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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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AIBU to find it disgusting that gypsies have taken over a school playground

808 replies

Adizzylass2014 · 04/04/2015 22:17

whilst attending my best friends wedding today in a little village I was horrified to see that gypsies had taken over the school playground. There was rubbish all over the floor, children and dogs running all over the place and scantily clad women puffing away.
why a school playground, these people have no morals. The poor caretaker is going to have his work cut out for him as there was at least 15 caravans! Angry

OP posts:
madreloco · 05/04/2015 16:18

And its Irish traveller, not gypsy. A gypsy is a totally separate group.

NotallTravellersarebad · 05/04/2015 16:18

We don't want your lil' house, we want freedom to move like our parents and their parents. But the "fantastic" Mrs thatcher put a stop to that, promising transit sites instead, however there are not enough. Even with many Gypsies and Travellers being forced into housing. It's a disgrace.
Yes there are some Gypsies and Travellers that are bad news but, that happens everywhere. For centuries we have been vilified, it's become conditioned into daily life to continue. Are gorgers in the paper for fly tipping, not paying taxes, no tax or insurance? Not so much, it's no big news.

WorraLiberty · 05/04/2015 16:19

Well precisely Andrewofgg, hence me saying "There's no excuse for vandalism of course" Confused

Andrewofgg · 05/04/2015 16:20

This reply has been deleted

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madreloco · 05/04/2015 16:21

We don't want your lil' house, we want freedom to move like our parents and their parents.

And you want the freedom to keep your children from being educated properly. Make your choices, but own up to the downsides.

NotallTravellersarebad · 05/04/2015 16:21

Actually I think worra works for mnhq to keep the peace, and says I say she is doing a good job.

madreloco · 05/04/2015 16:21

Andrew I never said they did, I said quite the opposite. I'm merely correcting erroneous opinion with actual facts.

NotallTravellersarebad · 05/04/2015 16:22

Says = dare

WorraLiberty · 05/04/2015 16:24

NotallTravellersarebad perish the thought! Grin

I think Justine would be a bundle of nerves, laying in a puddle of gin induced vomit!

Andrewofgg · 05/04/2015 16:25

NotallTravellersarebad - You want freedom to move like your parents and their parents.

But as I said upthread, that way of life may not now be economically feasible. Once upon a time the entire species was nomadic; that's not now possible.

You seem to expect that local authorities shall make it a high priority to provide sites, with sanitation, water, and hard standing, where you can live among others of a similar background. It's not going to happen.

NotallTravellersarebad · 05/04/2015 16:27

Mad, my children are educated, as are the Gypsy/Traveller children I have taught in schools as a peripatetic teacher. In accordance with the cultural right to travel for work. The children carry a little book which lets each school know what they are doing. Btw, not all education in life is classroom, formally based. There are plenty of gorgers not suited to learn in the classroom, home education ????

Redglitter · 05/04/2015 16:29

An illegal site was set up near where my mum stays. A typical nice quiet area with a very low crime rate. In the 8 weeks they were there there were numerous housebreakings thefts and cars broken into. As soon as they left so did the crime wave. A mere Co incidence I'm sure Hmm

Sexyhouseslippers · 05/04/2015 16:31

If gypsy is offensive surely gorger is offensive.

NotallTravellersarebad · 05/04/2015 16:32

Andrew, look around you, there are migrants here who obtain better "cultural" facilities than people born here. That is not just unfair, it's disrimination.
I think migratation and diversity is a good thing btw before anyone jumps on that.

WindYourBobbinUp · 05/04/2015 16:32

Why is it offensive to you if I use my own language? I don't find the English language offensive apart from obvious racist slur terms.

bigfam · 05/04/2015 16:34

Gypsy isn't offensive. God, I'm glad no one I know discriminates them like this.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 05/04/2015 16:34

Re Dale farm, my understanding was that the land was owned by the travelling community, but planning permission was refused by the local council for a travellers site (as it usually is once the fact the site if for travellers not a holiday park).

For hundreds of years the travelling community have been seen as lesser and laws have been out in place to discourage the lifestyle. Hundreds of thousands were executed in WW2. Councils no longer have an obligation to provide sites. Planning permission for sites designed to house travellers are routinely refused.

Most travellers/gypsies do belong to specific racial groups. Travelling is their history, their heritage, the way they live. It is really scary reading people saying that their heritage is valueless, and that they must integrate, they must settle. There is a hell of a lot of ignorance on this thread, and an awful lot of information easily googleable for those who want to find out more.

JanineStHubbins · 05/04/2015 16:36

Sexyhouseslippers gypsy isn't offensive, it's simply the incorrect term to describe Irish travellers.

Any other misapprehensions you'd like us to clear up for you?

bigfam · 05/04/2015 16:37

ItsAllGoingToBeFine
I think with some of the posters, it's a case of in one ear out the other. They don't want to know

Sexyhouseslippers · 05/04/2015 16:37

They are both offensive I could say gypsy is a word in my own language so I could use it.... But "racism" only seems to work one way, I think diversity is a good thing etc.

madreloco · 05/04/2015 16:38

Yours might be, a great number of traveller children are not. I've worked with traveller mothers on this issue, and the responses are shocking. "we don't care about your type of education" "Sure the boys aren't going to do what a woman tells them and the girls don't need any more school, they need to be at home". If you pull your children out of school every 6 months or so and let them drop out early, it isn't the settled communities fault that your children aren't educated.
It might also explain the 80% unemployment rate amongst travellers in Ireland, also blamed on "discrimination" yet more to do with that lack of education, lack of desire for settled work and lack of interest in integration.

It's all very well saying you want to live a traveller lifestyle, but its quite another to expect everyone else to provide you with everything you need to do that.

Sexyhouseslippers · 05/04/2015 16:40

I could say for example in Somalia arranged marriages are the norm and so is FGM but that does not mean it should continue as it is part of their culture. If you move to another country you live by the laws even if it's against your cultural views.

JanineStHubbins · 05/04/2015 16:41

Gypsy is not an offensive term. It's simply the wrong term to apply to Irish travellers. It would be calling French people Italians, or calling Swiss people Austrians. That's why posters corrected you on it.

bigfam · 05/04/2015 16:41

Are you kidding me mad? Why don't you also mention the high Un employment rate in the non travelling community. A large majority of traveller's are self employed (legit) because they aren't lazy doll scroungers!

zirca · 05/04/2015 16:41

I know and am friends with several settled travellers. Lovely people. I have also seen temporary settlements where little rubbish was left and they stayed out of everyone else's way as much as possible. SOME travelling people behave awfully though, just like some football supporters do or some members of a certain religion. It is a real shame that those individuals care so little about the lives of everyone else.