Perceptions in the Romani-Rroma relationship, Lecture notes of Psychology

Download Perceptions in the Romani-Rroma relationship and more Lecture notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! 1 CONTENT Preface ……………………………………………………………………………………... 2 Introduction………………………………………………………………. 3 Chapter 1. The origins of the Roma people ……………………………….. 8 1.1. Etymology of the word rrom ……………………………………………………. 8 1.2. Short history.…………………………………………………………………... 9 1.3. The Romanian language and its influences on the Romanian language………... 11 Chapter 2. Roman culture and civilization………………………………………….. 15 2.1. Romani culture...………………………………………………………………... 15 The family……………………………………………………………………. 15 Traditions and customs………………………………………………………... 18 Religion……………………………………………….. 2.3 School……………………………………………………………………... 24 The art………………………………………………………………………... 26 2.2. Roman civilization………………………………………………………………. 29 Crafts and professions……………………………………………………. 29 House…………………………………………………………………... 32 Clothing………………………………………………………………... 32 2.3. Cultural influences……………………………………………………. 33 The influences of Romanian culture on Romanian culture……………………. 33 The influences of Romanian culture on Romanian culture………………………. 34 Chapter 3. The reflection in the mass media of Romanian culture……………. 36 3.1. Positive or neutral images of Roma reflected in the mass media…………… 36 3.2. Negative images of the Roma reflected in the mass media……………………… 38 3.3. Conclusions…………………………… 39 Chapter 4. Stereotypes and prejudices in the interethnic relationship……………. 41 4.1. Stereotypes and prejudices in the mass media…………………………. 41 4.2. Discrimination or tolerance?................................................ ................................ 43 Racial discrimination……………………………………………………………….. 44 Positive discrimination………………………………………………………… 47 Chapter 5. How are the Roma perceived among Romanian students? ………... 49 5.1. Stages of the research…………………………………………………… 49 5.2. The study tool……… ………………………………………………... 51 5.3. The results of the opinion poll and their interpretation……………………….. 54 5.4. The conclusions of the opinion poll……………………………………………… 65 Chapter 6. Conclusions…………………………………………………… 67 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………….. 68 2 Preface Currently, in the wider world, there is more and more talk about culture, interculturality and multiculturalism. Intercultural dialogue is more and more present in our everyday life, whether we like it or not, whether we are aware of it or not. In this context, the acceptance of diversity is increasingly encouraged and its advantages are presented. For example, the year 2008 was named the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue , and the ongoing project was precisely aimed at interculturality. It can be noted that there are more and more programs dealing with this topic. Thus, special attention is paid to a relationship based on respect and acceptance between different cultures. The reason why I chose as a topic of study the perceptions and influences existing in the relationship between Romanians and Roma, is precisely to draw attention to this aspect. It is an intercultural situation that requires special attention. From my point of view, this topic is important enough to dwell on it and try to understand it as well as possible. In this way, we will be able to take the necessary measures that will allow us to accept the Romanian culture and live as best as possible with this people. 5 it emerges that the Roma are a very traditionalist people, sometimes too strongly, they have a strong sense of solidarity towards the members of their ethnic group and are not too open when it comes to those outside their community (gadjii ) . They have their own rules (which are not always in line with those of the Romanian state) which they respect and their own leaders (bulibaşa) to whom they obey, and the punishments in case of non- compliance with these rules are quite drastic. It can be seen that the woman has an inferior status, her duty being that of a housewife in the house, she must take care of her husband and children. That is why many girls do not finish their school studies. The Rroma are known especially for their musical talent, "Their music is sweet and melancholic, strident and wild; there is a strange longing in every note and the happier the strings, the more you are inclined to cry" (Queen Maria), but also for ballads, songs, stories, fairy tales and poems, riddles, proverbs and anecdotes. In the second place, the Romani Civilization is presented , which refers to the occupations and crafts of the Romani people, to the housing and clothing specific to this ethnicity. From this it follows that the Roma are divided into several categories that vary according to the trades they practice: farriers, bearers, tinkerers, bricklayers, goldsmiths, goldsmiths, farmers, silversmiths, fiddlers, goldsmiths, tinsmiths and cobblers. There are also intellectual Roma who are musicologists, doctors, actors, teachers, priests, who are lost in the mass of the population, most of them denying their ethnicity. Regarding the houses of the Roma, they represent an architectural amalgam, the Roma taking different aspects from several cultures with which they came into contact. There is, however, a discrepancy between the rich Roma, known for their castles, and the poor who live in brothels or improvised housing, several in one house. The Roma who recognize their ethnicity have a specific way of dressing, easily recognizable: women with long skirts in bright colors and men with mustaches and hats, shirts and trousers. This chapter also talks about cultural influences and presents, first of all, the influences of Romanian culture on Romanian culture, and secondly, the influences of Romanian culture on Romanian culture. Thus, elements related to Romanian traditions and customs such as baptism, marriage, birth, funeral, celebrations, dances and popular Romanian games, were taken over or adapted by the Roma people. A greater influence is felt among the young Roma, who start to have a different mentality, for example, the authority of the Gypsy court is no longer respected so much. As for Romanians, they were influenced by Romanian culture, especially in literature, painting, music and clothing. 6 The third chapter , entitled Reflection of Romani culture in the mass media, analyzes how the Roma appear in the mass media. This aspect was targeted because the mass media is considered to be the fourth power in the state, so it won the trust of public opinion. The conclusion of this chapter was that regarding the presence and image of the Roma minority in the media, the weight of a negative image is greater than that of a positive image, the most frequently used stereotypes are those with a negative connotation. Belonging to the Roma ethnicity is a reason for discrimination on the part of the mass media. Looking at the absence or presence of the presentation of a negative or positive image, it can be said that the majority population has certain perceptions rooted in their mentality. And if newspaper X, for example, were to eliminate these reports, it would not suffer due to the low importance given by the public to this subject. It was noticed, instead, that certain articles were very successful presenting positive images and had a positive impact on the public. Next chapter Stereotypes and prejudices in the inter-ethnic relationship includes several analyzes regarding stereotypes and prejudices in the mass media, as well as the degree of tolerance or discrimination towards people of the Roma ethnicity. Several studies have shown that the mass media is guilty of a lot of negative perceptions towards the Roma, but journalists can also contribute to the reproduction, deepening and expansion of prejudices, of the negative attitudes that the representatives of this ethnicity have to face. In general, reference is made to the behavior of the Roma which is "criminal" and "illegal", being called in jargon: "gypsy, without occupation", "with or without a criminal record", "with or without a stable domicile", "known criminal ", the dominant feature of the Roma population that emerges from these articles is aggressiveness. Regarding the discrimination of the Roma, the discrimination and marginalization were not so much against the characteristic of being a Roma, but more, against a certain way of life of the Roma. In case of conflicts, the right to innocence is often taken away from the Roma even before the investigations of the actual trials are carried out. A study carried out by the Soros Foundation, named under the auspices of the Decade of Inclusion of the Roma, in the period 2006-2007, highlighted several aspects related to the discrimination of the Roma. The results of the research prove that there is a major difference in the acceptance of daily interaction between Roma and the majority population. The majority of the population accepts the interaction especially if it takes place in the public space (work, school), but there is reluctance regarding the "sharing" of 7 the private space. Many of those interviewed do not accept to live in the same area as the Roma. On the other hand, the acceptance of interethnic relations is almost unanimous, proving the desire for integration of the Roma. With regard to positive discrimination today, significant progress has been made in this regard, since 1998, the Ministry of Education and Research has been allocating to the ethnic Roma a separate schooling figure, both at the high school and at the university. Here we can also talk about the existence of programs and courses that support the Roma population. However, according to the Barometer of Roma Inclusion, supported by the Soros Foundation, only a third of the Roma population whose mother tongue is Romani (55% of the population) wants the language to be taught to children in schools. The last chapter of this paper consists of research on how Roma are perceived among Romanian students. The research focused on the use of the opinion survey, carried out with the help of the questionnaire, as a working method. The results of the survey sought to identify the stereotypes and prejudices that Romanian students have about Roma, to identify the extent to which people of Roma ethnicity are or are not accepted by Romanian students, to measure the degree of tolerance of Romanian students, as well as to record knowledge about Romani culture and influences of it in Romanian culture and life. The analysis of the results showed that the majority of students consider themselves to be tolerant people, but if we refer to the degree of acceptance of Romanian students towards Roma, they choose not to socialize with Roma, the categories considered to be the most tolerant are children and young people. Regarding the feelings felt for Roma people, it can be observed that most women are afraid of Roma people or feel indifference towards them, while men are indifferent, have no feelings for Roma people or cause them repulsion. In the end, it was seen that the students know very little or not at all about Romani culture, but they are convinced that there are Romani influences in Romanian culture and they know quite a few Romani personalities. We can conclude, therefore, that interculturality is a process to which we must pay due attention. It can be said that, although the prejudices against the Roma have decreased a lot in the last 14 years, the Roma continue to feel discriminated in their daily life and consider that ethnicity is an important element for success in life. In comparison, the majority population does not consider that ethnicity favored them in any way, minimizing its impact on social success. In order to be able to get rid of wrong perceptions and existing stereotypes, information is needed, knowledge of the other culture, then reaching the understanding of 10 It is certain that all Roma groups that have kept their own language, the Romani language, use the term "Rrom" when referring to community members. The word Roma represents, therefore, an indisputable way of self-identification of the members of this minority, being at the same time an important element of unity for a large part of Roma populations around the world. They also use the names manoş, manuşa (man) or kalo, kali (black) (Merfea, 1998). The first mentions of the Roma, under the name of Atigani , in the current territory of Romania, date from 1385 and are contained in a donation deed by Voivode Dan I of the Romanian Land to the Tismana Monastery (Petcuţ, http://www.edu.ro /index.php/resource/1145 , February 20, 2009:5-6). Throughout the post-December period, there was a constant pressure from some organizations or politicians, leading personalities with Roma ancestry, to use the ethnonym Roma in official documents . As a response to these pressures, through Memorandum H03/169 and 5/390/NV of January 31, 1995 addressed to the then Prime Minister, Nicolae Văcăroiu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Meleşcanu recommends the continued use of the word gypsy in documents in accordance with the words used in the other European languages: zigeuner, gitanes, zingaro, etc., to avoid unfortunate confusions with the names of the Romanian people. The pressures continue and in 2001, Petre Roman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, signs a new Memorandum with the number D2/1094/29.02.2000 to the Prime Minister Mugur Isărescu, in which he recommends the mandatory use in all official Romanian documents of the term Roma to identify the gypsy ethnicity. Mugur Isărescu appropriates the Memorandum and issues a government decision in this sense (O'Grady, Tarnovschi, 2000, http://www.edrc.ro/projects.jsp?project_id=14 , March 2, 2009). Today, in Romania, there is more and more talk about changing the name from Rrom/Rroma/Rromani to Gypsies or Dom/Domi . The daily Jurnalul Naţional proposed in March 2009 that, through a draft law, return to the use of the word gypsy instead of Rrom , both domestically and internationally "to avoid confusion between this ethnic group and Romanians" ( http: //www.jurnalul.ro/stire- tigan-in-loc-de-rom/propunere-jurnalul-national-tigan-in-loc-de-rom-145427.html , March 18, 2009). This campaign attracts a series of disputes between supporters of the name change and those who oppose it. 1.2. Brief history 11 Considering the nomadic character of the Romani civilization, establishing their origin is a rather complex and complicated process. In addition, the Roma people were not sufficiently interested in discovering their own origins, the place they could call "home". Numerous researchers have tried to establish the origin of the Roma people, different hypotheses being issued. It was initially believed, wrongly, that the Roma would have come from Egypt or other places. The most accepted hypothesis is that the first ethnic Roma in Eastern Europe came from India. It was Wáli István, a student of theology in Holland, who noticed a similarity between the Roman language and the Indian one. He noticed that the language spoken by the Hungarian Roma was similar to that spoken by his Indian colleagues ( Petcut P., Grigore D., Sandu M ., 2003:11, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/ resources/1142 , February 28, 2009 ). The English researcher Donald Kenrick believes that the departure of the Roma from India took place in the 3rd century AD, when Shah Ardashir (224-241 AD) conquered and transformed northern India into a colony of Persia (today's Iran). In Europe they are mentioned in the year 1000, when they arrived in the Byzantine Empire. In the battle of Ainzarba, the Greeks defeat the Arabs and take Zott soldiers and their families prisoners to Byzantium (Petcuţ P, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resource/1145 , February 20, 2009: 1-3 ). In Romania, the first mention of Roma occurs in 1385, talking about a slave transaction. In a charter given by the ruler of the Romanian Land, Dan I to Argeş for the Tismana monastery, it is written: "... and the (grinding) mill in Bistrita and the gypsies, 40 houses " (D. Dimitrie, 1892:31 apud. Kenrick, 2002 ). In 1388, Mr. Mircea the Elder donated "300 gypsy houses" to his foundation, Cozia Monastery; from the 15th century, all the great landowners having "Gypsy slaves", both the lord of the country, as well as the great monasteries and the boyars. The Roma had the status of slaves, slaves from the beginning; if you were a gypsy you were automatically a slave. Due to the "marginalized" status that the Roma had at that time, they could not resist. They were treated in the same way by the conquering Ottomans, as "good only to be slaves" (a qualification that all non-Muslim populations under domination received) (Sugar, 1964, apud. Hancock, 2000, apud. Kenrick, 2002). In the middle of the 19th century, slavery was abolished in the Romanian Countries, but freedom did not mean equality for the Roma. In the interwar period, the Roma began to organize and demand equality. Different newspapers and associations appear in several 12 areas of the country. In 1933, the General Association of Gypsies from Romania was founded, and in 1934 an international conference was organized (Kenrick, 2002). During the Second World War, 25,000 Roma were deported to Transnistria, where approximately 19,000 died. Then, during the communist period, the Roma were marginalized, at the official level they did not even exist. After 1989, they were again free to form and have associations, but were accused by the Romanians of the economic difficulties regarding the transition to the market economy (O'Grady, Tarnovschi, http://www.edrc.ro/projects . jsp?project_id=14 2 Mar 2009). As can be seen from the sources cited above, since 1990, there have been inter- ethnic conflicts in several Romanian villages, the houses of the Roma being set on fire by the majority population, and the people of the Roma ethnicity being often discriminated against. Today, the integration of Roma within the majority population is being sought, while supporting the development of Roma culture and civilization. Today we can talk about the existence of several programs in this sense, both at the national and international level. 1.3. The Romanian language and its influences on the Romanian language The language spoken by the Roma is called Romani , and the names Romani , Romanian or Gypsy are also used ( New Explanatory Dictionary of the Romanian Language , Litera Internaţional Publishing House, 2002). In addition to the Rroma language , many Rroma speak the language specific to the region in which they are located, either Romanian, Hungarian or any other. As for the origin of the language, it is believed to be related to Punjabi and Hindi and to have originated in India, from where it was spread with the initial migration. There is much evidence to support this. Two thirds of its basic vocabulary and grammar are Indian. The rest is the borrowed vocabulary, mostly from Persian, Greek and then from European contact languages. For example, the word baht (luck) comes from Persian, and the word dom (paved road) comes from Greek. With the entry of the Roma population into Europe, dialects appeared, which were largely influenced by the language of the majority population. It is estimated that there are between 13 and 30 dialects and that 80% of the Roma population in Europe speak one of them. However, the dialects can be classified into two large groups: Wallachian and non- Wallachian. The first dialect is predominant in Romania and was influenced by the 15 NASÓL, -OÁLĂ, nasoli, -oale, adj., sm and f. (Arg.) 1. Adj., sm and f. (Man) ugly or ridiculous. 2. Adj. (Of objects) Of poor quality; ugly, worn out; funny - From Chig. nasvalo "sick", nasul "bad, mean". 29. PARADÍ, paradise , vb. IV. Trans. and refl. (Fam.) To (se) spoil, to (se) damage, to (se) wear out. - From Chig. pharado. 30. PILÍ 2 , I pile, vb. IV. (Fam.) 1. Trans. To drink, to consume (excessive) alcoholic beverages. 2. Ref. To get drunk (easily), to get dizzy with drink. – Cf. cig. p i l o. 31. PIRÁNDĂ, pirande, sf (Pop.) Gypsy; gypsy wife - From Chig. pirando 32. ROM 2 , Roma , s.m. Gypsy. - From Chig. rom "man". 33. ŞUCÁR, -Ă, șucari, -e, adj., subst. (Arg.) 1. Adj. (About people) Nice, good. 2. Sn (In the form of sugar ) Noise, scandal; upset. 3. Sm (In sugar form ) Thief. [Var.: súcar sn, sm] – From Tzig. şukar. – For meaning 3. , cf and Germ. S c h a c h e r. 34. SUTÍ, I'm joking, vb. IV. Trans. (Arg.) To steal ( 1 ). - From Chig. shot 35. TANANÁ sf (Reg.) The name of a gypsy dance; melody to which this dance is performed; tannic - From Chig. the hand Also, Gypsy words such as a buli, bengos, bulan, bulangiu, a bunghi, diliu(dili), ghes, naşpa are used in popular language or slang. There are also expressions used in the Romanian language that have, however, a pejorative meaning: dirty like a gypsy , he drowned like a gypsy at the shore , a gypsy is still a gypsy, a gypsy has become an emperor , you talk like at the tent door . 16 CHAPTER 2 ROMANI CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION 2.1. Roman culture There are over 200 definitions of culture and none of them fully and completely defines culture. According to the Explanatory Dictionary of the Romanian Language, culture is defined as follows: "CULTURE, cultures, sf 1. The totality of material and spiritual values created by mankind and the institutions necessary for the communication of these values". GWF Hegel (1963:14-15) said about culture: " ... domain of the spirit, a heritage, for which we have agonized all the centuries that have passed, is a sanctuary in which all human generations have gratefully and joyfully preserved, what what was helpful to them in life, what they managed to understand from the depths of nature and spirit... it constitutes the principles, prejudices and wealth of these generations " (apud. Merfea, 1998)) Regarding the study of Roma culture, ethnological interest has increased in recent years due to the impossibility of defining their specific culture. Thus, in the analysis of 17 Roman culture, traditions and customs, rituals, folk art, as well as the way they live within the family, the importance of school and religion will be presented. The family For Roma, the family is sacred and once they get married, they never separate. The houses they live in do not matter much, the important thing is that they are spacious enough to accommodate the whole family. Even if the Romanian Roma do not have such strong family cohesion (compared to the Spanish Roma, for example), they give due importance to the family. The family in the traditional Romanian culture represents the fundamental value of solidarity within the community, being a factor of social control and preservation of ethnic identity. The individual feels safe within the family because it provides stability and protection in difficult situations. The Roma family is, in fact, the community, not only through the social control factors, natural for any traditional society, but, above all, through the system of kinship relationships cultural ( phralipen ), a fact for which we can call it a community family (Petcuţ P., Grigore D., Sandu M, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resurse/1142 , February 28, 2009). According to a study carried out by Elena Zamfir and Cătălin Zamfir (1993), including a sample of 1804 Roma families, the traditional Roma family is an extended one. On average, a family consists of 6.6 people, more than double the average value for the country which is 3.1 (according to the 1992 census data). Regarding the fertility index of the Roma population, it is double that of the majority population. Research shows that almost a fourth of all families have a traditional attitude in relation to the number of births: "how many children does God give" (Merfea, 1998). From the study carried out by the two sociologists, it appears that families with few members are rare. There are families composed of 15-20 people (2.2% of the families under study), families with more than 20 members and even 41 people (only one family in the sample). In addition to the couple and children, grandparents, daughters-in-law, sons- in-law, grandchildren and even other people also live in a Roma family. The Romanian population is a young one considering the fact that almost half of the family members are represented by young people under the age of 16. This rather large number is also due to the young age at which marriages take place, as well as the first births. 20 The gypsy judgement presupposes the existence of a Gypsy Divan (Stabor Romano) which is made up of old and wise gypsies. The number of "jurors" is odd, it can have a minimum of 5 members and a maximum of 11 members. Regarding the facts judged, they are quite diverse, sometimes bizarre, but a crime will never be judged. This is judged by the state authorities. The parties involved in the trial come voluntarily or forced by circumstances. The trial takes place on territories neutral to the requesting parties, if the events are of great gravity. Women (who are not involved) are not allowed to speak during the trial, and if they do not obey they are fined or driven from the court. The statements of each side are heard, and then the Divan retires to the Deliberation Chamber where the subject is debated. The one who is found guilty must pay a fine that refers to the payment for the moral and material damages of the injured party. Leaving the place where they stay for a period of time can also be punished. If the guilty person does not have money to pay, he is not excused, he does what he knows, sells his house, car or takes out a loan. If he does not pay, he is doubled the amount he had to pay initially, and if he refuses to submit to the gypsy judgment, he is expelled from the community and is no longer accepted in any other community, he is renegade. In the case of adultery, women had their noses or ears cut off, there was also the alternative of the "zero" haircut, but this punishment was too light and was not used much. During the communist period, the punishment of mutilation was widely used, but it was abandoned due to the laws of the Romanian state. However, there is a possibility that it is still used in some communities. There are judges whose authority is recognized throughout the country, and plaintiffs and defendants come from all regions of the country to be tried by them. At the three gates of life: marriage, birth and burial marriage of the Roma does not represent a bond recognized by the state authorities, it is achieved as a result of the agreement between the families. The wedding is still done according to the rules that the Roma people followed in their nomadic life. The wedding is held exclusively in the community, the spouses not taking steps for legalization, only if they can have some benefits from this. The young generation perpetuates this habit, a slight increase in this trend being observed. The traditional marriage of the Roma includes a series of transition stages such as: the marriage proposal (petition) - a mangimos and engagement; wedding - o biav -, the meal celebrating the virginity of the bride. 21 The age at which marriage takes place is very young, the Roma community considering that young people mature much faster because they are left in complete freedom from a young age and know and participate in all the events that concern the family. This custom has attracted the attention of international authorities, the best known being the Ciobă case. The youngest daughter of the Roma king Florin Cioabă, Ana-Maria, aged 12, married Birita Mihai, the son of a Roma from Sibiu , in 2003 . Some time before the wedding (years) and the coming of age, the boy's parents begin the process of buying the girl. After long haggling and depending on the wealth of the peasants, the price is set. This is paid in gold, of course the girl's father must give an appropriate dowry. For safety, a guarantor is hired in the person of the bulibaşa, who is responsible if the wedding does not take place. The girl has no right to object to the choice of husband. The girl's dowry consists of money, clothing for 7-10 years and silver cups blown with gold. These "glasses" are, in fact, cups in medieval shapes, with signs known only to nomads and silversmiths. They are proof of prestige, real identifications of ethnicity. Depending on the dowry, the girl is treated well or not by her husband. Until reaching marriageable age, the bride stays with the family, after which she moves with her husband or stays with her parents, depending on the situation. After they get married, the husband undertakes to take care of his wife, and she must obey him fully (Merfea, 1991:40-46). The young people are blessed by the rashai (priest) who gives them happiness, and the party lasts two or three days, from Thursday to Friday or Saturday. Virginity is very important in Romani culture. If the bride is a big girl, the wedding shirt is exposed, a sign of honor and respect. If the young woman is not a virgin, she is banished and punished (Martinez, 2001). Premarital relations are prohibited. The birth of the first child must correspond to the date of the wedding. In this sense, all kinds of calculations are made so that the husband is not deceived. The wedding ritual continues, an old man is called to break a clay vessel and to say: "when these shards will stick to each other and form a new vessel, then the spouses will separate " . (Wlislocki, 2000:63). The birth also involves a series of traditions, still respected today by a part of the Roma. Roma women become mothers very early. From the study carried out by Elena and Cătălin Zamfir (1993), it appears that a fifth of them have their first child at the age of 16, and more than half at the age of 18, the birth rate of the Roma population being higher than that of the majority population. The appearance of a child is attributed to divinity: " when you are poor, heaven gives you many children". In the past, there were "midwives" 22 and bearers in Roma communities, but the communities have adapted to the traditions of the majority population. However, among the Korturari gypsies, the Kortureress chose a safe place to give birth, avoiding her tent or cart. The collective midwife assisted the birth, and after the birth the child was rolled in snow or in cold water, if it was summer. The newborn was hidden from the eyes of the world so as not to be blinded. At birth, the child received a name that was changed in case of illness, thus the child had 2 names (Wlislocki, 2000:65-68). The child's baptism is done in the church, if the godparents are Orthodox. In the bath, the godmothers put silver coins and some flying plants. The party with fiddlers lasts a day or a day and a night. At the age of 6-7, children are prepared to withstand the punishments that life could offer them. Thus a strange man is brought; he looks at the child, gets angry and then beats him cruelly, while the father encourages the child to resist. The child's beating and resistance are seen as a moral defense and gives him the right to enter society (Merfea, 1991:46). The child belongs to the whole community, thus they are educated in the spirit of "brotherhood", no one else forbids anything in the verbal way: "don't do that!". Apparently, no control is exercised over them, they have no taboos, because they are pure. Instead, the condition is to suggest the community codes, in the form of a slow and natural learning, without prohibitions, but educating them to respect - patîv -, fraternally shared responsibility and a sense of shame - lajavo . The younger ones have to ask permission to speak–“kamav aj mangav te phenav vi me jekh dùma!” (I want and ask to say a word myself!), because of the respect ( patîv ) that they have the obligation to show to the elderly (Petcuţ, Grigore, Sandu, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resurse /1142 , February 28, 2009). Regarding rituals, there are a series of rituals that are performed before, during or after birth, the Roma people having a lot of superstitions. For example, if the pregnant woman sees the gaping muzzle of a dead animal she will have a child with a foul mouth; if he carries seeds in his apron, the child will have an incurable skin disease. If he eats fish, the child will learn to speak late or if he eats snails, the child will learn to walk with difficulty. While yawning, the expectant mother puts her hand over her mouth to keep the evil spirits out. If there is a full moon while she is pregnant, the gypsy does not leave the tent because she is afraid of having an unfortunate birth. On her first outing, the woman must place the child on the ground and step three times over it and back so that it does not 25 they became nomads because they did not receive Jesus from Egypt. Others consider themselves sons of another Eve who did not sin. The Roma believe in a principle of good, Del (God) and one of evil, Beng (Devil). There are equivalent names for these forces namely: Dévla (God) and Cohanó or Durkhaló for Beng. In relation to these forces, the Roma have a spectator attitude, considering that the two principles have equal forces in influencing the surrounding world. As a result, they pray in few words, for example: "O Del si baró!"(God is great!) or "Dévla, na mai múndar ma!"(God, don't kill me) or "Del to del baht! (May the Lord give you luck) or "Del o del mai but!" (May the Lord give more) (Cherata, 1993). In the stories, the divinities come to the Roma villages and intervene in solving problems related especially to fertility and marriage. Towards divinity, the Roma have an attitude of respect and fear, but at the same time they address the divinity in a friendly, close tone, as can be seen from their poems: " Large wooden leaf " Oh, bro God, bro My God, God, where did I come from? I can't sleep tonight[...]" Let me make a house here [...]" Ştefan Florea from Boteni, Ilfov county Ioan Martin from Craiova (Barbu Constantinescu, 2005) In relation to their faith, the Roma have a series of superstitions such as the fear of rabbits or snakes or the bare-necked hen. The first one says that approaching a dead or alive rabbit brings bad luck, they even fear a rabbit's tail or paw. In Romani culture, the Romani are not really followers of the belief that the soul lives on after death, for them, the spirits of the dead are important to the extent that they influence the destinies of the living, help or harm. Thus, the Roma have rooted the belief that the dead turn into undead (Cherata, 1993:61). Related to this, they have a series of superstitions, for example it is said that in the Night of Sânzienel, the dead who cannot find peace visit their relatives and that is why the living stretch a thread over the nearest water so that the spirits can pass: " water dissolves charms and drives away spirits". It is good that on this night they put a bowl of milk in front of the tent so that the dead, tired of the earthly journey, can refresh himself, otherwise he will cause trouble to the living (Wlislocki, 2000: 110-111). School 26 When it comes to school, there is a cultural gap between the majority population and the Roma population. The strictness imposed regarding the school differs from one Roma community to another. For example, for boilermakers, spoitors or gabors, the gypsy law is superior to the school law. Traditions and customs are even harsher for Roma girls, who were lucky enough to be sent to school. Many times, they are forced by their parents to give up school in order to get married, even against their will. Going to school in this case is a matter of great shame. For bears, on the other hand, things are not so strict. Girls are allowed to go to school and marry whoever they want. Their law does not forbid them to continue their studies in order to get married until they are 17-18 years old, as is the case with suitors. Parents send their children to school, as long as the "law" allows it. Otherwise, the girl must keep her head bowed, wear a headscarf, not look into the eyes of the man in front of her, especially if he is a man, and not even hug cousins. That is the "law", and traditions cannot be broken unless young people, who are forced to marry, run away into the world to escape marriage. A research carried out by the Education 2000+ Center within the project And Roma girls go to school! (Voicu, Popescu, 2006, http://www.cedu.ro/progrportro01.php?id=213 , March 5, 2009) tried to establish how Roma from traditional or less traditional communities see girls' education and what are the reasons for abandonment school. The first conclusion of the research was that Roma girls are aware of the importance of school, school participation being widely accepted. All the girls say that it is good to go to school because it is the main way of achieving life. In most cases, the motivation to go to school had a strong economic component: school primarily provides the means by which you can manage in society and make money. The reasons for dropping out of school identified in the research were theft of girls, marriage, lack of resources and lack of prospects on the labor market. Marriage remains the most important factor in school dropout among Roma girls. It is considered that if they go to school they will not be able to fulfill their role as a wife or mother, plus the community norms do not allow this. Work was not cited as a reason for dropping out of school, but the group discussions reveal the fact that practicing work in the household or outside it certainly represents an important factor in the decision to drop out of school. Child labor is motivated by lack of resources. Thus, Roma girls do not have any decision-making power, even if they are aware of the situation they cannot resist the control of the community. 27 The 2002 census data revealed serious deficiencies in the level of education that some ethnic communities manage to access. Comparing these results with those of the 1992 census, general trends can also be detected. In the situation of the Roma, the percentage of those with higher education increased from 0.1% to 0.2%, but the percentage of those with high school education decreased from 2% to 1.5%, and while the percentage of those with with four classes (from 37.5% to 35.8%), the percentage of those without a school degree increased a lot (from 25.1% to 34.3%). In schools where there are more Roma, the dropout rate exceeds 45% in the primary cycle and approaches 70% in the secondary cycle. If they are mixed with Romanian children, however, the Roma are less tempted to give up their studies. In 2007, 260,000 Roma children attended school, 24,060 also learning their mother tongue, but the number of those who should go to school is double. Analyzing the data on illiteracy, we can see the doubling, in absolute numbers, of the number of illiterate Roma among the adult population, in the period 1992-2002: from 57,108 to 104,737. A large part of Roma children between the ages of 10 and 16 do not know how to read at all, or read with great difficulty. The situation of those over 17 is not better either: 31% of them can barely read. Today, the interest in supporting the Roma population is materialized through a series of programs and projects both at the national and international level. PHARE programs "Access to education for disadvantaged groups" have been running since 2001. The total value of the projects was approximately 30 million euros. 8-10 schools were selected from each county and approximately 78,000 Roma students benefited from the program. In order for the results to be as positive as possible and to see the fruits of the efforts made by the other peoples, the Roma population must also really get involved. In this sense, King Florin Ciobă declared: "We are 17 castes. The only more authentic ones, who have preserved their traditions, are the boilermakers, the Gaborians, the rest are somewhat assimilated. For us, at the caldărari, it was and is the tradition of marriage at 13, 15 years old, but we try to explain to our co-ethnics that it is good to try to integrate into the laws. We had a series of seminars, even an OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) project on this topic. Our Roma must realize that it is good to change these traditions. I asked the Ministry of Education that where there are married Roma children, they should receive them at school, so that they can also finish their studies. Not all girls want to study, but those who want to should be allowed and the parents should understand 30 It cannot be said that there is a single "gypsy music", but a plurality of distinct gypsy musics, depending on the changes in the music itself and the ideological transformations in the society in which the Roma live, as well as depending on the events in their personal lives . Literature Romani literature is generally oral, being characterized by ballads, songs, stories, fairy tales and poems, as well as riddles, proverbs, anecdotes. Until the 20th century, Romani literature was exclusively oral, the temporary encouragement of the Romani language at the beginning of the Soviet Union led to a flowering of literature in the interwar period. Since 1945, many poems, short stories, plays have been written. Many Roma writers, such as Mateo Maximoff and Veijo Baltazar, have written novels in the language of the majority of the countries where they live. Regarding dramatic literature, the founding of the Romanian Theater in Moscow led to the appearance of plays in the Romanian language. Writers such as Bezliudskz, Alexandr German and I. Rom-Lebedev wrote plays in the Romanian language for the theater. Today there are also Pralipe and Romathan, which are Romani-language theaters (Kenrick, 2002). The Roma know many legends and use fantastical elements to explain the genesis of a phenomenon, plants or to tell people's lives. If we analyze their fairy tales, we find heroes, emperors, boyars, lords, elephants, snakes, etc. As for ballads, they are often sung. The Roma often resort to snoave, anecdotes and bans to defend themselves from "gags". Just as every nation has its own sayings, so the Roma people can boast of a series of proverbs. For example: "The poor man eats pepper", "If you want to see fish, don't stir the water", "What you give with your hands, you look for with your feet", "Haleam, pileam, cool nalileam!" (I ate, I drank, I did nothing). Collections of works of the popular genre exist in family libraries or in the warehouses of the branches of the national archives. The enthusiasm of young love, the pain of separation, the pain of disappointment, the pain caused by the death of a loved one are represented in Romani literature at all levels of sensitivity, especially in poems. The feeling of missing the homeland is also illustrated: "Ah, don't step on the flowers, " I'm a traveling gypsy Listen to what they tell you: I live my life without a homeland I live only in the height of summer, or Forsaken and poor No one warms me With eyes nailed to buttermilk" 31 I'm a gypsy chick." (Constantinescu, 2005) Among the well-known poets are Rajko Djuric, Lecsa Manuš, Bronislawa Wajs, etc. Many of them write in the language of the country where they live, such as Luminiţa Mihai Cioabă. In addition to music or literature, Roman art also includes painting or sculpture, the painters Karl Stojka and his sister Ceija or Mirka Preussova are quite well known. A well-known sculptor, painter, violinist from Romania is Dimitrie Răchită from Dorohoi. 2.2. Roman civilization The meaning of the word evolved rapidly, aiming to highlight the civilizing activities, compared to the past eras, being opposed to barbarism; tends to be confused with the idea of nation. According to the Explanatory Dictionary of the Romanian Language, civilization is defined as follows: "CIVILIZATION , civilizations , sf Level of material and spiritual development of society in a given era, of a people, of a state, etc., culture (material or spiritual); p. ext. high level of development of a society". In a broader sense, civilization is seen as a determination specific to any society. Knowing the living environment of each human group, of each society, leads to the identification of their civilization. Civilization and culture stimulate each other and associate taking the form of a uniform body. According to Kant, culture is the perfection and discipline of reason, and civilization represents the social relations between individuals. The analysis of the Romani civilization will take into account Romani professions and trades, as well as the houses and the way they dress. Crafts and professions The term profession is part of the social sciences vocabulary. The term is however ambiguous and can have several meanings: the usual type of work of a person, a term close to that of occupation; set of interests of a collective, within which each participant 32 exercises a job and, finally, specialization, recognition, organization. (Vlăsceanu, Zamfir, http://www.dictsociologie.netfirms.com , March 7, 2009). As far as the Roma are concerned, there is a certain division of labor among them, which resulted in a differentiation of jobs. Even if the jobs practiced by the Roma groups are different, we can speak of the existence of common genes for all of them, regardless of where they live. Depending on the occupations practiced by the Roma, in Romani Culture and Civilization (1998), Mihai Merfea distinguishes the following occupations: "1. Horseshoe makers represent a classic type of Roma who made horseshoes, the metal part of carts, as well as various household items: hammers, axes, shovels, etc. 2. The Roman bearers from Laia , in India were snake and elephant tamers, in Europe they became bear trainers. They went through villages where they gave performances with bears. They were taught to play, beating the cadence on a tambourine. This occupation is, however, increasingly rare, considering the inhumane conditions in which the bears are taught to dance. 3. The spoitori were nomadic Roma, today they are, but semi-nomadic. Together with the boilermakers , they form a guild, the latter deal with the manufacture of boilers, stills, pans, cauldrons, bells and other objects made of bronze, brass, etc. They also make hammers, axes, files, nails, anvils, etc. The whistleblowers are considered to be the most honest and most appreciated by the Roma population. 4. The goldsmiths (gold gatherers) gathered the gold from the river bed. This business involved a real process. Today, the advent of modern technologies has led to the disappearance of the goldsmith job. 5. The rudarii (boys, spoon makers) deal with processing the soft and green wood of poplar, linden, wicker from which they make mushrooms, spinning forks, hemp, spindles, spoons, etc. They are also great craftsmen in wickerwork: baskets, chairs, tables, etc. Unlike the other Roma, the Rudari speak only Romanian. Isidor Iesan in Romanians from Bosnia and Herzegovina describes them as people with a special moral code: they are respected by their neighbors, they do not have to deal with the authorities, they pay their taxes regularly. Moreover, in Romania they are also recognized for their fairness, they work, they send their children to school, the Romanianization process being almost complete. Today, miners are forced to leave their jobs due to the impossibility of selling their products. In this situation, they try to adapt to work related to wood processing "in the forest", engaging as workers of forestry trusts. 35 and patterned hats, being easy to differentiate ( Alexandrescu, Sarau , 2004:14-15, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resurse/1153 , March 2, 2009). Red, green and yellow colors predominate in boilers . The skirts of the horsewomen are beautifully pleated, with multicolored ribbons, with pennies and buttons sewn on the skirts and aprons. The shirts are tight, have wide sleeves and are made of cotton with large or small flowers. The married woman must wear a headscarf (the headscarf is a sign of respect that the woman brings to the man). The unmarried girl wears her hair braided in two pigtails; before, Roma girls wore their hair braided in three pigtails, two thin ones in the front and a thicker one in the back. The men have wide trousers made of green or black velvet and wear waistcoats made of velvet or velour, with colored buttons and silver coins sewn on the front of the waistcoat. The shirt is brightly colored (red with large white or yellow flowers). The hat is, in turn, decorated with beads or peacock feathers, as a sign of greatness ( Alexandrescu, Sarau , 2004:21-22, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resurse/1153 , March 2 2009). Spoitori Rroms dress like the other categories of Rroms, with the difference that on special occasions the women adorn themselves with gold salves, earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces and crowns, all made of gold. A number of 10 to 40 24 K gold coins ( altïja ) are attached to a piece of velvet that make up the salba, with the aim of showing one's wealth. The men wear shells, bracelets, chains, little crosses, it is customary for both men and women to wear gold teeth ( Alexandrescu. Sarau , 2004:38, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resource /1153 , March 2, 2009) . As for the Gabori , their women, they must wear long skirts so that their ankles are not visible, they are not allowed to wear pants, short skirts or sleeveless blouses. Roma costumes are very valuable, women of status have up to 10 of the most expensive suits, which means that the woman in question is a mother loved by the family. The men in their families give them money only to make them the most expensive dresses, to be the most respected mothers and wives in their community. Men always, wherever they go, wear a hat with a black bow. The shirt is generally white, but on holidays they wear green, red or other colored satin shirts. The boot is black made of quality velvet, lately made of leather. Pants are made of velvet or fabric, mostly black or brown, and lately jeans, but more for young people and for work ( Alexandrescu, Sarau , 2004:43-44, http://www.edu.ro/index. php/resources/1153 , March 2, 2009) . 36 2.3. Cultural influences The influences of Romanian culture on Romanian culture Many Romanian influences are found in Romanian culture, considering the fact that the minority is usually assimilated by the majority. In the case of the Rroma people, we cannot speak of an absolute assimilation, but the Rroma have taken over a lot of elements from the majority population they live next to. Thus, elements related to Romanian traditions and customs such as baptism, marriage, birth, funeral, celebrations, dances and popular Romanian games, were taken over or adapted by the Roma people. The Roma have borrowed songs from Romanian folklore, especially the rhythmic ones, mostly from Banat folklore, as well as a lot of stories that they have adapted to modern life, kings talk on phones, have airplanes, etc. For example, in the villages of Moldova, the Roma dance the Serbian, hora, batuta, etc. In Muntenia and Dobrogea, the Roma also dance the geamparaua, and Olten or Banat music is very much enjoyed by the Roma. A greater influence is felt among the young Roma, who start to have a different mentality, for example, the authority of the Gypsy court is no longer respected so much. Regarding births, weddings or funerals, most Roma respect the customs of the Romanian population. Most women, over 95%, give birth to their children at the maternity hospital, and the child is generally baptized according to the Orthodox custom (Burtea, Gheorghe, Mărgineanu, Zamfir C., Zamfir E., 1993). Today, more and more Roma are marrying people from the majority population and even people from other minorities. Another interesting phenomenon related to the influence of the Romanian population on the Roma population is related to the intensity of the influence. For example, the Ursari Roma no longer keep the traditional dress, they dress (both women and men) roughly like the Romanians. On the one hand, there are Roma people who simply don't speak the Romani language anymore because they either haven't learned it or have forgotten it, and on the other hand, we meet Roma people who deny their ethnic affiliation, confusing themselves with the people the majority population (Alexandrescu, 2004: 18-19, http://www.edu.ro/index.php/resurse/1153 , March 2, 2009). The influences of Romanian culture on Romanian culture 37 Although the Romani population is a minority population in Romania, the Romanians were influenced by Romani culture. In Romanian culture there are fairy tales, songs, anecdotes, charms or gypsy games such as the forest, like at the door of the tent, etc. Regarding the influence of Romani culture on literary-artistic creations, Romanian writers, painters and musicians and not only were inspired by Romani culture and civilization. "In literature, many Romanian writers have addressed Romanian culture. A well- known example is the poem by Ioan Budai-Deleanu ţiganiada . His lyrics talk about the life, traditions and traditions of the Romani community. Nicolae Bălcescu also speaks in an article about a gentleman from Moldova, Ştefan Răzvan, ethnic Roma. The poet George Coşbuc also writes about the Roma. Vasile Alecsandri wrote "Poroja " and the History of a Galbân and a Parale , and Ion Creangă speaks in Childhood Memories about spoons. The short story La tsiğanci by Mircea Eliade or Şatra by Zaharia Stancu are very well-known works that are clear evidence of the influence of the Roma population. In painting, their picturesqueness is highlighted, thus painters such as Nicolae Grigorescu, Ştefan Luchian, Theodor Aman, Arthur Verona or Gheorghe Munteanu have captured the beauty of Roma women or different significant periods in the life of the Roma people. In music, Ciprian Porumbescu has two musical pieces as a result of the influence of the Romani culture: Pânera bără cioăra and ţiganii se sfatuiră (Merfea Mihai, 1993: 127, 154-156, 158). Also referring to the musical influences brought by the Roma, there is talk of the emergence of a new genre in Romanian music, namely maneaua . Related to this subject there is a lot of discussion, some are of the opinion that it is of oriental origin, while others say that it is identified with Romani fiddle music. There are, however, Romanian light music artists who are inspired by the musical style of the Roma, for example Loredana Groza. We also meet these influences internationally, Madonna declared in a tour, in which she also sang a song in the Roma version, that she would like to be a gypsy. In addition to the influences of the Romani culture in the Romanian literary and artistic creations, the Romanian people adopted and adapted a little of the clothing specific to the Roma, namely the long and wide skirts, the long earrings, i.e. the gipsy style . European fashion is also influenced by this style, in 2008, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood announced that she would present her collection using Roma mannequins, 40 the positive attitude of the articles about the Roma being encountered in only 2.04% of the cases. The Media Monitoring Agency - AMP monitored the media between August 1 and October 15, 2002 with the aim of following the reflection of the image of the Roma in the Romanian media ( http://www.mma.ro/BAZA%20DE%20DATE/Discriminare/romi% 20expulzati%20oct02/Analysis%20romi%20expulzati%20aug-oct02.htm , March 11, 2009). The subject pursued was the one related to illegal immigration. 12 daily newspapers were monitored, namely: Adevărul , Cronica Română, Corierul Naţional, Evenimentul Zilei, Independent, Jurnalul Naţional, Libertatea, Monitorul de Bucharest, Naţional, România Liberă, Ultima Oră and Ziua. The Romanian media dealt with this subject, insisting in particular on the illegal migration of the Roma population. Thus, the positive attitude of the media towards the Roma ethnic group was absent, while a percentage of 37.7% represented a neutral attitude on the part of the Romanian media. The Roma are targeted as the actors of neutral actions in a percentage of 42.22%, while the positive actions attributed to them are absent. Television and the Internet also provide a certain image of the Roma ethnic group. In general, the positive image is promoted through festivals addressed to the Roma and very rarely documentaries or interviews with and about the Roma. The station Acășa TV is recognized for its positive attitude towards the Roma, a fact proven by the telenovelas that have as their subject the Roma people, their culture and civilization. Related to anti-discrimination campaigns, they present the Roma ethnicity as it is, trying to change the attitude and behavior of the majority population. The SPER campaign, implemented by the General Secretariat of the government and the National Agency for Roma, focused on this aspect, with a short film contest in the media on the topic of discrimination. Negative images of the Roma reflected in the mass media From the previously mentioned study by Katerina Matei regarding the Roma issue, it appears that in 14 articles from Adevărul, România muncitoare and Azi , the attitude towards Roma is favorable to non-Roma. The Roma are presented as the only ones to blame due to their behavior. Out of a number of 93 articles, 30 articles from Adevărul, Opinia Studențeasca, România muncitoare, Dreptatea and Dimineaţa have a negative, insulting and slanderous attitude. 41 An extremely negative attitude that encourages pogroms is found in 4 articles published in Greater Romania . Newspapers such as Tineretul liber or Expres vehemently attack the Roma. In publications with such an attitude, no explanations are given regarding the adopted position, but simply the attitude is used as a pretext to justify the difficulties of the majority (Pons, 1999:115-117). The analysis of the daily newspapers from May 1, 1996-April 30, 1997 (Tolcea, Rus, 1998) shows that the image of the Roma ethnic group is negative. The association of the Roma ethnicity with the commission of crimes is the most common, the attributes used are: theft, rape, blackmail, illegal trade, beatings, mafia, begging, robbery, conflicts, etc. The Roma are also defined as a group, using words with negative connotations, such as: gypsy mafia, gang, nobility, gang, tent, herd, etc. Most of them appear in the newspaper from Iasi (58 appearances in 98 articles). Regarding skin color, Roma are called "dark- skinned", "tanned", "brunette", the mentions being most often accompanied by an ironic tone, with racist undertones. According to an AMP monitoring between February and August 2000 ( http://www.mma.ro/BAZA%20DE%20DATE/Discriminare/Roma%20in%20presa%20ro m_feb_aug2000.htm , March 11, 2009) on 5 national and one local dailies (from Bucharest) shows that in terms of the type of events reported, the predominant ones are conflictual 57.14%, these events being of a criminal nature in 31.46% (of the cases) and economic in 17.65%. Regarding the type of action exercised by the Roma, the majority are negative (71%). The attitude of the articles towards individuals belonging to the Rrom ethnic group is negative in 31.78% of the total references. From the monitoring of the AMP from August 1 to October 15, 2002, it appears that the attitude of the average towards the Roma is negative in proportion to 62.22%, the tendency of the media is to present negative actions that have the Roma as protagonists (57.78% ). Most of the events with Roma as protagonists are conflictual, the ratio between conflictual and non-conflictual events presented is 60% to 40%. Regarding the Television, there are numerous examples where it presented the Roma in a negative way and incited the majority population to hatred and violent demonstrations against the Roma. During the political demonstrations in the spring of 1990 in the University Square, the National Television showed images of some Roma selling various items. These images were rebroadcast in the summer when Emanuel Valeriu appeared on the small screen and announced that the television studios were attacked and destroyed by 42 Roma, asking the population to intervene and defend the Television. Thus, groups of miners arrived in Bucharest and attacked the gypsy neighborhoods (Pons, 1999:117-118). On October 25, 2005, the police found parts of what had been the body of an 11- year-old Roma girl, probably raped and then killed. The newspaper Adevărul published the news on October 26 ( http://www.adevarul.ro/articole/2005/bucati-din-corpul-unei- fetite-de-11-ani-gasite-in-bucataria-unui-sinucigas.html , March 16, 2009), and on the same night, OTV television focused its attention on two issues related to Roma: the first one referred to a fight between two Roma gangs. 3.3. ConCluSIonS It is observed that regarding the presence and image of the Roma minority in the press, the weight of a negative image is greater than that of a positive image, the most frequently used stereotypes are those with a negative connotation. Belonging to the Roma ethnicity is a reason for discrimination on the part of the mass media. This negative attitude is explained in two ways. The first claims that the media, especially the press, express reality, and the information must be transmitted as it is, even if it is negative. The second approach refers to the increasing competition between newspapers, journalists who want to attract more and more readers. It is known that positive information does not have the same impact as negative information that impresses, sometimes shocks and attracts attention. From the studies carried out, it appears that belonging to the Roma ethnic group is a reason for discrimination, considering the fact that in the case of the other criminals, the ethnic affiliation is not specified. This happens because it is considered that the largest number of criminals and beggars is found among the Roma population, a fact that has been denied. In the case of the authorities (Police, Prosecutor's Office, local administration departments), they are also responsible for creating a negative image, the communications sent by officials, mentioning ethnicity, having a negative impact on the population. Although there have been improvements, the promotion of a negative image exists, whether it is done unintentionally or not. Thus, for example, an article presents some criminals, and the adjacent photo shows some young people with typical Roma features. If we refer to the absence or presence of the presentation of a negative or positive image, even if negative reports appear, the majority population has certain perceptions rooted in their mentality. And if the newspaper, for example, were to eliminate these 45 to their lack of unity. The Roma are seen as quarrelsome, violent people who "don't help each other", here we are talking about the existence of two Roma "camps": the rich who have palaces and those who barely have a roof over their heads. Due to these interpretations that appear due to the lack of real and verifiable information, the diversity of the Roma, as well as due to the specific culture of the Roma, the fact that they are seen as "foreigners", journalists resort to stereotypes. From media monitoring since 1991, I have learned how the Roma minority is represented in the media, as well as related stereotypes and prejudices. In general, the conflicts between the Roma and the majority population are reported, the Roma having a negative image most of the time. The behavior of the Roma is "criminal" and "illegal", being called in jargon: "gypsy, without occupation", "with or without a criminal record", "with or without a stable domicile", "known criminal". In a monitoring of the media from May 19 to May 25 and June 2 to June 7, 1997, most of the articles refer to crime among the Roma. A series of headlines published between May and July 1998 is a clear example of stereotypes: A bloody settlement of accounts between two gypsies (Adevărul, 20 May 1998), The trial of Fane Căpăţână – Confrontation between gypsy mafias (Adevărul, 24 June 1998) , Gypsies from Căzăneşti are fighting over stolen aluminum (Adevărul, July 13, 1998), The fights between the Gypsy mafias take a break - The culprits of the "Străuleşti assault" were arrested (Ziua, July 14, 1998), Two gangs of gypsies armed with clubs of baseball they fought in the area of Tineretului beach (Ziua, July 29, 1998). Within the articles analyzed by the AMP between February and August 2000 (5 national dailies and one local newspaper from Bucharest), 14 stereotypes were studied, 11 of which have a negative connotation, the most frequent being: "criminal gypsies"- 33.33%, " violent gypsies"-38.38%. The dominant feature of the Roma population that emerges from these articles is aggressiveness. There are also more recent articles that maintain the same attitude: in 2005, the Național TV television station presented an event organized by the Roma Center "Amare Rromentza" under the title "The Gypsies still think they are Roma", in 2007 an article written by Vasile I. Zărnescu , published on www. altermedia.info titled Do gypsies blacken the image of Romania? , and in 2008 and 2009 a series of articles appeared, especially following the conflicts in Italy. 4.2. Discrimination or tolerance? 46 It is important to remember that the existence of prejudices leads to the appearance of discrimination. While prejudice is about attitudes and ways of thinking, discrimination is about behavior and everyday interaction. The definition given by the Explanatory Dictionary of the Romanian Language regarding discrimination is as follows: " DISCRIMINATION St 1. separation, difference, clear distinction between several elements. 2. restrictive differentiation of rights for part of the population of a country, for an organization or for some countries compared to others ". Discrimination is most often manifested when certain characteristics of a person (skin color, sex, ethnicity, etc.) end up generating moral judgments about that individual. Some characteristics are innate, and others are consequences of policies in a society. Several types of discrimination are practiced in Romania and beyond, which correspond to the marginalization of certain social groups, based on different criteria. By TOLERANCE, according to DEX, is meant " to allow, allow a situation, a fact (not allowed); to overlook". Tolerance towards those who are different from an ethnic or religious point of view, for example, is usually considered a sign of the health of a democratic society. Racial discrimination Racial discrimination or segregation involves the separation of people based on criteria of origin or different races within the same country (regarding residential neighborhoods, schools, theaters, public transport, medical assistance, etc.). This can take various forms, from the most brutal (genocide, apartheid) to subtle forms that prevent representatives of certain ethnic groups or races from enjoying different rights. In Romania, this type of discrimination targets, on the one hand, people of Roma ethnicity and, on the other hand, people who have a different appearance from that of the "majority". The Roma as individuals were not excluded from the life of the majority. Discrimination and marginalization was done not so much in relation to the characteristic of being a Roma, but more in relation to a certain way of life of the Roma. (Burtea, Gheorghe, Mărgineanu, Zamfir, E., Zamfir, C., 1993: 37-39) The increase in delinquency and violence reinforces the negative stereotypes of the majority population, increasing marginalization and the risk of conflicts. The increase in delinquency appears against the background of a phenomenon of rejection, ignorance, discrimination, and perfidy. The negative stereotypes regarding the Roma come to 47 massively reinforce this collective perception. In these stereotypes: The Gypsy is the aggressor! (Burtea, Gheorghe, Mărgineanu, Zamfir, E., Zamfir, C., 1993:168). The Roma are, most of the time, deprived of their right to innocence even before the investigations of the actual trials are carried out, with the Police and the plaintiffs considering them guilty from the outset. In the official discourse, the various incidents were not presented as ethnic or racial conflicts, but as ones of a social nature. In the Hădăreni case, no "offender" of another ethnicity was prosecuted, and innocent Roma were still attacked. Here, however, the Government reacted. This case, as well as that of Mihail Kogălniceanu, prove the existence of a low level of inter-ethnic tolerance, opinion polls showed in the early 90s that ethnic intolerance was very high among the majority population, over 70% of Romanians not wanting to have a neighbor of Roma ethnicity (Badescu, Grigoraş, Rughiniş, Voicu M., Voicu O., 2007:55, http://www.osf.ro/ro/program.php?program=16 , March 15, 2009). According to the European Values Study 1993 and 1999 (EVS 1993 and EVS 1999) and the World Values Study (WVS 1997), in 2006, the share of those who said they did not want a Roma neighbor decreased to 36%, the decrease in intolerance, in the period 1993-2006 , being constant (Bădescu, Grigoraş, Rughiniş, Voicu M., Voicu O., 2007:56, http://www.osf.ro/ro/program.php?program=16 , March 15, 2009). A study carried out by the Soros Foundation, named under the auspices of the Decade of Inclusion of the Roma, in the period 2006-2007, highlighted several aspects related to the discrimination of the Roma. Also, the study aimed to find out what are the population's perceptions regarding the Roma and to give the Roma the opportunity to express themselves in relation to the main problems they face. The acceptance of interethnic interaction in everyday life represents another measure of tolerance between ethnicities. The results of the research prove that there is a major difference in the acceptance of daily interaction between Roma and the majority population. The majority of the population accepts the interaction especially if it takes place in the public space (work, school), but there is reluctance regarding the "sharing" of the private space. Many of those interviewed do not accept to live in the same area as the Roma. On the other hand, the acceptance of interethnic relations is almost unanimous, proving the desire for integration of the Roma. Regarding inter-ethnic marriages, there is a reluctance of the ethnic Romanian population, not only towards the ethnic Roma, but also towards the Hungarians, almost half of the population rejecting the marriage of their own children with an ethnic 50 Positive discrimination The principle of positive discrimination implies the granting, in favor of minorities, of certain privileges, when they are necessary to compensate for the numerical inequality between them and the majority (such privileges concern, among others, the right of initiative in various fields or special rights of control over the functioning of institutions of the state or local voting rights for non-citizens, etc.). In 2001, Romania approved Government Decision 430 on the Strategy for Improving the Situation of the Roma. Within this strategy, the basis for "positive discrimination" was developed. Among the demands was "Increasing the number of medical staff from ethnic Roma, by allocating special places for Roma students in the state medical education", in the Health chapter, and in the Education chapter it was requested "The adoption of legislative measures in support of the Roma, in the purpose of providing facilities in the field of education for Roma and from the perspective of promoting Roma in school administration positions (school directors and school inspectors)", "Continuing the provision of facilities and special subsidized places for young Roma who wish to attend university colleges and faculties" and "Encouraging access to education by providing a free meal for all primary and secondary students". Today, significant progress has been made in this regard, as far as schooling is concerned since 1998, the Ministry of Education and Research allocates a separate schooling figure for ethnic Roma, both at high school and at college. For the 2008-2009 school year, a number of 493 places for Roma candidates in the 49 state higher education institutions. The special places intended for Roma, within the state faculties, ensure admission on minimum criteria (average 5.00) and exemption from tuition fees for the duration of studies. Also in the field of education, in 2008, in the framework of the Education of Roma children in Europe project , a series of measures in this regard were discussed, one of them being the hiring and training of mediators and Roma school assistants. Also in support of the Roma population, there are today courses in the Romani language, in 1991 professor Gheorghe Sarau created a course for learning the Romani language for high school. He laid the foundations of education for Roma in Romania, creating the first textbook for the study of this language in primary schools, the first course taught at the university and the first dictionary. Professor Sarău reorganized the grammar 51 of the Romanian language, created seven dictionaries and 15 study manuals, becoming today an internationally recognized personality. In 1992, the optional Romansh (Gypsy) language course was opened at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of Bucharest, this being the first university course in Romansh language in Romania. In the academic year 1997/1998, as a result of his efforts, the section of Indian studies (Hindi - Romani) was established, and in the academic year 1998/1999, the section of Romani language and literature was established and provisionally authorized, within the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures and of the Faculty of Letters - University of Bucharest. In April 2000, Gheorghe Sarau was the initiator and coordinator of the "Romance Language and Literature" specialization at the CREDIS College of Open Distance Education at the University of Bucharest. He organized national courses in the Romanian language, as well as lessons for learning this language on radio and television, methodological courses, the national Olympiad in the Romanian language, etc. However, according to the Roma Inclusion Barometer (2007), supported by the Soros Foundation, only a third of the Roma population whose mother tongue is Romani (55% of the population) wants the language to be taught to children in schools. CHAPTER 5 HOW ARE ROMANIS PERCEIVED AMONG ROMANIAN STUDENTS? Since their establishment on the European continent, the Roma had to face the closed mentality of many peoples with whom they came into contact. The Romanian people make no exception in this regard. The fact that since the Middle Ages they had the status of slaves, being "marginalized" says a lot about the Romanian people's perception of the Roma. Even if society has evolved and progress has been made in terms of 52 intercultural relations, there are still perceptions and stereotypes that prevent the realization of a total "intercultural dialogue". For these reasons, the present research aims to identify the perceptions that Romanians have, at the moment, regarding the Roma. The chosen sample was represented by students because it is assumed that young people are more open, they represent the "new generation", the generation that is no longer under the power of communism and are, therefore, more tolerant. The research was carried out precisely with the aim of highlighting the tolerance, perceptions and feelings that young people have for people of Roma ethnicity. 5.1. Research stages The first stage of the research involved the identification of the objectives of the study, namely: 1. identifying the stereotypes and prejudices that Romanian students have about Roma; 2. finding out the general attitude towards people of Roma ethnicity; 3. identifying the extent to which people of Roma ethnicity are or are not accepted by Romanian students; 4. finding out the students' perception regarding the Roma and the image of Romania abroad; 5. measuring the degree of tolerance of Romanian students; 6. recording students' knowledge about Romanian culture and its influences in the culture and life of Romanians. The second stage considered the formulation of hypotheses , namely: 1. among students there are a large number of stereotypes and negative prejudices related to Roma; 2. in the perception of Romanian students, the Roma are responsible for the negative image of Romania abroad; 3. the Romanian students, in their vast majority, do not know anything about the Romanian culture, but they are convinced of the existence of the negative influences of this culture on their own culture. In the stage of choosing the research methods, the working method was chosen, namely carrying out an opinion poll to find out what is the perception of Romanian 55 Q6. Would you agree to have a Roma roommate (dorm)? 1. Yes, of course; 2. Largely; 3. To a small extent; 4. I do not know; 5. No, for sure. Q7. If you had a Roma roommate, would you agree to lend them your things or do activities together? 1. Yes, without reservation; 2. Depends on the person; 3. I do not know; 4. Not. Q8. Did you have Roma friends? 1. Yes; 2. No, but I know people who have; 3. I haven't had the chance, but I'd love to; 4. No and I don't intend to. Q9. If you had friends of Roma ethnicity, how would you behave? 1. I would behave as I behave with my other friends; 2. I would hide from others the fact that I am Roma; 3. It's not necessary. Q10. If you were to appreciate the way in which the media contributes to shaping the image of the Roma, what can you say? The mass media has: 1. A positive role; 2. A neutral role; 3. A negative role; 4. No role; 5. I do not know. Q11. To what extent do you consider that the Roma are responsible for the negative image of Romania abroad? 1. Always; 2. Largely; 3. To a small extent; 4. Sometimes; 5. Never. Q12. The Roma are responsible for the negative image of Romania abroad because: 1. Steal; 2. I am begging; 3. It kills; 4. Another reason. Which?______________________________________________ 5. They are not responsible You can choose a maximum of two variants. 56 Q13. If you were to appreciate the possibility of integrating the Roma into society, what do you think? 1. They can be integrated; 2. They don't need integration, they manage on their own; 3. They will not integrate; 4. I do not know. Q14. Depending on age, who do you think accepts Roma people more easily? 1. Children; 2. Young people; 3. Grown ups; 4. Old; 5. No one. You can choose a maximum of four variants. Q15. If you were to rate yourself, to what extent do you consider yourself a tolerant person? 1. To a very great extent; 2. Largely; 3. To a small extent; 4. To a very small extent; 5. Intolerance. Q16. Do you agree with the fact that Roma people can enter college on special budget places? 1. Yes, because they need elites from among their ethnicity; 2. No, because they are positively discriminated; 3. No, because the other candidates are discriminated against; 4. He should not study at the same college as the others; 5. I can't appreciate it. Q17. Please continue to express a point of view regarding Roman culture. In your opinion their culture is: __________________________________________________________________ Q18. Do you think there are Romani influences in Romanian culture? If so, what are they? 1 No; 2. Yes. Give examples:________________________________________________ Q19. Do you know people of Roma ethnicity? 1. Not; 2. Yes. Examples: _________________________________________________ Q20. Do you think that the existence of the Roma minority in Romania influences you in any way? If so, in what way? 1. Not; 2. I do not know; 3. Yes. _______________________________________________________ 57 Q21. Sex: 1. Female; 2. Male. Q22. Environment of origin: 1. Rural; 2. Urban. Q23. Faculty :______________________ Q24. Religion: ________________________ Q25. how many brothers do you have 1. Single child; 2. 1 brother/sister; 3. 2 brothers/sisters; 4. More than 2 brothers/sisters. Thank you for your time! 5.3. The results of the opinion poll and their interpretation After applying the questionnaire, the answers were centralized and the results were interpreted. The program with which the centralization was carried out is called SPSS, a program that allows statistical analysis. Next, the obtained results will be presented, as well as the interpretation of ten topics addressed. The author of the design of the case study is Alexandru Toma. Fig. 5.3.1. 60 Fig. 5.3.3. De foarte multe ori De multe ori Rareori Niciodata Q3. Aţi avut experienţe neplăcute legate de persoane rome? 0 10 20 30 P ro ce nt e 1 1.0% 6 6.0% 21 21.0% 6 6.0% 1 1.0% 25 25.0% 31 31.0% 9 9.0% mediu provenienta Rural Urban To this question, 31% of the townspeople answered with the option rarely , the next option chosen being the option many times (25%). 9 people never had problems with Roma, while 6 of the students had unpleasant experiences several times . rarely had problems with Roma, and only 6% had unpleasant experiences several times , or never . Compared to fig. 5.3.6. a percentage of 1% of the people questioned, from the rural and urban areas, answered that they had many times unpleasant experiences related to the Roma. This time, the ratio between the answers given depending on the environment of origin differs slightly. Those from the urban environment were divided into two extremes: those who had problems with the Roma and those who did not, the balance tilting slightly in favor of the latter. However, considering that most of the students have no feelings for Roma or are indifferent to them, unpleasant experiences should be absent to a more significant extent. 61 Fig. 5.3.4. Have you had unpleasant experiences with Roma people? Faculty unpleasant experiences Total Many times Often Rare Never Plastic arts 0 6 12 1 19 Chemistry 0 1 3 0 4 Communication and public relations 0 5 4 0 9 Right 1 2 9 3 15 Journalism 0 5 3 2 10 Applied modern languages 0 0 1 3 4 Faculty of Letters 1 1 2 0 4 International relations 0 3 10 2 15 Math 0 7 4 2 13 Economics 0 1 4 2 7 Total 2 31 52 15 100 According to the table above, half of the surveyed subjects rarely had problems with the Roma. On the other hand, 31 people have often had unpleasant experiences, and 15 have never . In general, students belonging to the theoretical or technical profiles encountered problems with Roma. As for the variant, it was often chosen by only 2 people, both of them being humanities profile, resulting from this that humanities students do better when it comes it's about relationships with others. 62 Fig. 5.3.5. Da Nu, dar cunosc persoane care au Nu am avut ocazia, dar mi- ar placea Nu si nu intentionez sa am Q8.Aţi avut prieteni romi? 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 P ro c e n te 9.09% 8.08% 0.0% 5.05% 29.29% 13.13% 6.06% 9.09% 8.08% 3.03% 0.0% 4.04%4.04% 1.01% 0.0% nr frati Singur la parinti 1 frate/sora 2 frati/surori Mai mult de 2 frati/surori People who have 1 brother/sister had Roma friends (29.29%) or know people who have (13.13%). On the other hand, most single students with parents (9 people) have Roma friends, while 8 people only know people who have Roma friends. Also 9 people from the surveyed subjects answered negatively to the question "Have you had Roma friends?", 6% of the respondents are, however, open and would like to have Roma friends. Regarding the students with 2 brothers/sisters, 8.08% had Roma friends, 3.03 know people who did, but 4.04% did not have and do not intend to have Roma friends. Students with several siblings answered affirmatively to the question "Did you have Roma friends?" in percentage of 4.04%. The general trend that can be observed from this graph is that the vast majority of students, regardless of the number of siblings, are sociable and are not against the idea of having a Roma friend. As in the previous figure, the people who have another brother/sister had Roma friends, for exactly the same reasons. 65 These prejudices made their way into the mentality of Romanian students because a few individual cases in which the Roma actually committed reprehensible acts were generalized. Fig. 5.3.8. 43 43.0% 6 6.0% 43 43.0% 8 8.0% intergrarea romilor Pot fi integrati Nu au nevoie de intergrare,se descurca si singuri Nu se vor integra Nu stiu The surveyed students answered this question that the Roma will not integrate into society (43 students were of this opinion). This answer can be explained by the fact that the students are of the opinion that the Roma "steal and beg" and do not respect the rules of the state in which they live, having their own rules by which they are guided. On the other hand, a total of 43 students are of the opinion that, however, the Roma will manage to integrate into society. This shows the open and tolerant nature of young people, but this opposition is a bit strange because, normally, they should have received one of the two options. Also, a small part of the students (6%) say that the Roma do not need integration because they can manage on their own. A percentage of 8% of the respondents preferred not to answer specifically to this question and opted for the option I don't know . A number of 10 people surveyed (6 women and 5 men) considered that no category is tolerant regarding the Roma. It is normal for younger people to be more tolerant because they are supposed to have a different mindset, but there are many young people who are 66 still influenced by the rigid mindsets of their parents or let themselves be manipulated by the media Fig. 5.3.9. 47 47.47% 18 18.18% 24 24.24% 10 10.1% locuri bugetare Da, pentru ca au nevoie de elite din randul etniei lor Nu, pentru ca sunt discriminati pozitiv Nu, pentru ca sunt discriminati ceilalti candidati Nu pot aprecia To the question "Do you agree with the fact that Roma people can enter college on special budget places ?" almost half of the surveyed students answered yes , because they need elites from their ethnic group . A percentage of 24.24% does not agree, however, considering that the other candidates are discriminated against . By accepting the existence of special places for Roma, the students prove that they are tolerant. 18 people are of the opinion that the admission of Roma to the faculty on special places represents positive discrimination for Roma. A number of 10 people did not want to express their opinion and opted for the option I cannot appreciate . 67 Fig. 5.3.10. 26 60.47% 5 11.63% 2 4.65% 4 9.3% 1 2.33% 1 2.33% 1 2.33% 1 2.33% 1 2.33% 1 2.33% exemple In muzica: manele, muzica de perecere, lautareasca In vocabular: misto, naspa In literatura: povesti, ghicitori In muzica si in vocabular In muzica si in vestimentatie In muzica si in arhitectura In vocabular si in vestimentatie In vocabular si in vestimentatie In muzica, vocabular si in vestimentatie In muzica, vocabular si in arhitectura Romanians believe that the Roma have influenced Romanian culture, especially in music (60.47%). A percentage of 11.63% believe that the influences occurred only in terms of vocabulary, 9.3% of subjects believe that Romanian culture was influenced in music and vocabulary, and 4.65% say that literature was influenced of Roma. The rest of the people, in percentages of 2.33% each, believe that there are influences in: music and clothing, music and architecture, vocabulary and clothing, music, vocabulary and clothing and in music, vocabulary and architecture. The most influences are considered to be in music due to the mediatization of maneles. 70 ConCluSIonS Even if the Romanian society has evolved and is continuously evolving, it still remains a society that is guided most of the time by stereotypes and prejudices. The prejudices deeply rooted in the collective mind make a good coexistence of the two cultures almost impossible: the Romanian culture and the Romanian culture. Nowadays there is more and more talk about culture, interculturality and multiculturalism, encouraging the acceptance of diversity, and in the case of Romania, the way they interact, the relations established with the Roma people, represent an aspect that should not be neglected. The present paper focused on the identification of prejudices and stereotypes existing in Romanian culture against Romani culture, the way in which perceptions influence the relations between the two cultures. Thus, the work was structured in 5 large chapters, which referred to the origins of the Roma people, their culture and civilization, the reflection of Roma culture in the mass media, the stereotypes and prejudices existing in the inter-ethnic relationship and a research on the perceptions of Romanian students in what concerns the Roma. The practical part of this work consisted in carrying out an opinion poll among Romanian students to see what their perceptions are regarding the Roma. The opinion poll focuses on the degree of acceptance of the Romanians towards the Roma, their feelings regarding the people belonging to the Roma ethnicity, as well as the level of tolerance of the students. Also, the study analyzes the knowledge that the interviewed people have about Romanian culture and civilization. The theme addressed in this paper contributed to the formation and shaping of my visions, conceptions and perspectives regarding the representatives of the Roma culture. I managed to look at this culture from a different point of view and become more tolerant and open to other cultures. Regarding the professional aspect, the completion of the work allowed me to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge, helped me to identify prejudices, stereotypes and the factors that were at their base, thus allowing the formulation of possible solutions or methods of changing mentalities. 71 Bibliography: 1. 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