READERS’ RESPONSE TO ARTICLES ON ETHNIC
MINORITIES IN THE BULGARIAN AND THE BRITISH PRESS
Desislava Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva
University of Shumen, Bulgaria
INTRODUCTION
A research on the language of journalists in articles on ethnic groups in Bulgaria and the
UK from the beginning of the century (2001-2005) and from 2011 (see CheshmedzhievaStoycheva) proves that journalists nowadays are more careful when talking about ethnic groups.
Readers’ response sections in the electronic versions of newspapers give us feedback on
the peregrinations of a newspaper text from the journalist, through the newsroom, to the
consciousness of its readers and make us aware of the social stand on the issues discussed.
As my objective in this paper is to study the attitude of the general population, rather than
the bigoted views of its more extreme members, I have tried to concentrate on responses to press
releases that do not present direct clashes between members of the majority and representatives
of the ethnic groups.
The Bulgarian printed media follow up on one and the same story to a much smaller
degree than their British counterparts, therefore the readers’ responses selected for analysis from
the former are to articles debating the issues of broadcasting news in Turkish or Romany on the
national television, the legalization of Roma “ghettoes”, and the misfortunate attempt of a Roma
representative to act as the GP of a Roma neighbourhood without the necessary certificate.
The responses to publications from the British press mostly focus on the debate around
the sacking of the producer of Midsomer Murders over his statement that Midsomer was the last
bastion of Englishness, and to the TV series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which claim to portray
Gypsy life in the UK.
ANALYSIS
Analysing the language used by the Bulgarian and the British readers, one could notice
the big difference in expressions used, tone of speech, and message conveyed.
Reading the comments posted by the Bulgarian readers on the news in Turkish or in
Romany, one encounters a lot of derogative lexemes used to openly insult any possible readers of
Turkish/ Roma ethnic background.
Some of the postings on the possible coming off air of the news in Turkish are initially
directed either at the journalist who has published the article or at the people interviewed. Later
on however, the tone becomes more generic and more heated especially after the involvement of
some respondents of Turkish background.
The insults used by the Bulgarians are formed mostly around appearance and/or assumed
point of origin: черен анадолец (‘black man from Anadolu’ – 24Ch/ 17.03.11), Гадни свине
анадолски (‘disgusting swine from Anadolu’ – 24Ch/ 17.03.11), which also uses analogies with
animals, considered dirty and at the same time unacceptable by Turkish culture as a whole; and
around culture/ traditions: свиньо рязана (‘you circumcised swine’ – A/ 08.03.11), мръсен
рязан фес (‘dirty circumcised fez’ – 24Ch/17.03.11), or омразни фесове (‘obnoxious fez’ –
24Ch/17.03.11). The last two insults are additionally enhanced by the reference to Bulgaria’s past
history when the Ottomans oppressed Bulgarians for five centuries.
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
There is a case of the use of the derogative мангал (‘brazier’ – 24Ch/17.03.11) to mark
the Turkish, which is strange as this term is usually used to mark members of the Roma ethnic
group in Bulgaria. The derogative in a way attributes equal status to the Roma and the Turkish –
both groups are similarly despised and feared.
Other words of insult are the ones suggesting some mental disability: тъпанар с
тъпанар (‘dumb head of the dumb heads’ – 24Ch/ 17.03.11) and турци прости (‘dumb
Turkish’ – 24Ch/ 17.03.11).
Some of the readers allow themselves to use obscene language, such as:
АЙДЕ
МАХАЙТЕ
СЕ
ОТ
БЪЛГАРИЯ ТУРЦИ ПРОСТИ, НЕ
НИ ТРЯБВАТЕ ДА ВИ ЕБЕМ
РЕЛИГИЯТА И МАЙКИТЕ1 (24Ch/
17.03.11); Мама им да еба и паразита,
мама и да е ба и на тази демокрация!
(24Ch/ 06.03.11).
Come on, leave Bulgaria, you, stupid
Turkish. We don’t need you. F**k your
religion and your mothers (24Ch/
17.03.11); Fuck the parasite, fuck the
democracy (24Ch/ 06.03.11).
The caps, which convey virtual shouting, add up to the emotions expressed, to the anger
of the reader.
Bulgarian bloggers also use threats, which explicitly present their xenophobic attitudes:
СВИНЬО
РЯЗАНА,
ЩЕ
ТИ
ВЪЗСТАНОВЯ ИМЕТО, ЩЕ ТИ
ПРИШИЯ КОЖАТА И ПОСЛЕ ЩЕ
ТЕ ЗАШИЯ В ТЪРБУХА НА СВИНЯ
(A/ 08.03.11); Черни, мустакати,
кирливи и вмирисани резани маймуни
– вън от сайта (A/ 14.03.11).
You, circumcised swine, I’ll renew
your name, I’ll sew your skin and will
sew you in the stomach of a swine (A/
08.03.11); You, black, moustached,
grimy and stinky circumcised monkeys,
out of this site (A/ 14.03.11).
The first of the two threats is especially insulting to Muslims as in Muslim culture it is a
disgrace for someone to be “buried” in the stomach of a pig. At the same time the threat touches
on a very painful part of the history of the Bulgarians of Turkish background – the time of the socalled Great Excursion.
The readers of Turkish background retaliate with insults as well: варвари (‘barbarians’);
Долно племе сте (‘you are a mean tribe’ – 24Ch/ 17.03.11) attributing backwardness to the
Bulgarians; also помияри мръсни (‘dirty mongrels’), свини (‘swine’), говеда балкански
(‘Balkan cattle’), etc.
The articles regarding the legalization of the Roma “ghettoes” also feature use of insults.
One could note the excessive use of the exonym Tsiganin and the derogative мангал (‘brazier’ –
T/04.03.11); манго (‘gyppo’ – 24Ch/ 06.03.11); гнусен гаден циганин (‘nasty repulsive
Tsiganin’ – 24Ch/ 06.03.11); смахнат мангал ... престъпник (‘crazy brazier’ … ‘criminal’ –
24Ch/ 08.03.11); the diminutive and belittling циганчето Евгений (‘the Tsigani boy Evgeniy’ –
24Ch/ 08.03.11) referring to a grown up person pretending to cure people without the necessary
qualification.
In addition, one could also notice comments questioning the appropriateness of the
endonym Roma considered the politically correct way to name the community: Абе кви са тия
роми ли, римляни ли? Не съм чувал за такива народности, виж за цигани, мангали демек
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
да, ама за роми? (‘Are these Roma or Romans? I’ve never heard of such nationalities. If you are
talking about Tsigani, so to say braziers, OK, but Roma?’ – 24Ch/ 06.03.11). As discussed
elsewhere (see Cheshmedzhieva; Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva), questioning the use of the
endonym and refraining from it, while resorting freely to derogatives and insults, speaks of
disrespect and disregard.
This is further enhanced by the simile with pest used to describe the Roma: самата им
природа е на паразити, а сегашните даже не говорят български! (‘their very nature is
vermin-like, and those of today don’t even speak Bulgarian! – 24Ch/ 06.03.11); интеграцията
на тези орки е невъзможна- та те най -много мразят тези, на чийто гръб паразитиратбългарите (the integration of these orcs is impossible, well, they hate most the people they prey
on. And these people are the Bulgarians – 24Ch/ 06.03.11), etc. It is interesting to note that while
the insults at the Turkish resort to the use of lexemes denoting animals, those meant for the Roma
liken them to insects (ants, cockroaches), which occupy a lower level in the evolution scale and
are considered inferior. This is probably subconsciously related to the opinion Bulgarians have of
the two groups. Although the attitude expressed is negative in both cases it seems that if one
should grade it, Turkish would take higher position than the Roma (see also Cheshmedzhieva).
The retaliation of the Roma participating in the forums includes insults in the form of
separate lexemes or phrases, e.g. И предрасъдаците при вас българите са на такова
маймунско ниво че не ми се коментира (Bulgarians, even your prejudices are at such a
monkey-like level that I don’t even want to comment on – 24Ch/ 06.03.11); the diminutives:
смешното българче (‘the funny Bulgarian boy’) and цървулко (‘a small beggar on a
horseback’) – all trying to give a sense of superiority to the Roma over the Bulgarians.
In addition, the Roma respondents use крадлив и мързелив монголец (‘thieving and lazy
Mongol’), which most probably applies a sense of backwardness to the Bulgarians and does not
hint on their origin from Asia; also комплексари (‘cravens’), крадлива и некадърна нация (‘a
nation that is thieving and good-for-nothing’), нещастници (‘losers’ – 24Ch/ 06.03.11). All
these showing the stereotypical image Bulgarians have in the minds of the Roma.
The fact that the analysis on the comments in the Bulgarian newspapers so far has shown
use of insults from Bulgarians, Roma and Turkish alike, speaks of hatred which is both ways, not
only from the majority to the minority but vice versa as well.
There are threats used for the Roma as well: Циганите нямат място в България. (‘The
Tsigani don’t have a place in Bulgaria’ – 24Ch/ 06.03.11); За циганите – само такива
“доктори” (‘Such kind of doctors is what the Tsigani deserve’ – 24Ch/ 08.03.11). Such
expressions clearly convey the nimbyism of the readers.
The members of the two ethnic groups discussed, and especially the Roma, are seen as the
reason for all the problems of the majority. To prove this bloggers speak of reverse
discrimination encountered in each segment of social life:
Щом държавата е толкова финансово
освободена към ромите, да видим
дали ще е такава и към мен,човекът
който си плаща всички сметки и
данъци навреме от години!!! (24Ch/
06.03.11); Не може младия Българин
да работи на две места и да се чуди
как да върже двата края, и в същото
време да плаща на някакви
If the country is so financially lenient to
the Roma, let’s see if it will behave in a
similar way towards me, the person who
has been paying his taxes and bills on
time for years’ (24Ch/ 06.03.11); It
cannot be that the young Bulgarian is
working in two places to make both
ends meet and at the same time s/he is
paying for some lazy and ungrateful
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
мързеливи и не благодарни ромчета,
които само крадът, мамят. убиват и
кой знае какво още. Това НЕ Е
НОРМАЛНО !!!!!!!! (24Ch/ 06.03.11).
Roma boys/ girls who only steal,
deceive, kill and who knows what else.
That is not Normal!!!!!!!! (24Ch/
06.03.11).
These examples show the frustration of the readers as expressed not only through
linguistic means but also through the use of punctuation marks and caps. One could notice the
excessive use of exclamation marks and question marks suggesting the strong emotions of the
writers.
As could be inferred from the examples quoted so far, many of the responses reiterate and
stress on the negative stereotypes associated with the Roma and the Turks so that on the one hand
Bulgarians could look better than those ethnic groups, while on the other the positive image of
the majority could justify the resentment felt to the other ethnic groups. Thus apart from the
stereotype of Roma as thieving, filthy, leading parasitic way of life, one could see phrases
presenting them as living on different kinds of social aid, having many children, lying, killing old
people, pick pocketing, being illiterate, lazy, and so on.
All this only shows the unwillingness of the Bulgarians to live together with ethnic groups
that differ from them in culture, appearance or religion.
The examples taken from the Bulgarian readers’ response sections also show another
aspect of our media practices. Bulgarian media does not have moderators who would reduce the
amount of racist or xenophobic opinion encountered in the comments sections. A democratic
country strives for freedom for all and understanding, while derogatives, threats, insults are not
conducive to such notions.
The corpus of comments on the British articles on Midsomer Murders’ producer Brian
True-May also show a very heated debate mostly because of the fact that some of the British see
his sacking as an act of unjustified political correctness.
Different than the readers’ responses to articles from the Bulgarian newspapers, there are
no pejorative or derogative words used against any of the ethnic groups but the Gypsies.
The negativism in the responses of the British is mostly expressed through comparisons
and statements presenting the (white) British as oppressed by the various immigrants from
different ethnic background.
The opinion expressed could be broadly defined as anti-multiculturalism and could be
described as willingness for segregation in TV programmes at least:
If I wanted to see blacks I’d watch “Roots” with Kunta Kinta and Chicken George.
If I wanted to see Asian’s I’d watch BBC Asia (DT/ 23.03.11); Because if there is
concern that Midsomer Murders is unpopular with ethnic minority viewers,
imagine the much greater concern there will be with over the unpopularity of the
Asian Network with ethnic majority listeners! (DT/ 18.03.11)
The attempt of the government to interfere with the cast selection of a show that is
enjoyed by the white British is seen as a form of oppression of the white majority by the ethnic
minorities who stereotypically claim more rights and recognition. The rhetoric around this topic
is built exclusively around the opposition Us vs. Them, with Us being presented in the subjugated
position:
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
. . . the only portion of the country it is fair to discriminate against is the white
majority, the tv media has been taken over by, gays, blacks, Jews etc, if the
Israelis get criitised, we are inundated with holocaust films for weeks after,
everybody has the right to exist, that includes EVERYBODY, minorities have far
too much control over what gets transmitted and it’s high time something was
done to redress the balance. (DT/ 23.03.11); etc.
The phrases that strengthen said message are the disjoining against the white majority
(DT/ 23.03.11); except for white Europeans (DT/ 23.03.11); against whites (DT/ 23.03.11), etc.,
which are further on heightened by the use of notions such as: white genocide . . . demographic
extermination of white children (DT/ 18.03.11), etc. The opposition Us vs. Them mentioned
above acquires new dimensions where Us is connected not only with ‘the oppressed’ but with the
colour marker ‘white’.
The idea of forceful acceptance of different ethnic groups and their discrimination against
the majority is also stressed by the metaphorical expression: “other cultures rammed down our
throats until we conform” (DT/ 19.03.11), as well as by rhetoric questions: Or does it only work
one way? (I/15.03.11), or interjections like: Oh I can’t, that’s racist! (DT/ 23.03.11). Similar to
the last expression of assumed understanding of what racism is, one could also find ironic
remarks, such as:
A vision of Britain without radical clerics, gang violence, honour killings, fried
chicken outlets, rap music, forced marriages, gangstas and mass immigration –
How terrible! (DT/24.03.11); I am a racist because I have become sickened at the
takeover of my country be people whose only interest is in mugging and drug
dealing, grooming underage girls, defrauding the benefits system from the luxury
of their tax-payer funded house, bombing our transport networks all whist telling
us they intend to take over and impose some barbarous medieval ‘justice’ system
on us. […] (DT/ 21.03.11); I do not like Muslims. I like every other race of
immigrant because they do not constantly try to impose their religions and dress
on us in order to ram down our throats the fact that they are different to us. (DT/
23.03.11).
In all these statements the readers narrow the semantic meaning of the opposite member
They from the initial “gays, blacks, Jews” to “Muslims” only, and they admit they are racist/
xenophobes, but later on provide reasons that would justify their behaviour as a natural response
to what the Others have caused to them. Such statements get high ratings in forums mostly due to
the fact that they spell out all the reasons why a majority should hate ethnic minorities and at the
same time manage to save their good image, i. e. they are people who would not normally act like
that but who are forced into that mode of behavior by the ethnic Others.
Such behavior is further justified by the negative stereotypes provided for the various
ethnic groups:
We could have rampaging black gangs murdering one another (DT/ 23.03.11); to
speak like black kids and their semi-literate mumblings (DT/ 23.03.11); Nigerian
drug dealers, Pakistani insurance scammers, Chinese gangmasters, dodgy East
European gerrybuilders, thieving travellers (DT/ 19.03.11); etc.
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
In addition, responders provide various examples where the diversity principle imposed
by the government has not been adhered to, thus instilling the feeling of double standards
imposed on whites only:
We watched a subtitled Chinese film the other night and were ‘shocked and
appalled’ that it was so ‘hideously Chinese’ – no blacks, no whites, where were the
Indians? (DT/ 19.03.11); how many white faces do you find employed by Chinese
restaurants and Asian newsagents none, but feel free to continue with the “its all
the white man’s fault” line of thinking (G/ 20.03.11); etc.
The irony in the examples is quite apparent. The authors reiterate expressions used by the
so called PC brigade when they feel ethnic groups are being discriminated.
It is interesting to note that members of other ethnic groups who post comments on the
topic do not argue for the right of inclusion of ethnic minority actors in the series but rather
support the opinion that Midsomer Murders should stay the way it is:
Why should there be black people on the programme. Who are they defending by
making a big deal about it. Not me, I like the show and have never even realised
there was no black people on it. Why? Because colour doesn’t mean that much to
me. Why has this been blamed on the black and asian community? (DT/ 18.03.11)
Similar sentiments are expressed by people who have married into other ethnic groups.
They all state that their spouse of different ethnic background likes the show the way it is. Such
postings give us the reason to believe that probably there is some merit in allowing art to express
itself in any way it feels like and that it should not be judged through the prism of race.
The other TV show which has also enjoyed a wide coverage also provides interesting
comments for analysis. Despite the fact that the articles do not feature anything negative
mentioned about the Travellers and Gypsies, many of the comments still reiterate the negative
stereotypes about the community stating that the presentation on TV is a highly edited and
romanticized version of their life while the reality is much somber.
Different than the comments on Midsomer Murders the responses on MBFGW show use
of pejoratives like pikey, Diddacoy, tinker or common nouns like: scum, low lives, criminals,
dirty bastards, thieving bastards; a bunch of lying, thieving, greedy, selfish, scrounging
unpleasant people (DT/16.02.11).
The opposition Us vs. Them is also present in the comments on MBFGW. Us stands for
the law-abiding tax-paying citizens mostly due to the general image of Gypsies as living off the
state and not paying any kind of taxes. Said stereotype is presented in an interesting way in two
of the postings. One of them is in the form of a denial of the general opinion, while the second is
like an anecdote. The irony in both examples is obvious:
I wish to express my disapproval in a public forum over the disgraceful
stereotypes that people accept as typical of the traveller community. Now. pay
attention: ALL travellers pay not only their lawfully due income tax, but add a
little extra because of their strong sense of civic responsibility. They NEVER
fiddle benefits. They will tarmac your drive practically for free, do a superb highquality job, and never skimp on either labour or materials. . . . They NEVER leave
behind an area strewn with old washing machines, baldy tyres and puddles of
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
engine oil, and a mountain of nappies . . . (DT/17.02.11); ‘What key can open any
door, no matter how many different locks you put on it?’ The answer given was
‘A pi-key’(DT/17.02.11).
The negative stereotypes are built around personal accounts of problems encountered
when dealing with Gypsies or Travellers, which are strengthened by the feeling of oppression
experienced by the authors of the comments. This notion is vividly presented through the
metaphors of disease, parasite and war used to describe the impact Gypsies have on settled
people: . . . we were often plagued by travellers (DT/ 07.02.11); an infestation of gypsies (DT/
07.02.11); travellers can invade a piece of green belt land, build houses (DT/17.02.11); etc.
There are also comments that present the British in a positive light and thus trigger the
notion that Gypsies are bad because they are everything that the British are not:
I have nothing against any other race in this country but if you want to stay here
earn your keep and pay your own way, don’t expect me to do it through my hard
earned taxes. (DT/16.02.11); As John Wayne, as a character in an ancient
Western, said “The only good injun is a ...”. Perhaps the same applies to gypsies.
(DT/ 07.02.11).
The last comment is the strongest in its message as it suggests an attitude to the Gypsies
similar to the extinction of the native Indians in the past.
The publications on MBFGW have also attracted comments from members of the Gypsies
and Travellers community who are mostly trying to disprove the negative image and who
actually are trying to say that what the show presents is not the true Gypsy culture and lifestyle:
I am from the Irish Traveller Community. I work and pay my taxes as do all my
family. I was born and reared here in Britain. We are 3rd generation. I am
educated to Masters Degree level. I am married, I have 4 lovely children all in
school. I work full time as dose my husband who is an English Gypsy (DT/
19.02.11).
Such comments, however, are very few and cannot change the existing, mostly negative,
stereotypes. What is more, claiming literacy while making a lot of spelling mistakes does not
seem to confirm their statements with the majority.
CONCLUSION
The current analysis has proven that:
 Both Bulgarian and British readers express xenophobic attitude to the ethnic Others;
 Bulgarian readers use more pejorative and derogative lexemes when they refer to
members of the other ethnic groups mostly due to restrained interference or lack of interference
of the moderators;
 Both use negative stereotypes and play with the notion of oppressed majority and
parasitic, powerful minorities;
 Use of irony;
 Both groups of readers resort to the use of dichotomies where white majorities are
presented as good while minorities as bad;
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)
 There are comments by members of the ethnic minorities in both the Bulgarian and the
British readers’ response sections but while those posted in Bulgarian blogs could be defined as
provocative and trying to create conflict, the ones in the British comments sections are trying to
present minorities in positive light.
1
All responses quoted are kept in the original way they were encountered. The only interference on behalf
of the author of this paper was in rendering some of the Bulgarian responses into Cyrillic as they were
written in Latin letters.
Works Cited
Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, Desislava. “Ethnicity and Tolerance Revisited”. Paper presented at the 40th
anniversary conference at Shumen University Episkop Konstantin Preslavsky, 2011. (in print)
Cheshmedzhieva, Desislava. “Tolerance and Ethnicity in Media Discourse (A Comparative Study)”. A
PhD thesis defended on Feb. 17th, 2010. (unpublished)
Abbreviations Of Newspaper Sources:
24 часа – 24Ch; Атака – A; Новинар – N; Труд – T; Daily Telegraph – DT; The Guardian – G; The
Independent – I;
/h/ – headline
To quote this source: Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva, D. „Readers’ Response to Articles on Ethnic Minorities in the Bulgarian and
the British Press”. Юбилейна конференция СУ „Св. Климент Охридски”, 5-6.11.2011. (под печат)