[nodisharmony]

A load of Gypsies move to your area in a fleet of Caravans and suddenly the population to your local village or town is increased by about 100

1) What do you know or understand about Gypsies?

2) How do you view them?

3) Do you know what defines a Gypsy?

4) If you heard your friends saying nasty comments about Gypsies, would you find it offensive?





nodisharmony

[Sunny_01]

I know that gypsies are just people like you or I. They choose to live a transient life as they dont like to put down roots. I also know there is a huge difference between real gypsies who are very proud of their homes, and surroundings to those travellers that land and leave a total mess in their wake!

We have a specific site a few miles from where I live and it is very clean and tidy as are all the people and caravans, in fact probably cleaner than the streets and houses many people live in.

One of the biggest problems is local authorities used to have an obligation to provide land for travellers and gypsies and that law was revoked a number of years ago which is why they are forced to park just anywhere.

The new era of travellers give gypsies a really bad name which is shame as real gypsies are as appalled as you or I at the messes that travellers leave and are acutely aware that it reflects on them as a community.

[Kristen]

Gypsies are weird
Don't they kidnap kids and sell them for cash?

[nodisharmony]

Originally posted by Sunny_01
I know that gypsies are just people like you or I. They choose to live a transient life as they dont like to put down roots. I also know there is a huge difference between real gypsies who are very proud of their homes, and surroundings to those travellers that land and leave a total mess in their wake!

We have a specific site a few miles from where I live and it is very clean and tidy as are all the people and caravans, in fact probably cleaner than the streets and houses many people live in.

One of the biggest problems is local authorities used to have an obligation to provide land for travellers and gypsies and that law was revoked a number of years ago which is why they are forced to park just anywhere.

The new era of travellers give gypsies a really bad name which is shame as real gypsies are as appalled as you or I at the messes that travellers leave and are acutely aware that it reflects on them as a community.

I remember doing a car-boot once and a market stall trader told me, that there were quite a few Gypsies around and a couple were caught stealing off stalls and they have a reputation for doing that.

I asked why? and he said that, as they are travellers and live in a caravan and many are broke, that the law doesn't really help in that situation. They stick together as one big family and as soon as they get arrested, they will do the same petty crime again.

I know this is an example which may sound nasty to some, but the reputation (Even though, quite nasty) tends to proceed them.

But as I am older, I am more aware of the critisism which exists.

Many younger people won't have a clue and when you say the word "Gypsy" and what do you know about them, they won't be able to say much I would have thought?

Does it ever get mentioned in schools, let's say????






nodisharmony

[easypeasy]

When Viz was asked to remove a cartoon strip entitled "The thieving Gypsy bastards" it replaced it with the sarcastic "The nice honest Gypsies," keeping the offensive cartoon characters.

New age traveller's are just spoilt little rich kids rebelling against mother and pater by living in a caravan and having a dog on a string.

Irish travellers or "dids" are the ones who will rob and fly tip.

Romanian Gypsies are a mysterious lot, at the end of the day we should all have the right to live how we like and its not travellers fault if theres no such thing as a free piece of land in this so called land of freedom.

[Taijitu]

My father claims to have been vertually brought up by Romanies when he was younger and has quite a few interesting stories as a result.

Whilest he heard of some who would poison livestock in order to then go the farmer and offer a token some to "take it off his hands" he also learnt alot about woodcraft, cooking, music and the Romany language.

Some new age travellers do seem to have little regard for the land they live on and as such are as far away from the Romany/Didicoy/Gypsy lifestyle as could be possible.

Aslong as people do have respect for other people's wishes and are not destructive then they really deserve the right to live as they please and continue their traditions as they see fit. To deny anyone this right purely through ignorance would lead to the loss of knowledge and cultures the beauty of which makes life worth living.

So there!

[Mrluvaluva]

You want some pegs Dave!!??

[nodisharmony]

If you go back in time and talk about what original Gypsies were like, things will have changed dramatically today and that is for sure.

Today, they are more refered to as "Travellers" and many of them will be very poor and cause a few problems when they suddenly appear in your area perhaps.

I walk though a town centre and a Gypsy comes up to me and shows me some "Lucky Heather" and for some money, they will tell you your fortune.

What would be better, is, if they had a sign round their neck saying, "I am about to con you and if you are stupid enough to believe what I am saying, then I shall be glad to take your money from you and tell you your fortune, which is basically a pack of lies"

Now that is more believable

If I see a Gypsy person, then I won't look at them as being a bad person, as they could be innocent and quite honest and friendly too.

But, they just get a bad name for themselves and we are in 2007 here, and those old traditions have been lost and now it is a game of money and conning & in some cases, real trouble.

But many Gypsies do get a rough deal and I won't deny that.





nodisharmony

[Ruth*Star]

A Gypsy had a go at my parents because i have horses adjacent to my home, so someone next door put grass in his field, he blamed us and had a go at us and when we told our neighbor, he then acted like the innocent party.
So i dislike Gypsy's.

[nodisharmony]

Originally posted by Ruth.El
A Gypsy had a go at my parents because i have horses adjacent to my home, so someone next door put grass in his field, he blamed us and had a go at us and when we told our neighbor, he then acted like the innocent party.
So i dislike Gypsy's.

Gypsies can be like that, as they are different and that is a weird thing. But unless you speak to a few, it's hard to try and understand them.

But they do stick together as a unit, which is what most of us don't do, which is why they seem to be disliked.

If you are different, some people complain & hit out.





nodisharmony