I recently read a line of chat conversation, where somebody said:
… get jipped by some guy …
A different user construed this as “casual racism”, even though the whole conversation was completely unconnected to racial issues. It seems that the problem is the word “jipped” which Wiktionary says is
Probably from the term gypsy (“Roma”), due to a stereotype of the Roma as swindlers.
(emphasis mine).
So I wonder, is this really a politically incorrect word to use? Do speakers and listeners generally connect the word with actual Roma stereotypes? Or is it a rarity to think about its origins, and people generally just use it without thinking of the possible historical etymology, just like people use malaria without ever thinking of bad air?
I heard/read the word for the first time, and did not make a connection to “Gypsy” at all, even though I am European and I am generally aware that “gypsy” is a pejorative racial term.
It’s not really possible to answer this question as asked without polling the general population and seeing what the word brings to mind.
Here are some facts:
The word almost surely originated as a racist stereotype
At least some people are aware of #1
Because of #2, the risk of offense is non-zero
There are plenty of synonyms out there (cheated, conned, scammed, duped, et al.)
Therefore, it’s easy to avoid the word, and it’s advisable unless you aren’t really concerned about being seen as an insensitive person.
Also: “political correctness” isn’t a studied linguistic concept with a clear-cut definition. It is itself a politically loaded term, in that what many cynically label “political correctness”, others would simply call “common decency” or “being inclusive to groups of people unlike oneself”.