Re: [Callers] That g word

As mentioned, there are many words we use that are even considered impolite but only depending on context. The nickname for Richard, for example. Lots of men proudly use that as their name, but it’s also a really offensive term. The name Randy has other contexts, yet we use it without any problem in the context of someone with that as their name. (Note the use of the plural for the generic singular pronoun, which I’ve done for years, unhappy with he/him for that term and that just sort of started happening). If our word actually came down from Welsh, and has no relationship to the Romani whatsoever, then it would seem even more reason to recognize that it is context dependent and completely divorced from the pejorative use of the unfortunately similar word in other countries. Martha On Jan 21, 2016, at 5:56 AM, Janet Bertog via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: I have contacted Carol and have begun a discussion. I still have several unanswered questions but one thing I did learn is that the Romani have claimed the word and deemed it offensive and feel it should not be used, in any context, in any language. More about why she herself uses the word later. One thing I asked her was about her insistence on the use of a capital G. To me, this would indicate that Gypsy would refer to the ethnicity, while gypsy would have a possibly completely different meaning. We know that gipsy/gip was being used in country dances at least in 1909 when Cecil Sharp wrote them down. Two of the three dances in the 1909 book originated in the 1500s, one ECD and one Morris Dance from Scotland. We do not know if they originally used the terms gip/gipsy in the 1500s, but we do know that gip, at least, has another meaning in Welsh (a celtic language) - gaze or glance. So, my conversation with Carol is ongoing, and unresolved. But if you feel that a group can claim a word and then claim that it is a slur, there are a lot of other words you should stop using as well. Janet On Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 3:00 AM, Erik Hoffman via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: > What's in a word? As this list points out, it gets confusing. > > Like Martha, I stopped using "Ladies," and "Gents," or "Gentlemen," > because they are words steeped in class-ism. And after years of being told > we live in a classless society, the lie of that became clear. > > But, more recently I was approached by a man who felt "Ladies," and > "Gents" were roles anyone could play whereas "Men" and "Women" really did > refer to what was between our legs, and made it more uncomfortable to > switch roles. Also, even though we live in a severely class society, the > words "Ladies" and "Gents" don't seem to carry that weight any more. > > Then again, in Berkeley we've switched to "gender free," and use > "Ravens" and "Larks" now. > > This is all to say, those who come to the dance have many differing > associations with words. And sometimes it is important that we listen. > > Take "He" and "She." We all know that "He" has been the generic > pronoun where "She" refers only to women. Since we live in a society > dominated by the patriarchal Christian religion, it's clear that using "He" > and "Him" generically supports this concept. Many of us, in the sixties and > seventies counteracted this male dominance by using "She" and "Her" as the > generic pronoun. It was startling how different it feels to switch to > those. There are now corners pushing to just use "They" and "Them" for > everyone, like we use "you" for both plural and singular. Maybe it will > take hold... > > But all this is to say, these little words do have an affect on how we > think about things. > > So now we are thinking about "gypsy." Or, better with capitalization, > "Gypsy." Is it derogatory? To some, not all. Is that reason enough to > change? Perhaps for some. I've started using "Right Shoulder Turn," and > "Left Shoulder Turn." It doesn't slide off the tongue, an isn't as > colorful, but it is more descriptive. At Contra Carnivale, Susan Michaels > said someone had come up with "Roma-around," or "Romaround.." > > So we're all dealing with it, and considering this as: > > Some of us are attached to our words, and don't want to loose it. Some > of us are vociferous about keeping it. And some of us are searching for a > substitute that might work better. Seems about right. > > Mostly, I want to suggest, as we struggle with this, consider how our > language and word choice does affect others, whether we mean it to or not. > As callers, we are in the public eye--granted a small pond of the > public--but our words do go out there and cause others to think, too. > > What's in a word? A lot. > > ~erik hoffman > oakland, ca > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________