Roma: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"In Romani, there is the saying that ''kon mangel te kerel tumendar roburen chi shocha phenela tumen o chachimos pa tumare perintonde'', 'he who wants to enslave you will never tell you the truth about your forefathers.'"''|'''Ian Hancock''', Romani scholar}}

 

 

First, gypsies are usually shown as dishonest: thieves, pickpockets, [[Con Man|con-men]], trespassers, and all-around [[Tricksters]] who wouldn't think twice about taking everything you own that isn't nailed down, and a few things that are. The danger of children being kidnapped by gypsies was a common old wive's tale. The stereotype for dishonesty is where the term "gypped" probably comes from. While the rampant poverty in some Romani populations does lead to a high level of crime, this is also true of the poverty-stricken sections of every other race.

In addition to perpetuating stereotypes about the Romani, the media is largely blasé about slurs against them, using insulting terms like "gyppo" or "pikey" without much concern. Apparently the Romani are still [[Acceptable Ethnic Targets]] -- another holdover from [[wikipedia:Antiziganism|previous]] [[wikipedia:Porajmos|centuries]] when the Romani were one of the Western world's [[Butt Monkey|Butt Monkeys]]. Approximately 500,000 Romani were killed in Nazi concentration camps, with several hundred thousand more killed by roving SS death squads; all told, between one and two million European Romani were killed during [[World War Two]].

 

 

There is no relation (ethnic or etymological) to the Romans or the Romanians. Sometimes the two are confused, which is probably because the "â" used in the native name for Romania gets lost in the English translation. There is also no connection between the Romani and [[Irish Travellers]] beyond a historical reputation for a nomadic lifestyle.

** She also allegedly curses Stanley's ancestor (it's a bit ambiguous if there really is a curse or if the family just has horrid luck), but it's somewhat sympathetic, because said ancestor was an idiot who forgot to perform the simple task of carrying her up a mountain and letting her drink from a stream in exchange for her help. {{spoiler|It's implied that her curse is broken when the conditions are fulfilled and Stanley carries her descendent up a mountain to drink from a stream.}}

* Katarina Taikon's "Katitzi" book series were based on the author's own WWII wartime Romani upbringing.

* In Brian Jacques' ''[[Redwall]]'' series, foxes are stereotyped as sly, deceitful, vaguely magical tricksters and all-around [[Manipulative Bastard]] types - many are fortunetellers with fashion choices seeming to prefer brightly colored skirts and headscarves, and bangles. Seeing as certain animal species are [[Exclusively Evil]], this leads to a number of [[Unfortunate Implications]]. However, unlike other stereotypical gypsies, foxes usually appear as advisors to the various evil warlords that try to conquer Redwall or Salamandastron, rather than wandering thieving bands. Not that that depiction is any better, mind you.

* In Kenneth Oppel's ''[[Airborn]]'' series, there is Nadira, who is harassed in 1910 Paris for being a "gypsy." She irritably replies "I'm a Roma."

** [[Ravenloft]] had the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120124115505/http://ravenloftsd.wikispaces.com/Vistani Vistani], whose writers (thankfully), go out their way to avoid stereotypes about the Roma-they're mysterious and mystical and apt to throw curses, but they aren't inherently better or worse than any other person. Too bad the ''other'' citizens of Ravenloft haven't gotten the memo-much like real gypsies, they get a lot of bad press (which isn't to say some don't deserve it, but the vast majority of them don't). This depiction might be less offensive than in other media, since nearly EVERYone in the D&D world has access to mystic powers and has magic users living among them. Third edition's ''Expedition to Castle Ravenloft'' transforms the Vistani from an ethnic group into simply a communal subculture by including halfling as well as human Vistani.

*** The Vistani ''do'' seem to have some inborn magical talents that few humans in Ravenloft do, but that probably seemed more startling before 3rd edition [[Dungeons & Dragons]] introduced the Sorcerer class.

** [[Spelljammer]] had the Aperusa. Usually in roles of harmless entertainers, salvage scavengers, petty thieves or scammers, or at most not-too-brave [[Lovable Rogue]]. They even travel on unarmed (and patchwork) ships. On the exotic side, they're slightly magic-resistant and immune to mind-reading, but can't have [[Psychic Powers]].

** [[Forgotten Realms]] has Valantra, nomadic folk which also gave name to "spellsingers" -- very powerful (not bound by [[Vancian Magic|Vancian]] rules) but non-combat (slow) spellcasting tradition introduced in ''[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2461 Wizards and Rogues of the Realms]''. Just to remove possible doubts, the artwork shows [[Hot Gypsy Woman|a fine dark-haired lady clad in wind-friendly clothes]] and ''lots'' of bracers, dancing with a tambourine.