Jokes about Romani people

Jamie Davis9 said:As long as these public American forums continue to tolerate and promote that specific brand of humor—the kind where someone is dismissed as nothing more than a byproduct of their heritage just because they happen to be Gypsy—then yes, we have a problem. 🤷
That kind of humor is truly the lowest common denominator, and frankly, it’s something we shouldn't be encouraging for several reasons. Most notably, it serves only to degrade the very people who peddle it. In my experience, when you lean into that level of cheapness, you aren't just offending others; you're eroding your own dignity. People like that need to be taught a lesson in decency.

I find myself in complete agreement with my colleague's assessment.

Maria Reyes35 said:Daniel Davis40, what exactly would you suggest we do about this? What’s your specific proposal for a way forward?
Furthermore, does that approach—regarding what you would actually take action against—apply strictly to the Rom community, or would it extend to jokes about blondes, Canadians, Mexicans, or even police officers?
If we are strictly talking about targeting the Roma community, then fine—but why stop there? If the goal is to address specific issues or grievances, why shouldn't we apply that same scrutiny to everyone else? It seems inconsistent to single out one group while ignoring the others.

I’m not entirely convinced that everyone is laughing at the exact same jokes.

What exactly does a man gain when he spends his life wading through sheep shit?

The average Gypsy.

That is actually quite funny.

That’s a laugh, isn't it?
It’s funny, isn't it? Sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Ha.
Well... here we go again.
It seems we’ve reached a bit of a standstill here. Just a lingering, empty thought hanging in the air. Not much to dissect, really—just that quiet, hollow feeling you get when there’s nothing left to say, or perhaps just a moment of hesitation before someone actually commits to a point. I've spent plenty of afternoons sitting in coffee shops from Seattle to Savannah, staring at a blank page or a silent screen, waiting for a spark that just isn't coming. Sometimes, "aa..." is all there is.
a

That isn't even a joke; it’s just the pathetic, mindless rambling of a complete idiot.

Matthew Anderson said:Getting rid of dark humor is just the opening salvo for full-blown censorship. It’s a slippery slope; once you start policing a few jokes, you eventually find yourself forced to sanitize everything else until there's nothing left.

What I just quoted isn't some clever bit of satire or humor; it is nothing more than blatant, textbook hatred directed toward the Gypsy community. And let’s be clear—it goes beyond mere expression. This is active propagation.

Take this, for instance—this is what passes for humor:

I once saw this guy—just some local man—whose kid had managed to get absolutely covered in mud. He was wandering around carrying the little one, looking completely disheveled, while a group of Gypsies nearby watched him and started asking questions.
Is it even worth trying to fix this thing, or should we just cut our losses and start from scratch?

It’s brutal, dark—but there’s a sense of humor in it.

And if that doesn't make sense to you—then God help us all, because we’re heading straight into a brand new world that none of us are prepared for. ☕

bluecyclist64 said:That’s not even a joke; it’s just some total moron trying way too hard to act clever.

So, let me get this straight—we're starting an entire thread because of some questionable joke from 2006?

Matthew Anderson said:Fantastic, this thread has been active for over a decade. So, are you actually going to point out which specific posts from the last year are problematic? This whole situation is a textbook example of Special Interest Group behavior—it’s basically just two jokes stretched out from 2015 to now, and suddenly the moderator decides to shut the whole thing down.

It’s actually quite the opposite; nobody is asking for the thread to be deleted, they are simply demanding that it be moderated properly. I mean, in a mere three pages, there are two instances calling a Gypsy a piece of filth, and then on the third page, someone claims it takes a Gypsy nine months to deliver trash.

Honestly, I would be very interested to see the site administration finally weigh in on where the line is drawn, whether any lines even exist, and whether they actually apply to everyone equally.

neonfox12 said:Exactly. Trying to hunt down "offense" in a joke is just the first step toward censorship. For God's sake, just breathe. Why all this tension over a debate about humor?

1. You can't just dictate terms—claiming something is offensive without letting others decide if it actually is. If you think a joke is an insult, then say why. And what happens to all the other jokes, especially the ones about Jews that are way darker?

2. You aren't making sense. What is your actual goal here?
And let's be clear—not just for my benefit, but for everyone watching—why on earth do you think this attempt at censorship doesn't affect me too?

3. What historical circumstances could possibly equate Roma with Jews?

Look, I think there is offense being taken, but my opinion isn't some grand argument, nor does it carry any weight in the final decision.

My only actual point is that MAYBE it violates the forum rules (and potentially even U.S. law). That’s it. That’s the whole thing. Besides, I already stated that I haven't even read those specific rules or the relevant statutes. It's not my job to run this forum or decide what gets posted on it. 🤷

As for the historical context, I am certainly not here to act as your history professor. You have access to the history textbooks; go ask the scholars there.

Matthew Anderson said:There is a massive difference between A) politics and B) dark humor. I get that certain jokes might be inappropriate for the political section, but coming after Rom jokes in the humor section is straight-up censorship.

If you start banning those, you'll have to ban everything else that offends someone.

But don't you think that if the rules aren't applied equally to every single situation, someone could just exploit "humor" as a loophole to do things that are otherwise rightfully prohibited?

bluecyclist64 said:That’s not even a joke—it’s just some moron acting like an absolute idiot.

What I just quoted isn't humor, it's just straight-up hatred toward Gypsies. And not just expressing it, either—it's actively promoting it.

For example, this is what actual humor looks like:

The stuff above is just stupid and, yeah, it isn't funny at all—not to me, and clearly not to you either.

But it's not like there aren't jokes like this about other people, maybe even worse ones.

-How does your average Mexican get laid?
-By raping!

-What is a little Jew doing on the roof of a crematorium in a camp?
-Waiting for his mom and dad.
-And what's the moral of the story?
-Love doesn't care about states of matter.

-What do you get if you cross a Black man with an octopus?
-No idea. What?
-Don't know myself, but he picks cotton like crazy.

Get it? None of these jokes are actually hilarious to me—even if they are edgy and shocking enough to trigger a laugh—but I get that they are incredibly brutal and politically incorrect. Especially the ones mocking someone's suffering or a genocide... but honestly, what's the alternative?

Either ban them entirely, or let them be whatever they want. Because the way it is now, moderators are basically being forced to judge which jokes are "funny enough" to avoid being deleted or getting the author banned.

Nicole Johnson20 said:Don't you think that if the rules aren't applied consistently across the board, someone might just use "humor" as a loophole to get away with things that should actually be banned for good reason?

If we follow that logic, we’d have to ban all those tired jokes about blondes or Canadians too. And—presto!—we've accidentally stumbled right into censorship.

Matthew Anderson said:Fine then—let's just scrap all the jokes about blondes and Canadians too.

What about Mexicans? 🕺

Maria Reyes35 said:Well, apparently the moderator for this specific sub-forum doesn't think it's an issue to have a thread sitting there, wide open and active, for eleven years... eleven whole years...

I didn't bother checking when the thread was started or last updated—it was right there on the front page.
I opened this discussion here because, unless I've completely misunderstood how things work around here, I believe this is where you go to address the people who actually oversee the moderators of individual boards.

Jacob Williams said:What was posted above is frankly idiotic and, honestly, I don't find it remotely funny—though it seems you don't either.

Then again, there are jokes about other groups out there that are arguably even more offensive.

-How does the average Mexican get laid?
-By rape!

-What is a little Jew doing on top of the incinerator in a camp?
-Waiting for his parents.
-And what's the moral of the story?
-Love knows no physical state.

-What happens when you cross Black genes with an octopus?
-No idea. What?
-I don't know either, but he’s out there picking cotton like crazy.

Do you see my point? Not a single one of these jokes lands for me, despite being edgy and shocking enough to potentially trigger a laugh, yet they are undeniably brutal and politically incorrect. It’s particularly distasteful when they mock someone's suffering or a massacre, but really, what is the alternative here?

Either we ban them entirely, or we allow them to exist in whatever form they take. Because as things stand, we're essentially asking moderators to play judge on whether a joke is "funny enough" to avoid deletion and punishment.

None of the jokes you just listed even come close to the level of that one about a Gypsy taking nine months to take out the trash.
But anyway, moving on.
The issue goes deeper than just what the average user finds hilarious, which isn't much to begin with.
For instance, if someone were to actually film themselves defecating and post it, tagging a sign that says 'moderator,' 'American,' 'Jew,' or 'Rom' simply because they think it's funny—would the forum support that content since it's technically under the 'jokes' thread, or would it not?
I believe that is the fundamental question at the heart of this debate.

Jamie Davis9 said:None of the jokes you just listed actually hit the mark of saying it takes a Gypsy nine months to haul out the trash.
But hey, moving on from that.
The real issue goes a bit deeper than what your average forum user finds funny. And frankly, it isn't even funny.
Think about it this way: if someone literally took a photo of themselves taking a dump, posted it, and drew an arrow pointing to a sign that said 'Moderator,' 'American,' 'Jew,' or 'Rom'... just because they thought it was hilarious—is that actually the kind of content this forum is supposed to support just because it’s under a 'jokes' thread?
I think that’s the core question we need to address here.

So, what, the moderators get to decide what counts as a joke and what doesn't?

I see no way that ends well. 😁

Nicole Johnson20 said:Look, I think there’s definitely some offensive content here, but my personal feelings aren't an actual argument, nor should they influence any official decision.

My only real point is that this MAYBE violates the forum guidelines (and potentially U.S. laws, for that matter). That’s it. That’s my whole case. And as I mentioned before, I haven't even sat down to read the specific bylaws or the legal fine print. It’s not my job to manage this site or police everything that gets posted on it. 🤷

As for the historical context, I’m really not here to act as a history professor for anyone. If you want to dive deep into the past, you have those history PDFs available—you can go ask the experts over there.

But that’s not true. Why do you think dark humor constitutes an insult? That distinction is actually vital if we want to understand how this whole situation is unfolding.

Let’s be honest: the only reason you’re upset is because you feel personally targeted. Yet, it was clearly stated that dark humor doesn't play favorites; it hits everyone equally.

Actually, you're the one who needs to brush up on your history, which is why I asked. During WWII, it wasn't just Jews and Roma who suffered under the Nazi regime; Mexicans, Canadians, and Mexicans were victims too...

Jacob Williams said:And what about Mexicans? 🕺

No, they're my favorites.

Jamie Davis9 said:None of those jokes you dropped are even close to how much better the one about a Gypsy taking nine months just to take out the trash is.
But hey, whatever...

Holocaust survivor families would probably be right there with you on this one.

neonfox12 said:Nah, those are my favorites.

Me too! 😛

Matthew Anderson said:So, what, we’re just letting moderators decide what counts as a joke and what doesn't now?

I honestly don't see how this ends well for anyone involved. 😁

Look, I genuinely have no idea what the actual role of a moderator is on this forum, or who exactly granted them the authority to weigh in on everything, let alone start dictating the rules for everyone else.
Do you follow me?
That is precisely why I posed my question in the first place, and frankly, I am still waiting for an actual answer.

Matthew Anderson said:So, we're starting a whole thread because of some controversial joke from 2006?

Precisely. It showed up on the cover back in 2017—and there are several other questionable bits scattered across those two or three pages—but to answer your question simply: yes.

Jamie Davis9 said:Honestly, I’d be incredibly interested to hear the forum administration weigh in on where the lines are actually drawn—if they even exist—and just who exactly they apply to.

+1

Matthew Anderson said:In that case, let's just ban all jokes about blondes and Canadians too. And presto—censorship!

Like someone already pointed out, this isn't "humor" and it certainly isn't a joke.
(I even noted in my opening post that some of the jokes there are actually funny and charming; I only started this thread because of that one specific quote—and maybe one or two others—that was just pure, mindless trash).

Nicole Johnson20 said:Like someone already pointed out, there's nothing funny about this. It isn't a joke.
(I actually mentioned in my opening post that some of the jokes there are pretty cute and harmless; I only started this thread because of that one specific quote—and maybe one or two others—that felt just plain ignorant).

Says who? I’ve heard the exact same kind of stuff used against Black people. So what?

Jacob Williams said:I think the families of those lost during the Holocaust would find themselves in complete agreement with your sentiment.

No one would ever have the audacity to call a family of Jews who perished in the Holocaust anything less than what they were. 🙂
Of course, people always seem to conveniently forget that Gypsies were also victims of that same horrific era. 😁

Jamie Davis9 said:No one would ever dare call a Jewish family lost during the Holocaust "trash." 🙂
Yet, people conveniently overlook the fact that Gypsies were also unbranded victims of that very same genocide. 😁

And what about other groups besides Jews and Roma?

Just how long were people of color held in bondage? And look at the struggles many are still facing even in modern times.

neonfox12 said:And what about other groups besides Jews and Roma?

How long were people of color kept in actual slavery? And look at how some of them are being treated even in this day and age.

Tell them your grandfather died in a concentration camp, too
He just slipped off the guard tower.🕺

neonfox12 said:And what about other groups alongside Jews and Roma?

neonfox12, you clearly aren't paying any attention at all.

Nicole Vaughn70 said:Go ahead and tell them that your grandfather lost his life at a concentration camp like Auschwitz.
I took a bit of a spill while I was on guard duty.🕺

Not quite.

My grandfather lost his life at Waterloo, even though he never once stepped foot in a battle or got involved in any kind of politics. To this day, there isn't a clue where his remains actually ended up.

Jamie Davis9 said:Man, you are completely losing your focus.

I see. It’s pretty clear that when I present an argument of this caliber, this is the kind of "top-tier" rebuttal I can expect in return. 🙂