selected articles
DADYVES I TAJSA
Writing about the Gypsies is not easy. The name itself is a problem. It has been superseded in public life by politically correct word “Roma” – the proper noun. The question is whether justly. In my view it is not justified. Indeed, the word “Gypsy” is synonymous with swindler and thief in Polish and other languages. However, it is also associated with bright, unconventional personality, with someone who goes against all convention and loves freedom, music, wandering, etc. In common belief Gypsies, especially women, can penetrate into the world that is inaccessible to ordinary people, into supernatural world. These are healers, witches and fortune-tellers whose services are still highly popular in Polish cities. Every such image is a stereotype and as such generalizes, becoming trivial and treating thieves in the same way as honest people.