I thought gypsy was the exonym for the Roma(ni) people. Are there other "gypsy" peoples?
Part of the problem is that a nomadic lifestyle just doesn't gel with modern society so they don't integrate at all. For the same reason it's hard for these people to find work and a subset do often turn to crime.
Culturally they also have very conservative and often misogynistic views which acts as another barrier to integration.
In ways it is similar to the issues with Islamic migrants integrating into European society. It's too simplistic to just label it as racism and be done with it (not to say there isn't racism). There are real issues.
Yes I heard people use that label for all nomadic minorities. I wonder if it's improper use of the word.
As an American this always baffles me.
Hell if I know. I'm bulgarian, and you can imagine how this was portrayed to me, by parents, school, friends, etc. This article actually opened my eyes. Not that I didn't know how it looked, but how would it feel...
We know with certainty that the gypsies came from India, though we don't know the details.
