a picture from google
from the article of mail online news
'Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier' advertising campaign used by Channel 4 for its wedding series to be investigated for 'racism'
The Advertising Standards Authority is to formally investigate Channel 4's advertising for Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, after the Irish Traveller community successfully appealed the regulator's original decision.
Adverts used to promote the show have been criticised for using the words: 'Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier' in large letters across images of travellers, including one of young children.
The London Travellers' Unit and two members of the London Assembly have likened the word 'gypsier' to other terms deemed racist and abusive.
In March the ASA dismissed more than 370 complaints against the campaign, but decided that an investigation was unnecessary as Channel 4's TV and billboard ads were not likely to cause widespread offence.
Victory: The Advertising Standards Authority is to formally investigate Channel 4's controversial advertising for Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, after the Irish Traveller community successfully appealed the regulator's original decision
Statement: Billboards advertising the hit show across the country have seen graffiti scrawled across
But now the ASA has made an embarrassing climb down and admitted its decision not to review the complaints was 'flawed.'
The green light for the investigation to commence was given after a meeting between Lord Smith and independent reviewer Sir Hayden Phillips, a former senior civil servant.
The decision to investigate the series ,which has pulled in up to 8 million viewers, is damaging to the show's sponsor Honda and the car company admitted some viewers had rang them directly to lodge a complaint.
The posters appeared all over the country on billboards this year in the run up to the launch of the six-part series
They sparked outrage among the traveller community in Hackney, in East London, who even staged a street protest in opposition.
John Biggs is one of the members upset by the posters. He said: 'Channel 4 should show greater respect and restraint.'
Protest: The London Gypsy and Traveller Unit hold banners and placards reading: 'Ban these adverts and say sorry'
He wrote to the broadcaster with Jennette Arnold, who is also a member of the assembly, saying the adverts were 'totally inappropriate, offensive and disrespectful' and raised concerns that they would cause more 'ill feeling and discrimination'.
Meanwhile, travellers said they have been upset by the show and have found it 'insulting and degrading'.
The documentary makers have also been accused of portraying traveller men as 'menacing'.
The accusations came as earlier this month, the sons of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings star Paddy Doherty admitted their role in a violent street brawl between feuding gypsy clans.
Several men were involved in the punch-up when rival families clashed outside Manchester magistrates court in Spinningfields.
Britain's youngest Gypsy bride: Earlier this month Danielle Maughan, wed in a lavish ceremony costing £50,000 on the hit television show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, was one day past her 16th birthday when she married 21-year-old Brendan Joyce
Happily ever after: Danielle Maughan, 16, and her new husband Brendan Joyce, 21, walk back down the aisle as Mr and Mrs after the ceremony
The fight broke out after brothers John and Dougie Joyce appeared before magistrates, accused of attacking Paddy Doherty, their cousin.
John, David and Simon Doherty - Paddy’s sons - were arrested with members of the Joyce and Ward families after the fight, in the city’s busy business district last summer.
Eight men have now admitted their involvement in the violence which erupted as part of a long-standing feud between the groups and will be sentenced in June.
The popular show follows young gypsy couples in the run-up to their weddings and is notable for showcasing brides' extraordinarily extravagant wedding dresses and the provocative outfits of their teenage wedding guests.
In a statement yesterday the ASA said: 'Following a recommendation from the Independent Reviewer of ASA adjudications, the ASA Council has decided that its original decision not to conduct a formal investigation into complaints about the Channel 4 Broadcasting Ltd’s advertising campaign for the TV programme Big Fat Gypsy Wedding was flawed.
'It has decided that a formal investigation should now commence.
'In their evaluation, the Council noted that it had made its original decision without the benefit of knowing that the Irish Traveller Movement of Britain had complained and that this was a material fact to which they should have had regard.'
Gypsy, Gipsy [ˈdʒɪpsɪ]
n pl -sies (sometimes not capital)
1. (Social Science / Peoples)
a. a member of a people scattered throughout Europe and North America, who maintain a nomadic way of life in industrialized societies. They migrated from NW India from about the 9th century onwards
b. (as modifier) a Gypsy fortune-teller
2. (Linguistics / Languages) the language of the Gypsies; Romany
3. a person who looks or behaves like a Gypsy
[from Egyptian, since they were thought to have come originally from Egypt]
My reflection about:
"BIGGER.FATTER.GYPSIER"
As I viewed this pictures and articles, despite the flashy pictures I saw the words "Bigger Fatter and Gypsier" I immediately saw that something is wrong with the advertisement. Channel 4 was not considerate and sensitive about their advertisement. They should have considered the words that they were using. In my point of view the advertisement was totally inappropriate, offensive and disrespectful. Channel 4's advertisement clearly showed racism.
As we know, gypsy is a race of a person, a member of a people scattered throughout Europe and North America, who maintain a nomadic way of life in industrialized societies. They migrated from NW India from about the 9th century on wards, and we can say that they deserve some respect even some of them just live in the streets or somewhere else. Channel 4 used the word "gypsy" as an adjective which is totally racist. Why should a normal minded person use a race as an ADJECTIVE with the words BIGGER AND FATTER? Automatically people who are a gypsy is bigger and fatter than the rest of the races. When some one puts a noun with an adjective bigger and fatter it is completely degrading and insulting. They should have used other words that would suffice the advertisement and won't harm anyone.
Let us always remember that we should think before we speak or in this case we should think before we post big billboards saying somethings that are racist and insulting, case in point the Channel 4's advertisement clearly showed racism and we should learn from that. Let's always remember that there are a lot of people with different perspective and we should be mindful of what we state especially when our words will be posted in public.
SOURCE:http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Pix/pictures/2012/2/16/1329389516449/Bigger-Fatter-Gypsier-007.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/16/asa-investigate-big-fat-gypsy-wedding-ads&h=276&w=460&sz=38&tbnid=EBa_-Fvxgpt3hM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=150&zoom=1&usg=__r1j-RiBcYypgCzhPvEsfNXSNnQA=&docid=Mh8c04KPbzrCeM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-at_UJzWN6zpiQKF24HAAg&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ9QEwAQ&dur=290
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151461/Bigger-Fatter-Gypsier-advertising-campaign-used-Channel-4-wedding-series-investigated-racism.html
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Gypsy
this is a student's blog.
