Why/How did the Bohemian ethnic group become essentially synonymous with “hippies” and a certain aesthetic? Are Gypsy, Romany, and Bohemian terms for the same group?
In: Culture
Bohemia the region of Western Czechia. Bohemians are Western Czechs.
Romani are an ethnic group with Indian roots and heritage, although Romani have been in Europe for centuries.
Gypsy is an ethnic slur against Romani people. People called Romani people “Gypsies” because they thought they were Egyptian.
Some Romani people use the word Gypsy as an identity, although non-Romani shouldn’t use it. It’s similar to how “Red Indian” is a slur against Native Americans, but many Native Americans use the term and identify with it.
In France, Romani people entered the country via Bohemia, so French people used to called Romani people Bohemians, although nowadays they don’t.
Bohemians (People from Western Czechia) and Romani/Gypsies have nothing to do with hippies or hippy culture. Hippies appropriated these terms for themselves, and nearly all Bohemians and Romani/Gypsies don’t like the fact that they did.
Source: I am Romani.
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