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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be very unbothered that an EVIL hoard of (shock, horror) GYPSIES are coming...

156 replies

BeyondLimitsOfTheLivingDead · 26/10/2011 15:50

I had a request to join a group on facebook a few days ago, "say no to the gypsy camp in ".
I ignored it, thinking, "yeah whatever, random facebook scaremongering".

Today, three teenage boys knocked my door with a petition, to stop this (apparently it is real) camp being built near enough on my doorstep.

But I just dont care.

AIBU to not be bothered by this? Or naive?

OP posts:
cerealqueen · 27/10/2011 23:07

But she does, don't you Hoorah, its the school of ' I've seen some stuff on TV or read it in the papers about travellers / gypsies and think I can make comments about them that applies to them all'. Racial Stereotyping!

HoorahHenrietta · 28/10/2011 10:09

I actually live near to 3 gypsy "camps" (patches of lands with caravans, who coincidently travel no where barring a summer holiday to Ireland). I have employed them before, and know enough about them first hand.

Thankful they are at least 5 miles from where I live if I'm honest.

Tchootnika · 28/10/2011 11:14

Because, even if the travellers are the nicest, tidiest, best neighbours you could wish for, due to the nature of their travelling lifestyle you may at some point have less nice ones. And even if all of them are nice, property prices in your area will suffer.

I'm told that some racist folk used to take a similar approach to black people during the 1970s.
Obviously this attitude is repulsive now as it was then.

I've reported this thread, by the way.

MrsHeffley · 28/10/2011 12:45

You are being unreasonable to judge others.

Maybe the campaigners are worried said travellers will ignore the law,do what they like and be impossible to move for 10 years. Pretty sure residents near Dale Farm will wish they'd done the same 10 years ago.

Maybe said residents are worried it will grow illegally and the local school,services will be affected and unable to cope.

Personally I don't like the it's just a council estate it doesn't matter attitude either.Are council residents not allowed views and to care about their community now?Hmm

AmberLeaf · 28/10/2011 13:17

Growing up in SE London I am used to living in close proximity with all sorts of people.

I am aware that local councils no longer are obliged to provide sites for travellers so they now have to purchase their own land and hope for the best re planning permission.

I have heard from various people over the years about travellers reputations, but IME ive not had a problem, ive encountered arseholes from all walks of life, so I make no judgements.

Im with you OP.

HoorahHenrietta · 28/10/2011 13:22

I don't care where they live (I'm too rural for them to be on my doorstep) as long as they are lawful citizens. If I can't build on my ag-tag land then neither are they.

LadyEvenstarsCoven · 28/10/2011 13:51

I personally would have no problem with travellers moving near me, I live quite close to a site which is immaculate. The people are friendly and drink in my local. maybe its my heritage which makes me understanding my great grandparents were Romany Travellers until my nan was born - the 13th child of the 13th Generation born on Friday the 13th, thats when they settled.

depob · 28/10/2011 16:06

There have been a ridiculous number of posts deleted from this thread.

Original poster
BeyondLimitsOfTheLivingDead · 28/10/2011 16:16

I didnt say its just a council estate so it doesnt matter, I said that the possible reasons raised (ie effect on property prices) didnt apply to most of the residents so they only really had racism as a reason!

And btw, why are people reporting my whole thread?! [hshock] I agree that some of the posts need deleting (and they have been), but what is offensive about my OP and most of the posts??

OP posts:
depob · 28/10/2011 17:08

I am interested that posts along the lines of 'I have had lots of positive experiences, you have nothing to worry about' are allowed, whilst 'I have had lots of negative experiences, you have plenty to worry about' are deemed inappropriate.

mathanxiety · 28/10/2011 17:16

The reason they are inappropriate is that piling on with bad experiences tends to have the effect of forming and broadcasting a negative stereotype and demonising the Traveller community. It is not ridiculous to delete those posts. It is good citizenship.

thejaffacakesareonme · 28/10/2011 17:19

I haven't had time to read the whole thread so apologies if this has been covered before. One of the usual concerns is that there'll be an increase in crime if a large gypsy camp is set up. I just wondered if there is any research to back this up?

BehindLockNumberNine · 28/10/2011 17:20

Those of you shouting racism - can you not see that people are objecting to those travellers which sadly have given themselves a reputation for mess/aggro etc.
Fact is, the majority of travellers are lovely, law abiding, nice people.
But a proportion will knowingly set up camp without PP, then become aggressive when asked to move on. Will knowingly leave mess behind. Will knowingly and purposely not integrate into community.

These are the things people are concerned about. Not the travellers as a race.

So not being racist. Being anti-social-people-ist!

And to randomly shout 'racism' as soon as someone objects to the ways of some travellers is idiotic. Do you also shout 'racism' when someone objects to the neighbouring yobs are setting cars on fire? Or when the neighbouring drunk is shouting the odds in the street night after night? If these are Travellers and I object I am racist, but if these are Brits and I object then I am not?

Confused
Tchootnika · 28/10/2011 17:22

What is inappropriate, depob, is the assumption that it's possible to predict whether experiences and behaviour of people based only on knowledge of their ethnicity.

Imagine if 'gypsies'/'travellers' were replaced by Pakistanis/Jew/Greeks/Nigerians/Irish... you get the picture. Most posters would consider the thread either grossly offensive or laughable.

MrsHeffley · 28/10/2011 17:23

How do they only have racism as a reason,what a ridiculous thing to say?

I would be concerned if a camp was to be set up in our town actually.I have no problem with a few travellers but I do have a problem with a handful turning into a huge amount illegally and building illegally on land.I particularly have a problem as quite clearly this can happen as we've seen recently and unless you want a 10 year battle there is nothing you can do about it.

We are surrounded by green fields(I'd like to stay that way) none of us can build on,our school is already rammed and the town is fit bursting.Also our council have already made massive cuts.I wouldn't want the risk of possible future court battles taking away yet more services from needy local people.

Unfortunately Dale Farm has illustrated to us all what can happen and I personally don't see why residents can't voice their concerns when it becomes apparent the same can happen to them.

Because I own my own home I'm allowed to be concerned but those living on our local council estate can only be racist if they voice concernsHmm.

BehindLockNumberNine · 28/10/2011 17:25

But what if these prejudices have been formed after first hand experience? Let's face it, most of us have had negative experiences with travellers. I myself have had both, and the ones I currently know I really like.

But on the whole, they have not done themselves much of a favour have they? So it is understandable that people are concerned. That is surely only natural? And is not racist as far as I am aware.

MrsHeffley · 28/10/2011 17:28

Also I've had negative experiences of travellers in the past too,the notion that posters can't voice previous experiences is a very scary one.

Are we all supposed to pretend we've never had negative experiences now Hmm.Hardly a free press is it.

BehindLockNumberNine · 28/10/2011 17:34

I agree MrsHeffey. Just read the number of posts on here where people have negative experiences with yobs, youths, bank managers, their MIL. People can surely express these experiences and vent about them without being called racist.

The whole notion of 'dislike one person and you dislike the whole race' just seems a bit odd to me. And as you say, scary. If travellers (all of them) want rights and to be treated well then they (all of them) need to have a look at the behaviour of some and think that this behaviour may not give them the rights and treatments they want.

Same as for any member of society.

mathanxiety · 28/10/2011 17:44

Jaffacakes, the answer to that may depend on how you feel about this sort of tripe.

Or this.

MrsHeffley · 28/10/2011 17:48

I also find the competitive PCism a little insulting and patronising to travellers themselves. It's rather akin to those in the 70s who used to say 'one of my best friend is black".It gives me an uncomfortable feeling

mathanxiety · 28/10/2011 17:50

Behindlocknumbernine, if you were to identify the race or nationality or ethnicity of your loud drunk neighbour in a thread you posted then you would be contributing to a negative image of people of that race or ethnicity or nationality. Few people complaining about their partying/fire-setting neighbours or their philndering, beer-swilling exPs identify them by nationality or race or ethnicity. To do so would be racist.

ddubsgirl · 28/10/2011 17:53

the ones we get here are awful yet again dug up the ground to get onto the land,kids park is a no go area again due to the trouble :(

Tchootnika · 28/10/2011 18:01

You seem a little confused, Behind. (Sorry if that sounds patronising...)

Re-read your last 3 posts.

For example, your 17:20 post - do you actually know the majority of travellers? If not (and again, sorry if this sounds patronising, but I just don't believe that you do), why are you making this sort of sweeping statement?

And why do you imagine that people are able to control the behaviour of everyone else who shares their ethnicity?

mathanxiety · 28/10/2011 18:07

When Travellers or Romany are identified as creators of mess, but the ethnicity of people polluting the streets of London is not, that is racism.

(We are talking about approximately 2m pints of pee on the streets per year here.)

It's not PCism to point this out nor is there any competitive My Best Friend aspect to this.

Tchootnika · 28/10/2011 18:10

MrsHeffley, saying things like the majority of travellers are lovely is more akin to saying one of my best freinds is black!