<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I expect at the time you made the change from "ladies" to "women," very few men would have considered dancing with another man, and those who did would have faced confusion at best, and hostility from some--I speak from my own experience. As that has changed, so has the language. Sorry if you think that's something to sigh about.</span><br class="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div class="">
<div class=""><div class="">Read Weaver</div><div class="">Jamaica Plain, MA</div><div class=""><a href="http://lcfd.org" class="">http://lcfd.org</a></div></div>
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<div><br class=""></div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Jan 21, 2016, at 2:19 AM, Martha Wild via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Actually, one of the reasons I started using men and women instead of ladies and gents for the different roles years ago is because I’m from the hippie generation - and we fought so hard not to be considered “ladies” any more. “”Lady' is a four letter word” was the expression at the time. I did have women on the floor come up to me and complain about my using the term when I first started calling, and I myself was uncomfortable with the nomenclature. So at that point I switched to calling the roles “men” and “women”. So it came as a surprise to me that now some people object to that as well. Sigh. <div class="">Martha</div><div class=""><br class=""><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Jan 20, 2016, at 5:40 PM, Lindsay Morris via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">As somebody said: this is political correctness run amuck.<font face="yw-82192b9a9c5b108ebce720f77fe7e506ffd28943-c5ad1b6cac0add8f113a511d09943835--ol" style="display: none;" class=""></font><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><irony></div><div class="">I myself am deeply offended by the term "gentleman". I find it controlling and violent in its supposition that I must behave in certain ways. </div><div class="">I hereby request - no, demand! - that all callers remove it from their vocabulary immediately.</div><div class=""></irony><br class=""></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all" class=""><div class=""><div class="gmail_signature">--------------------<br class="">Lindsay Morris<br class="">CEO, TSMworks<br class="">Tel. 1-859-539-9900<br class=""><a href="mailto:lindsay@tsmworks.com" target="_blank" class="">lindsay@tsmworks.com</a></div></div>
<br class=""><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 8:21 PM, Harris Lapiroff via Callers <span dir="ltr" class=""><<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>></span> wrote:<br class=""><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr" class="">Do you all know that we literally received a letter from the woman in question on this very mailing list a few months back requesting that we not use this word? It's in an email from Martha Wild on 11/3/15 with the subject line "[Callers] Fwd: Use of the word "<span class="">gypsy</span>" in various folk dances - Response from <span class="">Voice</span> of <span class="">Roma"</span>, but I'll paste it back in here to remind you:<br class=""><br class=""><div style="margin-left:40px" class=""><div style="margin:0px" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class=""><b class="">From: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class="">Carol Silverman <<a href="mailto:csilverm@uoregon.edu" target="_blank" class="">csilverm@uoregon.edu</a>><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin:0px" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class=""><b class="">Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class=""><b class="">Re: Use of the word "<span class="">gypsy</span>" in various folk dances</b><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin:0px" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class=""><b class="">Date: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class="">November 3, 2015 7:28:00 PM PST<br class=""></span></div><div style="margin:0px" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class=""><b class="">To: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class="">Martha Wild <<a href="mailto:mawild@sbcglobal.net" target="_blank" class="">mawild@sbcglobal.net</a>>, <span class="">Voice</span> of <span class="">Roma</span> <<a href="mailto:voiceofroma@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="">voiceofroma@gmail.com</a>><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin:0px" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class=""><b class="">Cc: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: inherit;" class="">Petra Gelbart <<a href="mailto:petragelbart@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="">petragelbart@gmail.com</a>><br class=""></span></div><br class="">Dear Martha,<div class="">Sani Rifati, President of <span class="">Voice</span> of <span class="">Roma</span> forwarded you message to me. Although I am not <span class="">Romani</span>, I am on the Board of VOR and we do care deeply about the terms used for the people we represent.</div><div class="">A large number of <span class="">Roma</span> (but not all) are offended by the term <span class="">Gypsy</span>,
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
<span class="">Roma</span> are from India. <span class="">Roma</span>
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.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">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!</div><div class="">Sincerely, Carol Silverman</div><div class="">PS Check the VOR webs page fro my information: <a href="http://www.voiceofroma.com/culture/gyp_vs_rom.html" target="_blank" class="">http://www.voiceofroma.com/culture/gyp_vs_rom.html</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class="">I assume she uses it on her website and in her writings either because her views have evolved since writing them or because she is referring to categories that others have ascribed to music, arts, and people, not because she endorses its usage (since, obviously, she does not).<br class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I don't understand why this is still an issue up for debate when we've received such definitive information, nor do I understand why some of you care so much about defending a term that you have been told is offensive.<br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_extra"><br class=""><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 8:08 PM, Michael Fuerst via Callers <span dir="ltr" class=""><<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>></span> wrote:<br class=""><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: garamond, 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 13px;" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><span class=""><font size="3" class="">Here is the web page about the speaker, Carol Silverman<br class=""><a href="http://anthropology.uoregon.edu/profile/csilverm/" target="_blank" class="">http://anthropology.uoregon.edu/profile/csilverm/</a><br class=""></font></span></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><font size="3" class="">Note how freely "gypsy" appears throughout Professor Silverman's page. The word is obvious not at all heinous.</font></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><font size="3" class="">One doubts the talk will deal with quixotic squawking about the evil of the word "gypsy" on this and other contra dance forums </font></div><span class=""><div class=""></div><div class=""><font size="3" class=""> </font></div><div class=""><font size="3" class="">Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 <a href="tel:217%20239%205844" value="+12172395844" target="_blank" class="">217 239 5844</a></font><div class=""><br class=""></div></div> <div class=""><br class=""><br class=""></div></span><div class=""><div class=""><div style="display:block" class=""> <div style="font-family:garamond,new york,times,serif;font-size:13px" class=""> <div style="font-family:HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif;font-size:16px" class=""> <div dir="ltr" class=""><font face="Arial" size="2" class=""> On Wednesday, January 20, 2016 5:19 PM, Linda Leslie via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:<br class=""></font></div> <br class=""><br class=""> <div class=""><div class=""><div class="">Yes, it does! If you should be there, please take some notes and share with this list. Thanks for telling us about it!<div class="">Linda</div><div class=""><br clear="none" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div class="">On Jan 20, 2016, at 5:12 PM, Roger Hayes via Callers <<a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank" class="">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:</div><br clear="none" class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;line-height:16.08px" class="">A talk that will be given as part of the Madison Folk Ball next weekend:</span></div><span style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;line-height:16.08px" class=""></span><div class=""><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class=""><br clear="none" class=""></span></div><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-size:12px" class="">"Global Gypsy: Balkan Romani Music, Appropriation & Representation"</span><br style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" clear="none" class=""><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class="">Carol Silverman, Prof. of Cultural Anthropology & Folklore, Univ. of Oregon</span><br style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" clear="none" class=""><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class="">Friday Jan 29, Noon - 1:00pm in Room 1335 of Sterling Hall</span><br style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" clear="none" class=""><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class="">475 N. Charter Street, Madison WI 53706</span><br clear="none" class=""><div class=""><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class=""><br clear="none" class=""></span></div><div class=""><font face="helvetica, arial, sans-serif" class=""><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class="">Sounds interesting, yes?</span></font></div><div class=""><font face="helvetica, arial, sans-serif" class=""><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:16.08px" class=""><br clear="none" class=""></span></font></div></div>
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