A Manner of Speaking

"Italy Closes the Door on Gypsies," was a front page, above the fold, story in the print version of The Washington Post yesterday.

What surprised me most about the article was the liberal use of the word "gypsies." Hadn't the Post writer been informed that it is no longer politically correct to refer to them that way? Now we are supposed to call them Roma.

The Roma are a distinct group of itinerants who originated centuries ago in India and made their way to Romania, hence the name. Until recently they were called gypsies and no one thought anything about it. To distinguish them from other, well, gypsies, they are now called Roma. Anyone can be a gypsy but not everyone can be a Roma. Are you with me?

For many of us, the word gypsy has romantic connotations of crystal balls, wanderlust and uninhibited barefoot dancing around a campfire, albeit after a day of clever scams and pick-pocketing. Gypsy women have given the fashion world hoop earrings, ankle bracelets, toe rings, arm bangles and flounced skirts.

Who decided the word was derogatory and why do we have to go along with it?

Should Cher change her song to "Roma, Tramps and Thieves?" Should Van Morrison re-write his lyrics as "It's just the Roma in my soul?" Should Stevie Nicks sing "Roma?" We can take this further: Should burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee now be referred to as Roma Rose Lee? Should kids who want to dress as gypsies for Halloween be told no, they can only dress as Roma?

Think about it.

Let's move on to the beautiful word Oriental. The root of it means "from the East." For some, that brings to mind exotic images of peaceful mountains, delectable food, colorful clothing, brilliant people. Nothing derogatory there, but it is now politically incorrect to say Oriental when referring to Asia or its people. Why?

To do so connotes a Western-centric view of the world. Don't Asians have an Eastern-centric viewpoint? Isn't it normal to look at the big picture from one's own vantage point? Should the word "Occidental" become politically incorrect because it connotes an Asian-centric view of the world?

In the meantime, should the Mandarin Oriental Hotel chain change its name to the Mandarin Asian? Should we stop eating Oriental chicken until it becomes Asian chicken? Should Agatha Christie's book be renamed "Murder on the Asian Express?"

When I was growing up, my mother told me never to use the term "colored people" because it was derogatory. Now it is politically correct to change the words around and refer to non-Caucasians as "people of color." Should Caucasians then be called "people of no color?"

I'm told that in the States "black" might be bordering on politically incorrect now, even though we were told to use it during the Black Power movement of the Civil Rights days. The correct term now is African-American. In Europe, it is still black/negro/nero/schwarz/noir.

Since the subject of this post is how to properly refer to people and things in the ever-changing world of political correctness, can I ask when it became okay to use the word "poop" in polite conversation and on the airways? As in: "My kid has to poop," "I need to poop," "I'm cleaning up dog poop," "She hasn't pooped in two days," "He was so scared he pooped his pants." Where did this come from?

Then there is the ubiquitous "butt." As in: "I kicked butt," "My butt is big," "She has a big butt," "I fell on my butt," "Let's kick butt!" There are songs that praise big ones ("I like big butts, I cannot lie") and a dance called 'Doin' da butt." Okay, I danced to it once. It was a wedding.

The thing is, some of us may call a Roma a gypsy or refer to something as Oriental rather than Asian. We may even slip and call a person of color black. Give us points, though, for never using the words our mothers told us were vulgar: poop and butt.

Our mothers were right.