The “Gypsies” Aren’t Who You Think They Are
They’re called Roma, they’re intriguing, and “gypsy” is a slur.
All right my friends, let me tell you about “Gypsies” — or as they’re actually called, the Romani people, or simply the Roma.
They’ve been in the news a few times lately for child abductions. They’ve got a reputation as musicians and fortune-tellers at best; or as thieves, pickpockets and kidnappers at worst. They’re probably from Romania, right? They must have something to do with the Romanians.
Well, not really. Not at all, actually.
I’m going to tell you where they really come from, what they’ve been through, and why their culture is completely fascinating— and nothing like what you’ve probably heard.
But first, I need to make a quick announcement.
I’ve decided to centralize all my history and culture writing — including some articles you may have seen here on Medium, as well as many others you’ve never seen before — on my site The Strange Continent.
All these stories are still going to be as freely available as ever — it’s just that I’m phasing out Medium in favor of my own blog, for a variety of reasons.
Follow me there, where you’ll find this full article, along with all kinds of other juicy historical tidbits.
