >>>> >>>> Recently a newcomer who came to a dance at another venue brought to >>>> our (a group of caller's that talk about such subjects on a list) >>>> attention that we have been using the word gypsy for one of the >>>> dance moves in both types of dance. This dancer (not a Roma) came to >>>> one of our dances and was upset that we used the term "gypsy" for >>>> this dance move, as they felt that the word was insulting to the >>>> Roma people. >>>> >>>> I would like to know if this is the case, as we have never intended >>>> to be derogatory to anyone, but lots of dances have this move, and >>>> dance names even contain the name, like "The Gypsy Star" and others. >>>> >>>> The move in question is a move where two people walk around each >>>> other and back to place, while facing each other. There is some >>>> confusion about origin of the term, but the best guess is that there >>>> was an English Country dance called "The Spanish Gypsy" that was >>>> written over a hundred years ago, and it was the first to include >>>> this move of people walking around each other while facing (prior to >>>> that people generally did a "back to back, or what is also called >>>> "do-si-do". The move was not called a "gypsy", but because this >>>> dance used it and other dances copied it, people called it a "gypsy" >>>> because it was the same move that was in that dance. >>>> >>>> I've been calling these dances for over 25 years and have used this >>>> term to indicate this move, never intending anything by it other >>>> than as an established name for a dance figure. I am hoping that >>>> some of the folks at Voice of Roma could give me an opinion as to >>>> whether you find it offensive or not for us to continue to use it. >>>> We've been discussing on the web whether we should try to find a >>>> different name, but if you feel that this use of the word gypsy is >>>> not an issue then we can stop arguing over words like "eddy" or >>>> "swirl" and continue to use it. If you do find it offensive, >>>> however, I will gladly alter my dance cards to something else so as >>>> not to continue to be offensive. >>>> >>>> Thanks for your input, >>>> Martha Wild >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Sani Rifati >>>> 707/823-7941 >>>> http://www.voiceofroma.com <http://www.voiceofroma.com/> >>> >>> Carol Silverman >>> Professor >>> Department of Anthropology and >>> Folklore Program >>> University of Oregon >>> Eugene OR 97403-1218 >>> Office 541-346-5114 >>> Fax 541-346-0668 >>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > <http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/attachments/20151103/2d26daa0/attachment-0001.htm> > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > ------------------------------ > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 19, Issue 4 > **************************************
