Name Change for Gypsy Robe Ceremony — Page 2

haterobics said: "behindthescenes2 said: "you point the finger of just how horrible white people are when there is really no solid foundation for this stupid gesture."

Err... Hitler was white. #caseclosed"



And Idi Amin was Black and Pol Pot Cambodian- Anybody can be a sociopath murderer regardless of race. #casereopened

sabrelady said: "haterobics said: "behindthescenes2 said: "you point the finger of just how horrible white people are when there is really no solid foundation for this stupid gesture."

Err... Hitler was white. #caseclosed"



And Idi Amin was Black and Pol Pot Cambodian- Anybody can be a sociopath murderer regardless of race. #casereopened

"

Yeah I assume the poster knows this and was making fun - no one would be stupid enough to claim there is a causal relationship between skin colour and mass murder (cf. the relationship between certain theology and mass murder, homophobia and sexism - where specific beliefs influence specific behaviors).

Theatre is living and breathing and the idea is to communicate your intent and message to the audiences effectively. If something like a word or term used becomes problematic because society has evolved in a certain way, then there's a need to adapt to it as well because otherwise you're just causing confusion and taking attention away from the story, message, of the show or ceremony (like the robe ceremony). Of course, you can't change the actual script without permission from the author or the estate if the author grants permission to the estate to make grant those kinds of permissions. Then it becomes a conversation of whether the work needs to be done but that's another topic.

I don't get why people are so attached to this word in this context other than just wanting to complain about overall "PC" culture and wanting to use the overused and now meaningless term "snowflake" again. especially in the fact of learning what this word actually conveys and the history behind it.

I get the call to tradition and not everything should be thrown away just because it's old and traditional things have a lot of value, but there are such things as negative traditions AND it's not like another word couldn't be used to convey the same message (though those choice of replacement names makes me think they should go back to the drawing board on that one). It's only been in tradition for 60 years. That sounds like a lot, but in the grand scheme of other ceremonies, events, organizations, businesses, and others that have changed their name, it's really not that long. They survived and this ceremony will too.

To me, balancing the usage of the word in this context and endearment some feel about it in the theatre tradition with what it means to Roma people and how it's been used outside the context of theatre and much more widely, I think we can prioritize a disenfranchised group of people and most others who understand the history of this word (even the loved theatre usage is based on negative stereotypes of the Roma people) and do not want to continue using it.

Updated On: 4/19/18 at 11:09 AM

LizzieCurry said: "From Aaron Albano:

http://www.theensemblist.com/blog/2018/4/19/why-cant-the-union-do-both

Sorry that it's not clickable."

That was well put. I liked Albano's quote here:

"Yes, for me, there is a tragedy in losing this word that I held dear. But also for me, it is a small price to pay for the inclusion and validation of people who are not me. And while the word is lost, the values it stood for are not, and I have faith that we will find an equal, less offensive, more appropriate word to stand for the community I love and cherish."

AlfredDrakeII said: "I agree with the original post.

I am far from a privileged white male.

The arrogant and pretentious replies from the Far Left extremists (who do not realize that they are extremists) on this board, which dominate our industry, only serve as further evidence why more and more people are refusing to align themselves with so-called "Liberals" and "Progressives", who are driving ACTUAL liberals far, far away.

How many more elections (or referendums, if you're British) do you have to lose to understand that what you view as "Progress" has been rejected by the masses, and furthermore has become nothing more than moral grandstanding and bullying to everyone outside of your bubble?

Do yourselves a favor, visit YouTube and search for videos on "Why I left the Left". You'll find an overwhelming number of people who used to see the world exactly as many of the posters here, and yet within the last couple years (especially in 2016) have found themselves completely alienated because they refuse to be held hostage to the ever-expanding list of grievances of increasingly niche demographics of people.

Of course these views will have me tarred and feathered by triggered snowflakes,who will presume I am some kind of coldhearted bigot...exactly the kind of attitude that, as I said, is driving people away from your movement.
"

If I’m in a room of twenty people and I use a term that one person finds deeply offensive in terms of their race or hertigage-I’d alter my behaviour to make sure that one person felt included. Call it niche if you wish, I call it empathy and understanding. There is a difference between the idea of ‘soon I don’t be able to say anything’ that is tossed around by scaremongers and the aforementioned example

If I wish to use bad language, for example or I always speak my mind or I break wind at the dinner table - then I might decide I don’t care if anyone is offended. The difference is, that is someone being directly offended by me and how I choose to behave - that right is being taken away fron

abyhody. The other is that someone is offended because my rhetoric recalls something historically directly offensive to that person. Is using the term really so important to you that you can’t simply embrace change that makes another human being feel equal to you?