Hindus are outraged over the definition of Gypsy as “liars and cheats” by 23rd Edition of Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary which was recently released.
The Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary of the Spanish Language has just released its 23rd edition of its famous dictionary. However, the release did not go as planned, and there are millions of Hindus who are crying foul. This comes after an offensive definition for gypsies was included in the dictionary, prompting widespread outrage and accusations of religious discrimination. The result of this debacle is that there is now a universal call for the dictionaries with the offensive definition for gypsies to be pulled from shelves and reprinted, a move that may be difficult to perform even if enough support is garnered.
Defining Gypsies
The definition of gypsies in the Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary has been reported to say that gypsies are liars and cheats, a definition that has caused many people within the Hindu community to feel absolutely disgusted. The President of Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed, claims that by defining gypsies in this light is incredibly racist. He requested that the Royal Spanish Academy make a public apology to those that they have offended by their prejudice. Also, he said that they should begin making arrangements immediately to take back all printed and digital copies of the dictionary so that it cannot spread its harmful influence.
A Measured Response From The Academy
Many representatives of the Gypsy community have sent requests to the academy asking for them to respond to the situation, and so far, there has not been a very thorough response. Thus far, the only word from the academy has been a citation of their policy. Specifically, they have stated “how much care they put into avoiding gratuitously slanted or offensive” definitions’.” Therefore, it stands to reason that the academy does not believe that this definition is incredibly slanted, though millions are now outraged by their blatant categorization of an entire group of people.
While many wait with bated breath for the latest ruling to come out from the academy or their representatives, others are urging high level officials to take action on the matter. There has been a call for the King and Queen of Spain not to associate them with an academy that is so willing to discriminate against others. Rajan Zed and others have even appealed to Pope Francis, hoping that he can influence the outcome. For the time being, the outraged masses must wait to hear if there is going to be a redefinition of gypsies.