Why is there so much hate for gypsies?

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This is really fascinating to me as we dont have gypsies in America. We do have poverty stricken areas where people exhibit similar behaviors, but they usually stay confined to certain areas.

Phish heads do travel around like gypsies. They are relatively benign though as they are nonviolent and stick to smoking pot.

Gypsies sound like my kind of people!

No I'm American.

Okay, as I said before I'm not originally from the UK so don't have a very good grasp of the situation, but surely if they illegally set up a bunch of caravans something would be done about it by the police? How exactly did you "run them out of town"?

The other things you describe may have simply been your experience from a particular group or even people within a travelling community, but it doesn't account for the entire traveller population. I know for me certainly the travellers around here do not do cause that sort of trouble, and yet people still complain about them and call them "scumbags". My fiance gets lots of travellers at the scrap yard who sell scrap to them, and he says they are like ordinary people, and have always been polite and fair. As for refusing to integrate into the local community, what do you mean by that? They seem to have their own culture and their own way of doing things- who's to say they can't? Is the fact that they don't integrate really that harmful to anyone?

[quote="doeintheheadlights"

Okay, as I said before I'm not originally from the UK so don't have a very good grasp of the situation, but surely if they illegally set up a bunch of caravans something would be done about it by the police? How exactly did you "run them out of town"?

The other things you describe may have simply been your experience from a particular group or even people within a travelling community, but it doesn't account for the entire traveller population. I know for me certainly the travellers around here do not do cause that sort of trouble, and yet people still complain about them and call them "scumbags". My fiance gets lots of travellers at the scrap yard who sell scrap to them, and he says they are like ordinary people, and have always been polite and fair. As for refusing to integrate into the local community, what do you mean by that? They seem to have their own culture and their own way of doing things- who's to say they can't? Is the fact that they don't integrate really that harmful to anyone?[/quote]

People have a right not to integrate, as long as they are law abiding and respectful. Unfortunately, travelers aren't either for the most part. I have no business demonising people with differences, but theres only a certain degree of tolerance one can have.

I'm a redhead and terrified to visit the UK. The various forms of 'racism' in the UK is disturbing.

The UK is probably the least racist country on Earth - any racism is usually imaginary these days or exaggerated by those with vested interests. We are an astonishingly (to the point of unhealthiness in my book) tolerant country. You have nothing to fear in Britain.

Where are you from if I may ask?

I'm from the US - the reports and stories of gingerism simply terrify me. Boys beaten to death for the color of their hair, entire families needing to move repeatedly to keep their redheaded kids safe from bullying - not just verbal but over-the-top physical. Oddly enough, I visited London when I was 16 without a hitch. I don't know if gingerism is new or revived... I just know I'm not eager to find out.

If you're from the US you're probably used to far more extreme stuff than what goes on over here.

I would be more worried about being fat than ginger. I get more abuse that way than anything else, and even then it's quite rare. You'll be safe here.

I live in America, and I feel I must inform you, we DO have gypsies here, and Irish Travellers as well. sorry

Yeah, we do. I have heard tales of discrimination towards gypsy folks here as well. A friend's girlfriend works in a nursery and says that any time a gypsy family comes in, the staff at the nursery are required to announce some code over the intercom and are expected to come to the front of the shop to prevent shoplifting. The girl says that all the gypsy families that come into her work place are friendly and just wish to purchase some plants. Strange how that attitude has carried over without bad examples made by the gypsy people.

Also, I would consider the large herds of 'street kids' who wander around the country to be America's version of gypsy/traveler people. They've adopted the culture as an alternative to the dominant/mainstream culture. They often shout at 'normie' people as they walk down the street but it seems to be all in good fun, and mostly they just want money or cigarettes or drugs, either to buy from you or sell to you. These folks will be nice to you if you are amiable to them and give them some respect for the choices they've made. I'm ok with them.

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Last edited by Butterflies on 24 Feb 2011, 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Come to ireland!! !

This is non-existent where I live. In the rust belt everyone moves down south or west where there are more opportunities. This plus inhospitable winters probably keep them away.

Thank you for the concrete proof that I'm not just paranoid... what does the color of someone's hair have to do with anything? Or their weight? Or the color of their skin?

I'd LOVE to visit Ireland since every asks if I am Irish anyway. I'm not... I'm English. Very very English. And very very ginger. Go figure.