Wednesday, January 22, 2014

BLOG: I'm Not Racist, You're Just a Stereotypical Idiot

     While I normally don't condone the idea of publicly airing my problems because I feel like if someone does something dumb my talking about it in a way such as this would only encourage them, this is one time I am willing to ignore my whole "any press is good press" theory and hope that this does not result in more people caring about this person's music or emailing me ridiculous notions.

     I recently had an email conversation with someone regarding reviewing their tape and after sending them my address, I got this email in reply.  I copied and pasted this, so no holds barred here, folks.


From: adultmomband@gmail.com
To: raisedbygypsies@yahoo.com

Hey! So I decided not to send it over just on the bases that I don't want to be affiliated with the name of the site! For more info you can read this over here http://groupthink.jezebel.com/massively-racist-mainpage-article-on-gawker-1448655453 but "gypsy" is a racial / ethnic slur that I wouldn't like to promote. Best of luck! 

-Steph 


     Not withstanding the fact that there exists a band called Gogol Bordello, who are self professed to be "gypsy punk", and hey, you're not calling them and all of their fans racist too, now are you, let's not ignore the fact that by more or less directly saying you don't want to be affiliated with this based on the name it means that you think I myself am racist as is anyone who is associated with this.

     To think that is just asinine.  Should some people be able to slip through the cracks, some good ones if you will, sure, but how have I managed to keep this name going for so long with so many people aware of it, and now you're the first person to ever say it's racist?

     Maybe it's because it's not racist and you're just ignorant.   People have many misgivings when it comes to what a gypsy is and does exactly.   People like to use terms to relate to them such as liars and thieves, but for me, being in a gypsy lifestyle is not about any of those things.

     I use the term gypsy not only as a means of being thrifty and feeling like I'm without a home, yet also tied to music or art in some ways, but just as a means of recognition so people can begin to better understand that gypsies were not in fact liars and thieves, aka untrustworthy, but rather just trying to make the best out of life.

     So you call your music project "adult mom".   What does that mean?  Can I assume that means that you feel like fathers are not adults?  That's sexist.  And if it's as opposed to being a teen mom then let's get into a whole other can of worms that also ends up being rather, well, sexist.

     My point is that the pendulum of ignorance can swing both ways, Steph, and with that you could be just as easily mistaken for something you are not representing.   I like to think of this whole thing as when people on Facebook see an image with a quote attached and get all upset without doing their homework.

     You read a website, did you?   Good for you.  Some people don't even go that far.   Now how about you go one step further and you read a book.   Here, I'll even point you in the right direction:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Gypsy-Memoir-Oksana-Marafioti/dp/0374104077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390412348&sr=8-1&keywords=american+gypsy

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