Racial Slurs and Western Language - Why It Isn't About Political Correctness

image found here 

I'm still alive, readers! I just am incredibly busy with school and all that jazz...

My women's studies course on gender and pop culture has been going well - learning even more regarding media literacy! I always figure that after class I will create a new blog post, but it hasn't happened

...until now...

dun...dun...dun...

First of all, I learned that "Gypsy" is a derogatory term and that the Roma people were called Gypsies by others, not by themselves. Yet, I still see white women call each other "gypsy" as if it's uber-new-age and ultra free-spirited. I never knew that the term itself was considered a racial slur in many parts of the world. It got me thinking about how Western culture, particularly the privileged people living in that culture, use words that have been traditionally offensive to others. 

These words include:

Faggot - the derogatory term for homosexual men, also sometimes used to mean "cigarette" and has its roots in the days of witch-hunts and public executions.

Example of use in Western culture: 

"Ah brah, that guy started crying during a film...what a faggot!"

Clearly, anyone who mimics a "feminine" trait, or rather a human trait is called out on it. Also, it implies that there is something wrong or bad about homosexual men. It seems this word is still rather popular, particularly (at least from my observations) amongst teenage boys. 

Retard or Retarded - This word still has a place in the DSM-IV, which is the fourth edition of the psychiatrists' bible. It includes all mental illnesses with symptoms in tow. It still says "mentally retarded" as a diagnosis but apparently the fifth edition has removed it. I used this term constantly in high school, I never thought anything of it. Now, I find it really upsetting and offensive. The term dates back to 1489 and was used to mean either to impede or slow something. 

Example of use in Western culture: 

"Ha ha, look at that retard!" 

So yes, the word is used to describe someone with mental disabilities or someone who is disliked by whoever is saying it, usually to imply stupidity. 

It can also be used as "Wow, that movie was retarded" or "This test is retarded!"

I hear that more often than the first type. I believe that most people are using it to mean "stupid" but it doesn't convey that very well to most people. It is a word that calls for discrimination, plain and simple. 

 and finally, to elaborate...

Gypsy - This one is not thrown around too much in Western culture, but I have heard it in regards to fashion. The fashion industry loves to make money from the clothing styles of people in other parts of the world, usually less-privileged people. Think MAC a few months ago when they decided to make a makeup line inspired by the murdered factory-working women in Juarez.

I have also heard women living in the West use it to describe other women who dressed in particular fashions - I have even seen stores with "gypsy" in the name. It is another word that has taken on almost a completely separate meaning, at least here in the West. Here it seems the word means a Woman who wears flowy clothes, meditates and drinks expensive organic teas while interpretive dancing in the rain...

In reality, "Gypsy" was and is still used as a racial slur against the Roma people, who are horribly discriminated against in parts of Eastern Europe where they are segregated from the rest of their communities.

Have you ever said "That asshole gypped me!" or something similar? You probably have but if you haven't, then you most definitely have heard it before. That term originated from "Gyp" or "Gypsy", as the Roma people are stereotyped as strange, nomadic thieves.

Food for thought. 

In my opinion, the popular usage of the word in the West is a demonstration of people misunderstanding and romanticizing the lives of other people. 

Now, I realize that some of my readers may be sighing or rolling their eyes at all of this so-called political correctness but we must remember that language is powerful. It is central to our lives, it transcends culture and remains our main form of self-expression. Failing to consider language in a cultural and social context would be ridiculous as it would ignore the impact of words on the feelings and thoughts of others. 

In my past, the feelings of others were put off because I felt entitled to do and say whatever I wanted. It seemed all that mattered was me. But, people change as does the language we speak. As people and language change, culture changes with it. Our language reflects our culture and our values. Every culture is rich with diverse languages and each one mirrors the culture that created it. A popular belief in the West is that of libertarianism - the idea that people should be able to do whatever they want as long as no one is directly harmed. The italics are to highlight that many of the choices we make will have an impact on society collectively. We are not somehow separate from the human race, our words and actions do not exist in a vacuum, but I digress. Language evolves and it does so because of the humans who convey it, whether through sign, speech or other engines of communication. This means it was likely that a group of people said "no, do not call us that." 

For us to sit back on our super hip, liberated, post-modern individualistic Ikea couch and say "I can say whatever I want 'cause I'm a gypsy and an individual!" would be ignorant and well...assholish.