-
"Hindus and Jews have come out in support of MADONNA after she was booed and jeered by thousands of fans at a show in Romania on Wednesday night (26Aug09) when she protested the treatment of Roma gypsies in the country onstage.
The pop superstar was playing to a sell-out crowd of 60,000 in Bucharest as part of her ongoing Sticky & Sweet world tour when she paused to address issues of discrimination in eastern Europe, urging fans to fight prejudice against the travellers."
-
"And Holder’s new directives? To expand the department’s reach, to hire more attorneys, and, as he told the New York Times, to “get back to what it has traditionally done,” like protecting people’s voting rights and access to housing, employment and fair lending practices."
-
"Culture has a large affect on mental illness – it influences our symptoms and how we describe them to doctors, it impacts our treatment and whether or not we seek help at all. It also leads people to dismiss someone like Maia as “crazy” or a “crack head” without acknowledging the mitigating factors that cause someone with a mental illness to exhibit dangerous behavior."
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
atlasien wrote:
Holy crap, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I support Madonna.
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 11:26 am ¶
SeattleSlim wrote:
I knew there was a reason I liked her. The Roma (gypsy) community is largely ignored, and their plight should be something that Europe should be ashamed for ignoring. I mean, I have no words.
I believe at the Miss Romania pageant, one of the contestants mentioned that the Roma should be eliminated or something like that. Damned shame. They will never get my business or travel as far as I’m concerned (the country as a whole).
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 3:28 pm ¶
FM wrote:
I’ve spent some time living and traveling through Central and Eastern Europe, and I was shocked at how accepted blatant racism against the Roma is. Even worse was when I heard fellow Americans justify the racism with “Well, they do steal a lot.” I agree that it’s not talked about enough – most Americans don’t really know what a “gypsy” is, and don’t know they’re an ethnic group, let alone the discrimination they face. So bravo, Madonna.
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 4:35 pm ¶
mk wrote:
Interesting article from the Guardian about the Irish Gypsy/Traveler community (author’s choice of words):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/07/gypsy-childhood-prejudice-education
She talks about inequality issues and also about the diversity within the traveling community.
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 7:06 pm ¶
BlackNarcissus wrote:
mk,
That was a great link. Very informative. Thanks for posting.
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 8:44 pm ¶
mk wrote:
@BlackNarcissus – you’re welcome – I love the Guardian!
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 10:04 pm ¶
m. wrote:
I remember reading on the Yahoo homepage about that incident after it occured, and thinking how truly pathetic it was that her audience members booed her for mentioning the prejudice Romani people face in Europe. They booed her again when she mentioned homophobia in Romania. What struck me as funny is the fact that a Romanian critic said something along the lines of, “Madonna is an entertainer, not an expert on inter-ethnic relations.” Yes, because one must become An Expert on these matters to tell right from wrong. Should read as, “One must find discrimination okay, or STFU completely.”
This reminds me of how people in China and white Greenlanders through hissyfits over Björk dedicating one of her songs to Tibetans/Inuit people. (She’s also dedicated it to several other persecuted peoples during live performances, including Aboriginal Australians and…I forget the rest). She was actually banned from entering China because she “hurt everyone’s feelings.” Hahahaha.
Posted 10 Sep 2009 at 11:51 pm ¶
GüeraLola wrote:
I noticed my Mexican relatives expressed distaste in the gypsies. Which is weird, I wonder does this have to do the Spainish influence in Latin America, (I am aware that Spain has a low opinion on the Gypsies (usually divided into two main groups: gitanos and hungaros (for Hungarians in Spain). Not surprising most of the Roma (gypsy) community distrust outsiders. Good for Madonna, I really wasn’t aware of this till now.
Posted 11 Sep 2009 at 10:10 am ¶
Samia wrote:
I get what Madonna was trying to do but…IT’S MADONNA. She has to realize that she’s gonna come off as preachy (of course I can’t say this is why she was booed, which I also think was in terrible taste). This is a person who’s shamelessly appropriated bits and pieces of other cultures her entire career and basically made a living being a pretentious jackass. I dunno. I’m torn here.
Posted 13 Sep 2009 at 10:21 pm ¶