Real people, real problems.
Once upon a time, I used to think of Gypsies as romantic figures of fiction. It seems that many or most think that way too. Colorful or sinister, they were great for movies and Halloween costumes. Little children watch Esmerelda in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. Walk into a D&D game or a Ren Faire and you will see "Gypsy" characters by the truckful. A "gypsy curse" provided a useful plot device for Angel's soul in BtVS.
I've ranted about this before, and I am sure that I will again, but I just can't understand why popular culture still sees objectifying the Romani...the "Gypsies". Negative stereotyping of any other marginalized ethnic group is severely frowned upon. Charges of racism and anti-semitism are very serious, yet somehow the Romani are left out. The Roma and Sinti people were also victims of the Holocaust, yet it remains acceptible to portray them as mystics and thieves for the entertainment of the masses. I don't get it. I really don't get it.
