APOLOGIES TO ALL LIST MEMBERS BUT AS DR GOUSGOUNIS
POSTED THIS REPLY BOTH TO ME INDIVIDUALLY AND PUBLICLY
ON THIS LIST I THINK I NEED TO DO THE SAME. ANY FUTURE MESSAGES
TO DR GOUSGOUNIS FROM ME TO HIM WILL BE PRIVATE, EVEN IF HE
INSISTS ON POSTING HIS MESSAGES TO ME TO THE LIST.
Dr Gousgounis,
My first instinct was just to ignore your uninformed racist nonsense
but I will merit your message with one general response and one
specific response:
1, I think the contents of the message you wrote below just confirm
my earlier point regarding parodies and stupid, offensive,
ill-thought out rubbish......... It also goes to show the common
acceptability of Anti-Romani / Gypsy racism in Europe - even amongst
our so-called 'educated classes'.
2, and, hopefully, if one of my students does meet a 'Gypsy' at a
railway or metro station they will not suddenly cling to their
possessions in fear of them being stolen but, instead, will smile,
say hello, and see how it goes from there........ basing their
judgements and decisons in that specific situation not on cheap
stereotypes or racist assumptions but on common sense alone (armed
with some knowledge of Romani language and culture etc gained from my
classes).
We can but hope for the future.
colin clark
newcastle upon tyne
WITH APOLOGIES AGAIN TO OTHER LIST MEMBERS
> Come to live near my house where gypsies are passing twice a year
> and if you are not be stealed with style then I will tear my Sorbonne
> Ph.D. of Social Antrhropology in pieces. It's very smart to play
> the academic guy to ignorant students but practical life is another point
> and maybe you have to make new aquaintances of some Rom people
> living to say in Rumania because it seems that English Rom became
> too much aristocrats. If you will not be stealed in Rumania I promise
> to bet whatever you like on that purpose.
> When I say that gypsies are style stealers I mean that one beaurtiful gypsy lady
> is telling your fate from your palm and the other is searching in your pockets.
> Why while looking the Kosturitsa films you never say that he is lieying ? How
> many stereotypes are in these films ? But they are right. That does not means
> that Rom are not sympathetic. But one sure thing is that they work whenever
> they like and they add their resources begging or stealing. They have not moral
> restrictions on that. Also in selling illegally drugs using 6 years olds. In
> Athens
> there is a terrible competition between gypsies and Albanians on the illegal
> traffic of soft drugs.
>
> But it's very easy to caracterise whatever is not written in academic booktexts
> as racist. Sure you luck first hand testimonies for student use. If you
> choose to
> speak the academic language you have to learn that social truth must not be
> polished by kind words and noble expressions, Sometimes truth is a bit harder
> that you want to demonstrate and you innocent angelic students have to learn
> that, just before getting their academic credits and diplomas. Sociology is
> not an
> academic manifacture of diplomas' production. The point is what your diplomees
> will do when meeting their first gypsy in a railway station or in the metro
> ( such as in Paris where a bunch of 10 years olds gypsies were stealing
> wallets
> for years, arrested every night by police spending their nights in jail and
> released
> every morning to start the same job ( because under 18). But their
> mafia-organiser
> and abuser was strolling with a mercedes.
>
>
>
> IN GENERAL I LIKE GYPSIES EXCEPT IF I MEET TOO MANY OF THEM
> IN CROWDED PLACES. I prefer to listen them playing violins.
>
>
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