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AIBU?

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Original poster

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:
Coconutty · 06/04/2015 21:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

morethanpotatoprints · 06/04/2015 22:04

Just remembered this site, i am contributing my history to this as my ancestors were famous as it turns out Grin
Not quite kings and Queens, but talented and well thought of, Queen Victoria liked my ancestors Grin
www.valleystream.co.uk/romany-history.htm

Koalafications · 06/04/2015 22:10

I was so tense watching it and her dress hadn't arrived. She was very calm, if that had have happened to me there would have been murders!

I felt really sorry for her in the dress, she didn't look happy Sad

WindYourBobbinUp · 06/04/2015 22:32

more than I'll take a look at your links they look interesting, thank you

samsam123 · 06/04/2015 23:46

most have houses back in Ireland - you can fill in the rest

Koalafications · 06/04/2015 23:48

I don't understand what you mean samsam Confused

Crossfitmyarse · 07/04/2015 00:10

I don't think I am a racist in the least little bit, but I am quite often a 'culturist' if that word can even be used in the same sense. There are aspects of certain cultures that I find extremely distasteful and offensive, or just ignorant, counter-productive, cruel, rude, backward, patriarchal, unclean, bullish, violent or whatever.

If I complain that 'the such and such people tend to do blah and I am really uncomfortable with that…..' it's the cultural behaviour or practice or habit that I am complaining about, not the race of the people who practice it. If I met a person from that particular culture I would always take them at face value and judge them on their own behaviour and attitudes and try not to make too many assumptions about what kind of person they might be based on their culture alone, and certainly I would not make any assumptions based on their race - that would be ridiculous. But if they behave in a way that I find to be anti-social and irresponsible I reserve the right to express distaste at that and I don't give a shiny shite if they think it's an accepted part of their culture or not. 'Culture' doesn't give anyone the right to break the law, ignore the rules or behave obnoxiously.

morethanpotatoprints · 07/04/2015 00:14

most what have houses in Ireland?

Irish travellers, gypsies, travellers in general?
Who does?

Coyoacan · 07/04/2015 01:32

I lived in a street in Dublin where I had seven break-ins in two years, was mugged twice on my doorstep and some little gurrier took to frequently breaking my windows. The children used to buy eggs in the local shop and throw them at old women walking down the street. And all these people causing all these problems were settled people, not one a traveller!

It makes me so mad that people are so quick to stigmatise an entire group because of the actions of some. Every ethnic group has antisocial members. This thread is mostly contributed to by English people, but I still wouldn't say all English are racists.

PigletJohn · 07/04/2015 01:53

Are you stigmatising the actions of people on this thread?

I thought they had mostly mentioned their own experiences in their own neighbourhoods.

TheNewStatesman · 07/04/2015 03:00

"And if they are all very well educated, why do statistics say otherwise - 60% of travellers having no formal education at all (over 3 times that of the rest of the population)."

What is happening here is that there are two definitions of traveller/Traveller--the people who actually travel (all or part of the year), vs people who identify as Traveller ethnicity and whose parents or grandparents or great-grandparents travelled, but they themselves do not actually travel.

Fanfeckintastic · 07/04/2015 09:09

Surely detailing your own experiences isn't seen as stigmatizing now for goodness sake? That's all most people on this thread have done.

I've just remembered an experience I had that wasn't bad. I was walking past a group of traveller children playing, I had a buggy and was trying to weave in between them but their father came out and told them to move.

That doesn't even begin to balance things out but don't dare paint me as racist just because I've had the misfortune to have multiple dreadful, frightening experiences with people from the travelling community.

OrlandoWoolf · 07/04/2015 09:13

Every ethnic group has antisocial members. This thread is mostly contributed to by English people, but I still wouldn't say all English are racists

True - but it would appear that for some ethnic groups, anti social behaviour is seen as the norm than the exception.

If your only encounter with travellers had been rudeness and anti social behaviour, and you had seen this many many times - but rarely seen "social behaviour", you would begin to expect anti social behaviour from that group and think it unusual if you encountered social behaviour.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 07/04/2015 09:50

Surely detailing your own experiences isn't seen as stigmatizing now for goodness sake? That's all most people on this thread have done

You wouldn't think so, would you? The same point has been raised numerous times on here and I've not seen it answered yet; a bit like my question about what attitude/action travellers take if members of their community commit crimes against gorgers in fact ...

WindYourBobbinUp · 07/04/2015 09:59

I did answer that, so here it is for the third time (although no idea why I'm bothering really): I've always taken action when witnessing a crime whoever has committed it. I don't check their ethnicity first.
I've been spat it, groped, had a brick through my window, shouted at, slapped in the face, had jokes about genocide in the workplace, witnessed fights in the street, in fact there was a domestic in my street last night keeping my son awake, all by gorgers. I could go on if we're talking about our personal experiences, but I don't think you're all like that. That's the difference here, even though its your culture to let your kids get drunk underage, fight and pass out I know the majority of you aren't like that and reserve judgement on the individuals I meet.

Fanfeckintastic · 07/04/2015 10:08

But if your experiences of us were ALL except maybe one when it was merely civil, please don't pretend your attitude wouldn't be different.

You've outlined awful experiences but I'm guessing your good/normal experiences of gorgers outweigh them?

Fanfeckintastic · 07/04/2015 10:09

*were ALL bad

Christinayangstwistedsister · 07/04/2015 10:14

There is always going to be conflict when trying to fit an old culture into a new world

Igottastartthinkingbee · 07/04/2015 10:21

I haven't RTFT but having worked closely with lots of travellers (and settled 'travellers'), they were quite happy to be known as travellers or gypsies. The derogatory term was pikey. Not the point of the thread I know but just wanted to make the point.

WindYourBobbinUp · 07/04/2015 10:27

That's the thing, I think most people on this thread have met bad Romanies (or travellers, but I'm not Irish traveller so can't speak for them) and some have been victims of crime. The thing is you probably have neighbours and work colleagues that are Romany, or teachers, doctors, whatever you wouldn't necessarily know. There's a few million of us in the UK as we've been here for centuries. And yes a few thousand do live the old lifestyle but a good million or so don't, by far the majority. I have family members that are teachers, doctors and one is even a tax inspected (funny if you've read the thread!) but obviously we don't go "hi, I'm your GP and I'm a Romany" that'd be weird, although I guess some can tell from appearances.
I'm my everyday life, yes all my friends whatever their background are nice,that's why they're my friends really. But are there estates and areas of town I'm scared to walk through, yes there are, but thankfully that's not my only experience.
The only thing I could say if I wanted to generalise based on my experience (prepares to get flamed and hides!!!!) is EVERY house I've rented off or bought from a gorger has been left in a disgusting state. My current one I had to get treated for fleas and I'm still removing broken windows etc from the garden and dog poo. Rank.

Christinayangstwistedsister · 07/04/2015 10:32

Wind

Yes idiots and twats in every pocket of society

We have recently returned from living in Singapore, it's the first time in my life I have been a minority

It's a strange experience to feel unwelcome, different and having to justify your culture and way of life

christinarossetti · 07/04/2015 10:32

Isn't 'gorger' a derogatory and misogynistic term?

Fanfeckintastic · 07/04/2015 10:33

Sorry WindYourBobbin I'm not talking about Romany at all I'm speaking only about Irish travellers.

I have had some really lovely Romany colleagues in the past.

JustJanice · 07/04/2015 10:45

I really don't get the love that MN has for travellers.

We get a lot round here. Without exception, they cause trouble and leave disgusting mess in their wake.

I'd LOVE to meet some nice ones. Really. It's a lovely romantic thought - to live in a caravan, the open road your oyster..... I loved Kizzy as a child.

But a couple of years ago there was a camp appeared overnight on a local industrial estate. It was BEDLAM. Young teen - and younger - kids rampaging through the shops, taking what they fancied, watched by adult travellers who had already made it very clear that any shop staff attempting to intervene would wish they hadn't.

Police turned up eventually. Travellers moved on after a couple of days. None of the stuff nicked from the shops was recovered. The area they'd inhabited was left in a disgusting state.

Oh but they're a minority group so we have to learn to love their heaps of shitty nappies Hmm

Fanfeckintastic · 07/04/2015 10:53

Totally agree Janice (about Irish travellers anyway)

I don't understand the desperate need to defend them at all, these are legitimate complaints not some hate that imbedded into us. Not at all.