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Madonna Booed in Bucharest for Criticizing Discrimination Against Roma, Or Gypsies

More news stories on Europe

Yahoo! News, August 23, 2009

Thousands of fans have booed pop star Madonna after she spoke out against the discrimination of Gypsies in eastern Europe during one of her concerts.

{snip}

She said that made her “sad” and nobody should be discriminated against.

Thousands in the crowd of 60,000 booed her. {snip}

{snip}

There are officially some 500,000 Roma in Romania, but the real number could be around two million. They face prejudice and discrimination in Romania and other east European nations.

Original article

(Posted on August 27, 2009)

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Comments

1 — EastRacist wrote at 6:10 PM on August 27:

I am a Romanian and I lived four years in America, I can tell you that I did not meet any racists in America, you forgot what it means to be racist.

In Romania we don’t like any coloured people, we were not brainwashed by communism, in fact communism was not what you think in relation to race, it was national communism.

The white race will survive in Eastern Europe and Russia.

We despise Western Europe where coloreds are worshipped.

In the future many of your descendants will find refuge in EE and Russia.

2 — stringtheoryrob wrote at 6:38 PM on August 27:

Maybe ‘Madge’ should stop being such a bigot, show some tolerance, and invite some of those 500k gypsies to live with her in one of her gated ivory towers.

3 — Anonymous wrote at 6:48 PM on August 27:

There is a very simple, universal law, which the communists, socialists, and liberals (and their controlled media) simply refuse to acknowledge. All throughout history and all over the world, when diverse people are forced to live together, it results in conflict. In fact, the majority of wars have been fought because of such “diversity” in race, ethnicity, religion, or political outlook. It is an absolute fact that homogeneous (i.e., single race) societies have absolutely no racial conflict. Throughout the world, one only finds internal racial conflict in countries where different races live together.

How can you create racial conflict in a nation? Simple, import people of a different race.

4 — Anonymous wrote at 7:16 PM on August 27:

I have a neighbor who just got back from Hungary where there are a lot of gypsies. Among other horror stories, there is the extortion of gypsies by the gypsy mafia.

Hungary has a welfare system. Virtually all the gypsies are on welfare whatever their other sources of income, theft, robbery, fraud, extortion, con games etc.

The gypsies get their welfare checks every month. As soon as the checks arrive, the gypsy mafia takes the money from the weaker gypsies. As a result the weaker gypsies are starving, malnourished, don’t have clothes for the winter cold and have an extremely high death rate, especially for young children and the elderly. Actually, only the alpha mafia gypsies live to their 50’s. The weaker gypsies die young due to malnurishment because the stronger gypsies extort the welfare money.

The Hungarian has built them many housing developments. They roll up the carpets, and remove kitchen and bathroom tiles, the appliances, bathroom fixtures, hot water heaters and furnaces, copper wire, light fixtures, circuit boxes, roofing and sell these things. I guess they never think they are tearing apart their own houses.

There is a reason for stereotypes.

5 — Anonymous wrote at 7:45 PM on August 27:

I’ve heard that they ‘acquire’ mannequins, dressmaker’s forms, etc. along with cheap (or stolen) old used pants and spend hour upon hour with a razor knife, perfecting their skills at slicing the pocket stitching so that they can do it almost instantaneously and without the victim feeling a thing.

You’re walking along, brush up against someone and then a couple of city blocks later you notice that half of your pants pocket is flapping in the breeze and your wallet is gone.

And pointing out or objectng to this is being redefined as ‘racism’.

6 — Anonymous wrote at 7:47 PM on August 27:

Have you lived in countries where there are gypsies? Have you ever been attacked by a band of children coming out of a Metro who try to take your watch and wallet? Stereotypes are wrong, but there is a basis for those stereotypes. Having lived in five countries a total of 13 years, I can understand why there is prejudice against gypsies.

7 — Anonymous wrote at 7:48 PM on August 27:

It can be difficult to get a job when your parents broke your legs so that you’d be more “pitiful” when your parents send you out to beg. And if you DON’T bring home money, you get even more harsh treatment.

8 — Tim in Indiana wrote at 7:55 PM on August 27:

Despite the name, the Roma are not originally from Romania, but originated in Northern India.

I consulted a book from a more honest age, the Funk & Wagnall’s New Standard Encyclopedia (1930), which had this to say about the Gypsies:

“At first they were treated kindly and assisted up from poverty alike by people and government; but their thievish habits soon caused them to be driven from place to place, and stringent laws were frequently passed against them.”

So one has to wonder about all the “prejudice” (pre-judging) the Gypsies are supposedly facing. How is it “prejudice” when it’s born out of hundreds of years of observation and experience?

Put another way, if a higher percentage of Gypsies commit crimes, then it should not be surprising if a higher percentage are in prison. It’s called the law of cause and effect.

9 — Anonymous wrote at 8:01 PM on August 27:

I intercepted a Gypsy kid targeting my husband in Rome. She must have been 5 or 6 years old. What Gypsies do with their children (train them for crime) would be considered child abuse in this country.

George Soros huh? And people think the James Bond villians like Dr. No, Blufield and Goldfinger were fictional.

10 — Anonymous wrote at 8:03 PM on August 27:

In Slovakia many gypsies get free apartments from the city council which they usually trash and have an “open toilet” in one corner of the room, they get free health care and education yet too often they fail to send their kids to school instead they send their kids to beg and steal on the streets. So where is the “overt discrimination?’

11 — Anonymous wrote at 8:06 PM on August 27:

Oddly enough, I was attacked in Rome by a band of gypsy children. It is common for them to surround someone and then start trying to steal your wallet, watch, handbag, etc, and then scatter with the loot. They hang out at trains stations, bus stations, etc. all over Europe employing the same technique. I have lived in Italy, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Finland. Except for Finland, there are varying numbers of gypsies, most of whom are involved in crime of one sort or another. They are coming mainly from Eastern Europe.

12 — Anonymous wrote at 8:11 PM on August 27:

In Romania, they mutilate their own children to make them more pathetic looking for better begging. Peter David noticed this when he was making a Trancers movie there and among other things he noticed some children whose backs had been broken in such a way that they had to walk backwards on all fours, like crabs.

13 — sbuffalonative wrote at 8:17 PM on August 27:


“She said that made her “sad” and nobody should be discriminated against.”

I’ll bet she was surprised that they didn’t wallow in her ‘pity the poor victim’ routine and roll over and play brain-dead.

At least there’s one place in the world were the people know the role of the entertainer is to entertain, not give political lectures.

14 — Dutchman wrote at 8:22 PM on August 27:

I have a book somewhere called “Extraordinary Groups” that I used for a college class years ago. One chapter is dedicated to the Roma and it is quite revealing. Parasitism is entrenched in Roma culture and they view non-Roma as non-people to be exploited through various criminal enterprises-fraud, shoplifting, scams, etc.

It is thought that the Roma may have migrated to Europe from India during the Roman Empire.

15 — Anonymous wrote at 8:36 PM on August 27:

Jack Olsen wrote “Hastened to the Grave” about the Tene gypsy family in San Francisco. They used young girls in the family to attract old rich men who were then fleeced of their money and sometimes poisoned.

I’ve witnessed gypsies in Redondo Beach, CA using ancient gypsy women as decoys while they shoplift grocies.

16 — Anonymous wrote at 9:14 PM on August 27:

In the introduction to the book A People That Shall Dwell Alone, Roma/Gypsies are described as a group evolutionary strategy.

17 — Anonymous wrote at 9:19 PM on August 27:

It’s funny how all these liberal celebs complain about the “discrimination” against gypsies, illegal immigrants, non-whites, etc., yet they don’t life a finger to help them. All they’re really doing is trying to guilt-trip us.

18 — Crazyhorse Bih-Keh-He wrote at 10:22 PM on August 27:

There is an amazing book writer by an American woman doing research for her thesis on gypsies.”Burry my standing” is the title-do not remember her name.Where ever they came from they must have been driven out.Several things about their culture indicates they were moslems,or were heavily influenced by islam.India,or Egypt..I use to hang out at Gypsey night spots,and Cafes in Germany.I was hypnotized by their music.Some day I hope to own a Varo,or Show wagon,and do Ireland.Perhaps now the world will learn a bit more of Gypsey culture.I would love to put madona ino it for a year or so..Then she might sing a diferent tune-Really

19 — Anonymous wrote at 10:22 PM on August 27:

“She said that made her “sad” and nobody should be discriminated against.”

That sounds just so noble, but I suspect she’s been eyeing up a new ethnic fashion accessory (of the Roma variety) to adopt, and seeing how it might affect record sales in Eastern Europe.

20 — Istvan wrote at 10:55 PM on August 27:

There should be established a large reservation for all Roma. They would not be allowed to leave. If the people could not build houses, make clothes, raise crops and tend cattle they would starve.

21 — Anonymous wrote at 11:12 PM on August 27:

Madonna doesn’t know the first thing she is talking about. The Roma have been a curse upon Europe for centuries. They primarily target Naive tourists there now today. You find them everywhere at bus and train stations, attractions, - anywhere tourists are likely to congregate.

It must have been a major reality check indeed for her when the crowd booed her! She probably figured the Magyars would be like brainwashed P.C. Westerners. NOT!

22 — Anonymous wrote at 11:39 PM on August 27:

Gypsy religion says that since Gypsies don’t have a country of their own that its ok to steal from others.

23 — flyingtiger wrote at 12:23 AM on August 28:

Gypsies come from India. They fled their country to escape from the moslems in the 8th century.

24 — Anonymous wrote at 2:44 AM on August 28:

Obviously Madonna is clueless about what it is like to be victimized by these societal parasites. She would not be saying those things if she was a working class person that was pickpocketed or otherwise robbed by those criminals.

25 — Anonymous wrote at 4:45 AM on August 28:

Romania, and Hungary, have a proud country. Gypsies are 8/10ths white. They’ve been in Europe a thousand years, and yet have not assimilated. Multiculturalism’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

26 — EWCZ wrote at 5:18 AM on August 28:

There is growing antipathy against Roma in Czech Republic, worsening with every do-gooder sanctimonious talk about how Czechs are racist. Well - most of the Gypsies lives on welfare, BUT (and that is a big but) they are obnoxious - they are pickpockets, they shoplift shamelessly, often in gangs and force their way out of the shop with full baskets. Plus they do not pay rent, throw garbage around the apartment houses and litter the corridors and in general make the life of their decent neighbors real hell (night singing and partying, stealing from small children going to school their money and clothing…).

http://nd01.blog.cz/748/975/dfa1b70538_26195468_u.jpg

27 — Anonymous wrote at 7:05 AM on August 28:

Hi - I spent an afternoon in Oradea at the train station being harassed by Roma children. Can you wonder what kind of emotion is generated by a child begging for food in front of you while his friend tries to pick your pocket behind you? While this goes on they spit loudly while just out of sight. You can’t tell where they are spitting. Are they spitting on you? On your back? Predation and antagonism aggressively perfected.

28 — A Slovakian Joke wrote at 7:15 AM on August 28:

Roma are always demonstrating in the streets for jobs, equality, etc. One day a civic minded business owner comes across a demonstration of potential workers apparently begging for jobs. He puts his arm around one of the young, able-bodied men and says triumphantly, “I have a job for you! $10 an hour!”

The Roma throws down his sign and complains, “Why you picking on me???!!!”

29 — Anonymous wrote at 7:34 AM on August 28:

Sick of ignorant, elitist liberal celebrities spouting off their mouths and criticizing others when they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.

30 — Sardonicus wrote at 7:55 AM on August 28:

“We despise Western Europe where coloreds are worshipped.” East Racist

You forgot to include the United States where such worship is the new national religion. Formerly Great Britain is also a steadfast member of the gruesome cult of political correctness.

31 — Kill Your TV wrote at 8:52 AM on August 28:

I haven’t been to Romania, but have been to several places where gypsies scavenge. Most recently Poland. I couldn’t sit down at an outdoor patio to have a beer without the children bothering me for money. I have learned to look around, and it’s not hard to spot a parent making hand signs, guiding their kids from place to place, table to table, getting them to beg. I used to feel sorry for the children, but as with any scanvenger, giving one something only brings on more.

32 — Anonymous wrote at 10:05 AM on August 28:

This is funny.
here’s a little test I always give to people who I suspect are not being truthful.

Have you been to Rome or Paris?
Liberal: Yes

What do you do when you see a gypsie on the metro?
The usual answer:
L: uhh I don’t like to judge people I am always careful when i travel… blah blah blah..

A clear indicator they are ignoring reality.

Unfortunately this is now EU-wide policy. In Italy , i believe gypsies in one village kidnapped a baby. The village went nuts and burnt down the gysie housing and drove them out. according to the EU the italians were ‘wrong’ .

fun fact: adam smith, of wealth of nations fame, was kidnapped by gypsies as a child.

33 — Brendan wrote at 2:13 PM on August 28:

Believe it or not, there’s a gypsy legend that says that during the Crucifixion, a gypsy stole a fourth nail that would have been used to nail Jesus’ head to the cross (ouch!), and because of that, they were given a dispensation by God Himself to steal.

Other Eastern Europeans are frequently quite embarrassed by gypsy behavior. For example, white Romanians in Italy take extra pains to identify with Italians and insist they aren’t gypsies, because some Italians have problems keeping the two groups separate in their minds.

34 — Tepes wrote at 3:17 PM on August 28:

Some months ago, in order to get rid of Gypsies from Eastern Europe (who were up to no good), France decided to give them money and some farm animals so that they’d be able to return to their countries and make a living.

The French probably thought that the poor little Gypsies were so discriminated by the evil East Europeans that they weren’t allowed or given a chance to farm and subsist. They likely got that idea because the moment they are caught doing something bad and they have no chance to force their way out of the situation the Gypsies will invariably start to whine and cry about not being given the chance to build a future for themselves, about the need to do crimes in order to survive.

Unsurprisingly, after the Gypsies were flown out of France they spent the money, sold their farm animals and took the first ride back to Western Europe.

35 — IrishBlood-EnglishHeart wrote at 3:47 PM on August 28:

A couple of months ago, about 100 Roma(or “Romanian immigrants”, as the BBC put it)were driven out of their houses in Belfast. Of course there was the usual handwringing and condemnation of “racism”. There was wailing and nashing of teeth that these poor folk had only come to work hard and better their lives etc, etc. The only work that I ever saw mentioned in any article about it was “selling newspapers” and “washing cars”.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/21/race-northern-ireland-romanian-gypsies

According to the local MP (a Chinese woman born in Hong Kong!), all the men have lost their jobs. “They used to stand at roundabouts and street corners selling the Belfast Evening Telegraph”.

How can Northern Ireland recover from the loss of such a highly skilled, highly productive group of people?

36 — Anonymous wrote at 9:47 PM on August 28:

EastRacist from Romania: Would you tell us what you thought of the USA the four years you lived here? I am very curious. You must thing our country is a multicultural madhouse.

How I wish I lived in a small country where 95% of the people are of the same race and ethnicity, and the whole nation works for its mutual benefit and survival like a large extended family.

37 — Tiffany Epiphany wrote at 10:31 AM on August 29:

Madonna must not have read the AMREN article “Gangs Import Children for Benefit Fraud”?

Persucution of gypsies won’t stop until a gypsy is made president of the EU.

38 — EastRacist wrote at 12:49 PM on August 29:

@36 I worked in Detroit and lived in Warren, Michigan, should I say more?

I was fired for racism and now I live with my own people, I am relieved.

Before I came to US, I did not know the realities of America, I only knew America from the movies, now I really know.

In my humble opinion, a race war is inevitable, sooner or later.

39 — One_of_the_last_few_Patriots_left wrote at 12:51 PM on August 29:

Back in 1991, shortly after the Berlin Wall came down, I went to Poland to visit my sister (although I was born and live in the USA: a loooong complicated “multicultural” story, WW2 and all that…)
I had heard that Eastern Europeans were “Prejudiced!” against Gypsies.
We were walking around Warsaw on a nice bright sunny day in early September, seeing the sights, going to cafes, and shopping.
At one point, we came across a truly pathetic looking Roma child sitting on the sidewalk. He was bedraggled, his clothing was as filthy as his hands and face, and he had a bowl between his legs with a crudely hand-lettered sign (in Polish) asking for money because he was “poor” and “sick.” I took a picture of him.
My sister became quite alarmed and warned me not to take pictures; it seems that many tourists do take pictures and then the Gypsy “mother” will accost the naive tourist and throw a temper tantrum and demand money!
Only an hour or so later, we went into a store to browse around. A Roma woman followed us in. Since I had been warned, I pointedly ignored her (in a very deliberate way) and dodged from one isle to another to avoid her. Finally, she approached one of the store clerks at a cash register, and held out her hand, begging for money. The Polish clerk then began shouting at the Roma woman to go away and leave her alone. (Obviously, the clerk was “Racist!”) All in all, an unpleasant scene and a damn nuisance.
Now, I know that “2” is not a large data set for statistical analysis, but one could infer that Gypsies have as their primary occupations MOOCHING, BEGGING, and PANHANDLING. But of course I am “Pejudiced!” and “Racist!” for saying so.

40 — RM Parker wrote at 7:15 PM on August 29:

“…Tim in Indiana wrote at 7:55 PM on August 27: Despite the name, the Roma are not originally from Romania, but originated in Northern India…”

But this means that the Roma belong to the same race as the Indian computer programmers who dominate Silicon Valley. Gypsies are, according to classical anthropological classifications, a caucasian people, who are kept down by a corrupt culture.

Jensen, Rushton and Lynn inform us that the IQ problem with blacks is mostly genetic, and that there is no hope that social interventions can bring black IQ equality with whites.

But is there hope for gypsies? They have the same genes as the hardworking, low-crime, immigrants from India. They have also absorbed considerable white blood, through miscegenation over the centuries. Gypsies have been in Europe for over 1,000 years, and cannot be regarded as recent thirdworld immigrants. And on American census forms, most gypsy immigrants to America are categorized as white.

I pose this question to Amreners interested in evolutionary psychology - can social interventions turn gypsies into computer programmers, and into, overall, productive citizens?

41 — Anonymous wrote at 2:13 AM on August 30:

Reply to RM Parker:

I think some of your assumptions are wrong.

“Gypsies have been in Europe for over 1,000 years”…

I think they only began arriving after the collapse of the Byzantine empire in 1453 and more generally after the Ottoman Turks overan the Balkans a century later (I.E. during a period of chaos and conquest when the Europeans couldn’t stop their arrival).

“They have absorbed considerable White blood”…

I doubt it. Gypsies are extremely clannish.

“They belong to the same race as the Indian computer programmers who dominate Silicon valley”…

Don’t forget the Indians who come to the USA tend to be drawn from much higher socio-economic backgrounds. They do not typify the average Indian by any means.

42 — Anonymous wrote at 12:51 PM on August 30:

“They belong to the same race as the Indian computer programmers who dominate Silicon valley”…

That statement is essentially meaningless. What race? India is a very large country — a sub-continent — and contains many different peoples. They are not all the same!

43 — Arcadian wrote at 9:49 PM on August 30:

Tim in Indiana said: “Despite the name, the Roma are not originally from Romania, but originated in Northern India.”

Right Tim and for this reason I continue use the name Rumania. I’m not sure when Romania became the commonly used spelling, but with all the language manipulation these days, I do what I can to avoid giving any credence to the myth of gypsies being of East European origin.
Arc.

44 — Sam Galloway wrote at 12:38 AM on August 31:

That statement is essentially meaningless. What race? India is a very large country — a sub-continent — and contains many different peoples. They are not all the same!

42 — Anonymous wrote at 12:51 PM on August 30



Anonymous,

Actually your statement is false. Indians are for the
most part of the same race. You are confusing race with
language. Indians speak many languages but they largely
belong to the same race, biologically speaking.

Genetically, Indians do belong to a common race.

Here is the proof:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics_and_archaeogenetics_of_South_Asia#cite_note-28


The Pakistanis are a different race from Indians as per
the genetic study above. Here are quotes:

“studies based on mtDNA variation have reported genetic unity of Indian populations[3]. Recent research based on molecular studies and archaelogical record have confirmed this and suggest an autochthonous differentiation of the genetic structure of the populations in South Asia[4].”


“the Y-chromosomal data consistently suggest a largely South Asian origin for Indian caste communities and therefore argue against any major influx, from regions north and west of India, of people associated either with the development of agriculture or the spread of the Indo-Aryan language family.”


“Recent studies of the distribution of alleles on the Y chromosome,[26] microsatellite DNA,[27] and mitochondrial DNA [28] in India have cast overwhelmingly strong doubt for a biological Dravidian “race” distinct from non-Dravidians in the Indian subcontinent. The only distinct ethnic groups present in South Asia, according to genetic analysis, are the Balochi, Brahui, Burusho, Hazara, Kalash, Pathan and Sindhi peoples, the vast majority of whom are found in todays Pakistan.[29]”

There is a reason why Gypsies are considered to be from
India. Its because of genetic similarity with the
Indian population. In other words, they are same race
since race is based on Genes.

45 — Anonymous wrote at 12:45 AM on August 31:

Don’t forget the Indians who come to the USA tend to be drawn from much higher socio-economic backgrounds. They do not typify the average Indian by any means.

41 — Anonymous wrote at 2:13 AM on August 30:


The average Indian is no different than the ones who come
to the US. The difference is that the average Indian
has been denied the same opportunities to improve and
develop unlike the Indians who are of higher socio-economic
standing.

The average Indian is just as capable of improvement.
There is no difference between the two.

46 — Kenelm Digby wrote at 3:25 AM on August 31:

In reply to RM Parker, not only does India have an enormous population (1.2 billion approx), but the ethnic and genetic composition of its population is complex and convoluted to say the least.
Suffice to say that the substratum of the general Indian population (which goes under such names as Gonds, Kolarians etc), is of a very ancient and apparently indigenous origin, the more progressive ethnies of India are derived from invaders in historic and pre-historic times.
The indigenous racial stock of India are generally physically distinguishable from later arrivals of Aryan, Persian or Arabic stock, and if I may not be too perjorative the appelation ‘primitive’ can be applied to them.It is from this stock that the famous pariahs (literally ‘man from the mountain’), and apparently the Gypsies of Europe also.

47 — Anonymous wrote at 4:33 AM on August 31:

First of all, they DID absorb much white blood, although unwillingly for the most part: they were slaves or/and prostitutes for many landlords, and fathered a lot of kids with these. Plus, they attracted a certain amount from the local dregs to them, along the centuries.
They are Indians like those from Silicon Valley, but not the same caste, nor the same genes: the programmers are generally Brahmins and so, they are mostly from the haplogroups R1a and J, like Ukrainians or Jews. Gypsies are of the H haplotype, akin to the Pariahs and other backward hill tribes of India.
As for the discrimination, gimme a break: when the Reds came to power here, they gave freedom to the antisocial elements of whom the Gypsies were an important component to loot and brutalize the houses and persons of the old elite and kulaks. They are the biggest “heirs” of old houses of the well-to-do peasants of old. And they turned them into pig sheds. And they still claim to be miserable…

48 — Anonymous wrote at 3:22 PM on August 31:

Indians and Pakistanis belong to the same race and both are racist and backward beyond believe. India and Pakistan have never been our friends or allies. Indians and Pakistanis don’t belong in this country and at some point there will be a horrific backlash against them that will drive them out for good…

49 — Anonymous wrote at 4:06 AM on September 1:

If there is no difference between the average Indian and the programmers and engineers that come here, as #45 says, then the Hindus must have a higher average IQ than the Ashkenazi Jews. Not likely.

50 — Anonymous wrote at 4:49 PM on September 1:

“for this reason I continue use the name Rumania. I’m not sure when Romania became the commonly used spelling, but with all the language manipulation these days, I do what I can to avoid giving any credence to the myth of gypsies being of East European origin.” — Arcadian
……………………………

I understand and share your feelings regarding the manipulation of language that we see so much of these days. Changing of terms and confusing people with names is a favorite strategy of the Left. (The “Roma” are hardly unique in this matter.)

However, the name “Romania” comes from Rome, of which Romania was once a colony. It is entirely legitimate. It was there long before the so-called “Roma” people. As far as I know, it preceded the spelling of “Rumania” which seems to have been preferred during Communist days (no longer) … I don’t know why that was. Of course, Romania and the “Roma” have nothing to do with each other. Such an unfortunate, mixed-up situation! Are the “Roma” taking advantage of it?

Myself, I just call them Gypsies — what they’ve always been since they entered Europe, [the word comes from Egyptians, which Europeans originally thought them to have been] — even if it’s not politically correct as of 2009. Who knows what they will be in 2019? I don’t bother trying to keep up with these trendy changes. Standard English is fine with me.

Romania, incidentally, is considered a Latin country (more or less, with many overlayers) and is a member of the Latin Union. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Union [based on…”inheritance of the legacy of Ancient Rome, to which the state remains faithful and which it perpetuates” ]. But Gypsies, a culturally, racially, linguistically distinct group, are by no stretch Latins. Nor even Europeans, for that matter.

51 — A Gentle,Bearded Left-Winger. wrote at 5:36 PM on September 1:

The spelling ‘Rumania’ rather than ‘Romania’ is a legacy of the Ottoman Empire.
You see at that time Turkish was written with an Arabic script, and as a transliteration the English ‘o’ is absent from Arabic being substituted with ‘u’.
The Ottoman term for the former Byzantium was ‘Rum’.

52 — Anonymous wrote at 11:32 AM on September 2:

Gypsies have been despised throughout the world for centuries and the attached URL provides some insight as to why…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8226580.stm

And pay no attention to Madonna; she has no credibility since she began adopting black children from Africa…

53 — Anonymous wrote at 5:17 PM on September 3:


The Ottoman term for the former Byzantium was ‘Rum’.

Thanks for the explanation. Interesting.
I’ll venture a guess here, but it seems obvious that Rum was their pronunciation or spelling of “Rome” (which the Eastern Roman Empire literally was).


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