To anyone interested in "Gypsies"

If you've come here because you're into "gypsies," i.e., fairies, game characters, magic, random nomads or whatever other freakish association thepopular imagination has conjured under the mistakenly lower-case word "gypsy," please remember this: it's quite lame to take the name of an ethnic group (Romanies -- Gypsies with a capital G) and use it for your own purposes. These purposes obscure our (Romani) true history, experience, skin colors, occupations, persecution, enslavement, etc. When we then try to stand up for our human rights, most people in America don't know what the hell we're talking about. That's what happens when people constantly misuse our ethnonym (and confuse Rom, Roma, Romanies, etc. with Romanians, as if they all had hearing problems or dyslexia). So please find other words for your hobbies and leave our ethnonym alone. If you're interested in real "Gypsies," most of whom call themselves Roma, then we'll be happy to tell you about our Indic language, our ancestors' journeys from India, our laws and the enormous variety of Romani cultures and individuals. Otherwise, try stealing the name of some other, better represented ethnic group and see how far you get. Just because we don't have enough of a public voice doesn't give you the right to misrepresent and stereotype the G word. Thank you for your attention and best of luck in all your pursuits. Akana džan pro kar.