PC requirement
Gypsy is Roma, like gay is homosexual, and I am familiar with psychological effect of two steps policies, to dilute the essence, yet people tend to adopt the new designators but associate similar meanings after a while.
Elena, I am not Polish and Serbs in general like Romanians. Vlad Tepes :)) We are the only two neighboring nations that never had conflict, which is for Balkans bordering surreal.
Romanians have the most positive stereotype about Serbs as well in the area, with Greeks, I am familiar with research on that topic. OK Greeks are our allies for eternity and we share some blood and love for blood ;)
In one period, immediately after Ceausescu was overthrown which was covered and helped by Belgrade TV and its crew who was informing the rest of the world, Romania suffered a lot, and there was a short period when poverty and the possible ways to cope were only few, so I think that labeling of Romanians as a thieves, prostitutes occurred then. In that period I also heard in one part of Vojvodina (north Serbia) that they called Romanians - Banat gypsies. Whaaaaat? Thefts were really skyrocketing after 1990, but it was a momentum. Nothing else.
Romanians are known as good people :)
One of my mom's friends boyfriends is a guy who was until recently a leading ballet dancer of our National theater, he is Romanian who moved from Romania to Belgrade after Ceausescu's free fall more than 2 decades ago, because of love for the 20 years older woman (mom's friend), he is rarely talented, bright and funny man. Simply lovable.
He smokes two packs a day, and dances 4 h. not destroyable. I like him a lot. His stories about his early life in Bucharest are material for stand up comedy.
My favorite Romanian working...
youtube.com/watch?v=yp0ZhvrwpJ4