I'm just an average gypsy AMA

[GypsyAMA]

I've noticed a lot of hatred towards gypsies on here so I thought I'd answer any questions anyone may have that could help you to understand my culture more. You might still disagree with many aspects, but at least you'll be coming from facts and not stereotypes.

Your last paragraph could be about one of our many highly educated Tory politicians tbh.

If this were happening in my community, people would be reporting it to the police, the anti-social families would be pretty much shunned by everyone else- my kids wouldn't be allowed to play with them etc.

In the 'Van Life' community I'm part of any vanners littering, emptying toilet waste in hedges get shamed and called out on FB/reported to the police. Often other members of the Vanlife community will go and tidy up any mess that's been made.

So how does the gypsy community deal with this kind of behaviour? Are the 'bad eggs ostracised by others or is the anti social behaviour accepted?

Apart from you are missing the point that if they want to continue with education that can be done in a home setting - and no the parents don’t have to be experts to do this as there are so many home schooling materials and tutors on line these days

This is the thing that really troubles me. I have a friend who taught in one of the areas in my home city that has a number of Roma families and they told me about how the female Roma pupils are taken out of school at around age 11. Despite efforts to trace these girls they drop out of visibility and do not generally go on to have a secondary education. I do not think we have to embrace all aspects of cultural difference, this to me is depriving girls of life chances and surely it is a waste of intelligence and talent.

Thank you for your honesty. It's refreshing and I really appreciate it.

It is interesting looking at different culture attitude towards schooling it. I think it's unusual for a culture to not value it.
I used to live in South Africa and volunteered in township schools and I was amazed at the lengths families would go to send their children to school. There was a small fee to pay to go even though they were state school and the families would do everything to make sure they got the money.
The children would often walk miles and miles to get to school. There was a case when I lived there of school kids literally swimming across a crocodile infested river to get to school It was reported on the BBC

It's easier to understand a community shunning traditional schooling where the children are taught other skills such as in the Amish community but what I'm struggling to understand is the lack of any training or education other than the most basic for the female children in the GRT community.

Absolutely.

You can't say a blanket statement of 'live and let live', when there are clearly harmful consequences to the environment.

People can and do judge (not just the OP, of course) other people's lifestyles.

@newusername2009
Apart from you are missing the point that if they want to continue with education that can be done in a home setting - and no the parents don’t have to be experts to do this as there are so many home schooling materials and tutors on line these days

That would be perfectly ok if it was what was happening but it isn't. I'm sure that there will be some families where they do a great job at home schooling but the overall literacy and numeracy levels of the GRT community show it isn't happening on any meaningful level.

I am confused by this counter argument about giving children a choice! If as a parent or 11 year old child particularly a girl. Your whole would view and the view around u for generations and extended family is ur goal is to marry young and start family and keep a home. So education doesn't need to be part of any of that why would u especially as an 11 go against all of that to want to carry on education or sit exams or go to university. Like yes in theory it prevents the idea that it's a forced practice but I am fascinated by the actual number of children who actually do continue any form of education. Also the cost. Home schooling costs. R parents really going to pay for a thing that isnt actually needed for their children. As there path is already mapped out. Attending School is literally free.

The difference being that that wouldn't result in people lumping all members of that class and ethnicity into some sort of reductive 'these people are all the same' mindset in the way some pps on this thread have been doing.

When posters have given examples of their own experiences, they are dismissed as anecdotal.

When people have posted data and statistics, they are ignored.

This isn’t AMA - it’s “AMA that I can twist to further my own agenda, and if I don’t agree with you, I will call you racist.”

I bet that almost never happens though.

It's because education is vital to bettering yourself. It's like people who don't read...books, newspapers... Anything just mindlessly scroll on TikTok are at a disadvantage. They aren't made aware of opportunities outside their close community.
Removing children from school at 12 just keeps the community closed and insular and disadvantaged.

No, it's based on majority. If the majority of a group does something, that's when generalisation is used to facilitate conversation about it.

Nobody thinks ALL gypsies take their children out of education prematurely. We all know there's a small minority that don't.

I know a little bit about home schooling and there is a lot more to it than "take the child out of school and send them off to work with their dad, leave the girls with mum". which seems to be what the OP indicates is the standard.

even in strict Amish communities though, children are expected to abide by the ways of their community and are removed from (or never attend) schools where they can learn about other cultures and choices.

I wonder whether Higher education for OP mean secondary education? For most, there is compulsory education then further, then higher education. But if compulsory education in your mind finishes at primary, then secondary education would be ' higher education'. I am interested in how the gypsy/ traveller communities have enough money to live/ travel/ have botox/designer goods/buy land/ have very large families on one income if it is through legitimate businesses. If it is possible, it would be interesting to know what it is. Otherwise the obvious stereotypes prevail.

Don't the Amish make their children live in the outside world for a year sonthey can decide for themselves what they want?

Your love of grammar suggests to me you might like the book: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.
My questions are:

Are you from a wealthy gypsy family?
What do you think of gypsy family hierarchy ?

My advice to you is to get the vaccinations for your children. I'm old enough to know what measles and mumps were like. My uncle was handicapped from polio. And I've a sister who died of a childhood illness.

Your posts are very interesting. Our neighbours were half Irish travellers, we were friends with them and they went to the same school. Their dad was amazing with his hands, anything to do with wood he could carve or make something from.

They do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumspringa#:~:text=Rumspringa%20(Pennsylvania%20German%20pronunciation%3A%20%5B,used%20in%20some%20Amish%20communities.

But given that nothing in their previous lives has prepared them for drugs or sexual relationships or the outside world, it’s probably not a particularly free choice, and that they will cut themselves off from everything they know n perpetuity, it’s probably not surprising that the overwhelming majority choose to return and become adult members of the comm7nity.

I belive that some sects do allow a rumspringa but what it consists of does vary and is less sensational than the TV would depict. https://ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/the-traditional-amish-youth-period-of-rumspringa#:~:text=During%20the%20period%20known%20as,adhere%20to%20traditional%20Amish%20behavior.

https://amishamerica.com/what-is-rumspringa/#meaning

I live in an area with a large number of Irish travellers (I know you are saying this is not the same) but what seems to be similar is the prejudice. Any normal activity or even necessary activity is criticised. For example, we have a dedicated Council-owned site for the families and they mainly go to one nearby Catholic primary school. The site itself looks no different to other caravan sites but the amount of "it was them that nicked XYZ" or "look at the mess next to it" (how do they know it wasn't non-travellers fly tipping?).

They are big horse owners and take great pride in their horses - during lockdown those that were stuck here were obviously needing to exercise their horses so were out with their traps. The amount of criticism and curtain twitching was ridiculous. It was really cheering though to see a horse getting a good run out on a lovely day - when the whole world was so depressing.

She literally said that gypsies including her are identifiable by clothing and accessories, and if she dresses in gym clothes she's indistinguishable and if she dresses up she's identifiable.
Cute story though.

That is only practiced by a handful of Amish communities, it’s by no means the norm.

@Yazzi, yet OP has said a few times that people who post about their negative interactions are biased, because they probably have lots of positive interactions with gypsies without knowing they are gypsies, as they look like anybody. How can that be true if they look distinctive enough to be followed in shops etc?