An American TV series has come to Europe: American Gypsies, on the National Geographic Channel. The show introduces the Johns family of New York, American gypsies with origins in Romania. They run a psychic healing business. Most gypsies on the show are dark and corpulent. They are superstitious, they use bad language and even steal. Nicky Johns says he wants to live according to gypsy family traditions, but he drinks too much alcohol and quickly becomes violent. His more likeable brother, Bobby, wants to become a modern American. Does American Gypsies help TV viewers to understand the reality of gypsy culture in the United States?
Absolutely not, say Americans of Roma ethnic origin. They say the sensationalist show only reflects negative and ignorant stereotypes of Roma people. Will American Gypsies give American TV viewers prejudices about the Roma that most didn’t have before? And will it now also perpetuate harmful stereotypes in Europe?
out of india
Most Americans have no idea that Roma first emigrated from India (not Egypt, as the name ‘gypsy’ suggests) in the 11th century. They don’t know that they speak several dialects of the language called Romani, that they live in many countries, practise many religions, and have developed a large variety of customs. An estimated one million Roma live in the US. Some travelled to America as early as the colonial period. Thousands went when gypsy slavery in Romania was abolished in 1864. Another wave of Roma immigration followed the collapse of communism in eastern Europe.
normal life
Some US Roma indeed earn money as fortune-tellers, musicians, or dancers. A tiny minority beg or are involved in criminal activities, especially those who came to the US illegally. But the vast majority of Roma are shopkeepers, bankers, nurses, policemen, teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, and university professors.
Americans know little about gypsies for several reasons. Having experienced intense discrimination in Europe, Roma generally keep a low profile in America. Many still keep their gypsy origins a secret.
isolation
George Eli, a Roma-American who made the film Searching for the 4th Nail about living with gypsy traditions, also thinks that many US Roma unnecessarily continue to avoid contact with non-Roma, in an effort to preserve their culture. For example, they home-school their children or take them out of public schools before they complete their education. Old survival tactics became traditions.
cool!
But today, more young American Roma are staying in school and going to university. They are discovering ‘Roma pride’ and new ways to explore and share their culture through arts and media. Cristiana Grigore is a Romanian-born Roma in America who has spoken out on CNN and in The New York Times. She says, “It took me 20 years to talk about my ethnic identity. So imagine how strong the negative stereotypes are.” Now Cristiana finally feels liberated in the US. “When I say I’m a gypsy, people say, ‘Oh, that’s so cool!’”
Una entrevista con Petra Gelbart (con audio): An Image Problem: American Gypsies
