I’ve seen headlines about Tucker in Hungary, but I was too demoralized to click. Thanks for explaining it along with some comic relief. (“Fallon’s in Hungary this week” made me laugh out loud)
I was in Budapest in Summer 2019 on a tv crew. We had a local "fixer" whose normal employment was as a journalist, but as we spent time together he confided that he was in hiding because he'd had the foolish temerity to write several 100% true articles about politico-corporate corruption & graft and the "authorities" had made it clear the wanted to "speak to him."
He was certain he'd likely disappear, were he to be "questioned" by the "authorities."
Pretty sure there was an ethnic bigotry undertone too, as he was considered "gypsy" - sorry for any insult, I do not know all the intricacies of European us/them bigotry.
Budapest is also the only place I've seen municipal officials give so few fucks that they were happy to put a boot on hydrant-adjacent-parked Ferrari. (<- justice) Probably just happily messing with visiting Russian gangsters.
"I do not know all the intricacies of European us/them bigotry" So which bigot are you then?
There is something about your comment that rubs me wrong, I can't put my finger on it. I guess it's how you dismissed the fixer's paranoia or calling them gipsy and then making a point 'European us/them bigotry'? Or maybe that it adds nothing to the article yet it's not a good anecdote? Or maybe that you use 'gipsy' while you admit you don't care enough?I rarely see dumb comments on Substack, this is one.
'Gypsy' is roughly equivalent to 'Negro' - ie it's the old-fashioned word that was never really OK, but was what people used to say to avoid saying the really bad one (the really bad one varies regionally; the one I grew up with is "gippo", which is every bit as bad as the n-word, and I only type it because referring to "the g-word" wouldn't really tell you what word I'm talking about).
The word that the ethnic group uses about themselves is "Roma" or "Romany" or "Romani", and it's also the word that non-Roma people who aren't trying to start trouble now use (non-English speakers may well translate their native term to "gypsy" because that's what they get taught in English language classes; this tends to upset English Roma).
There are also "Irish Travellers", who are a different ethnic group of nomads from the Roma (who originate in India). The two have mixed and intermarried in England, resulting in the ugly term "GRT", or "Traveller" (without the "Irish"). There aren't many Irish Travellers on the European mainland, so you can generally stick to just "Roma" there.
The prejudice against nomads is vicious and forcing them to settle is routinely policy in almost all of Europe. Racialised prejudice against the settled descendants of Roma or Irish Travellers varies a lot from country to country.
I’ve seen headlines about Tucker in Hungary, but I was too demoralized to click. Thanks for explaining it along with some comic relief. (“Fallon’s in Hungary this week” made me laugh out loud)
I was in Budapest in Summer 2019 on a tv crew. We had a local "fixer" whose normal employment was as a journalist, but as we spent time together he confided that he was in hiding because he'd had the foolish temerity to write several 100% true articles about politico-corporate corruption & graft and the "authorities" had made it clear the wanted to "speak to him."
He was certain he'd likely disappear, were he to be "questioned" by the "authorities."
Pretty sure there was an ethnic bigotry undertone too, as he was considered "gypsy" - sorry for any insult, I do not know all the intricacies of European us/them bigotry.
Budapest is also the only place I've seen municipal officials give so few fucks that they were happy to put a boot on hydrant-adjacent-parked Ferrari. (<- justice) Probably just happily messing with visiting Russian gangsters.
Greg Lorincz1 min ago
"I do not know all the intricacies of European us/them bigotry" So which bigot are you then?
There is something about your comment that rubs me wrong, I can't put my finger on it. I guess it's how you dismissed the fixer's paranoia or calling them gipsy and then making a point 'European us/them bigotry'? Or maybe that it adds nothing to the article yet it's not a good anecdote? Or maybe that you use 'gipsy' while you admit you don't care enough?I rarely see dumb comments on Substack, this is one.
'Gypsy' is roughly equivalent to 'Negro' - ie it's the old-fashioned word that was never really OK, but was what people used to say to avoid saying the really bad one (the really bad one varies regionally; the one I grew up with is "gippo", which is every bit as bad as the n-word, and I only type it because referring to "the g-word" wouldn't really tell you what word I'm talking about).
The word that the ethnic group uses about themselves is "Roma" or "Romany" or "Romani", and it's also the word that non-Roma people who aren't trying to start trouble now use (non-English speakers may well translate their native term to "gypsy" because that's what they get taught in English language classes; this tends to upset English Roma).
There are also "Irish Travellers", who are a different ethnic group of nomads from the Roma (who originate in India). The two have mixed and intermarried in England, resulting in the ugly term "GRT", or "Traveller" (without the "Irish"). There aren't many Irish Travellers on the European mainland, so you can generally stick to just "Roma" there.
The prejudice against nomads is vicious and forcing them to settle is routinely policy in almost all of Europe. Racialised prejudice against the settled descendants of Roma or Irish Travellers varies a lot from country to country.
Forgive him, he does not know the intricacies of European us/them bigotry.