If every single interaction you have with a group of people is negative, obviously you’re not going to have a good opinion of that group of people.
Labelling it as “Hate” or “Racism” is a bit hysterical though.
Anyone got any popcorn?
You know it’s Saturday when the traveller posts comes crawling out of the shadows. A consistent way to set your weekly calendar.
Ugh we’ve been through this
Last brush I had with travelers was about 10 years ago.
I was waiting tables. They tipped pretty well. It was a simple transaction.
The adults ordered off the menu. The kids brought in happy meals. I didn’t bat an eye at that because who cares.
Order came out to like €35 they gave a tenner tip. That was it.
So for the bad things I’ve heard I seem to have met some sound individuals.
It’s too nice a day for this.
Difference between race and culture
Isn’t “gypsy” usually considered a slur?
I don’t think I’ve seen any discussions here about the Roma people, though I may have missed them easily.
Where do I start
Didn’t know gypsies were a race
Travellers are not a race
I’ll cross the road if I’m walking past a halting site, but I don’t consider myself racist.
I don’t recall saying I was anti-racist
Used to work in a place and we had a traveler couple who would frequently come in. Loved chatting to the dad as he was very sincere and open. Fuck me he had a hard life and has almost lived multiple times despite being five years older than me..both of his parents died young. Multiple family members dead from suicide but he had an insatiable desire to provide for his family
I used to work in a shop and everyday travellers would come in a rob the place literally everyday and never the same people i also know a guy who has a farm and has to ring the garda at least once a month because they are snooping around the place so its not based off nothing
It’s not the people, it’s the culture.
In fairness they stole my uncles deck.
My mums purse
My Nana’s gate and fence
They have a pretty bad track record
I honestly think that part of the problem here is this vague “I had a bad experience” statement is so easily challenged and written off as unfair justification for any sort of prejudice to exist. I also think it is very easy for someone removed from the working class to ideologically say “Irish people have an inherent problem with prejudice but not me”.
I moved to Ireland from England when I was 7 years old. Within a few years I had my first interaction with traveller children. There were 8 in my year group. Mostly to start with it was being disruptive in class, stealing from myself and other students. Not too bad. Later the violence and intimidation starts. I was lucky enough to make friends with a tall tough lad which helped fend it off. However, a new student from Argentina was not so lucky and dared try to resist the bullying instead of feebly succumbing. He was beaten to a pulp and taken home from school. He never resisted again. They wanted something you gave it to them.
Secondary school was less violent more psychological. Lots of homophobic abuse daily (I’m not gay but I sounded British and was delicate so I guess that gave them licence). Calling me and others (one of whom would later come out as gay) “fag”, “homo”, “gaylord” etc. Also going into town at lunch you would get the usual groups of travellers gathering in the town square to throw food or rocks at nerdy looking students and laugh. We’d play football after school and often have our ball stolen by travellers “hey you can we have a kick there?”. We’d walk 45mins to a pitch outside of town (which happened to be next to a halting site). Travellers would ask to play then when we let them play would get violent, threaten a punch-up, steal our ball and continue to play themselves. We’d walk home.
Then I reach adulthood and join the workforce (frontline retail). Besides the many scams which they attempt at Dunnes checkouts I never fell for them. Some did though and lost their jobs due to their floats being down significant funds. I worked in a remote off-licence and a group of travellers used to come in at 9:55pm just before closing time and steal as much as they could carry. They would literally laugh in my face and knock over bottles as they did it. We had recordings and their licence plate but was not worth persecuting them as they would be straight back to do the same the next night, or wait for me outside work to intimidate me.
These are a few of the interactions throughout life. I have met some lovely travellers in my time too. Some fantastic characters they have been and I loved talking to them at work. We even had a traveller in goals for our football team for a while who was a great character and well respected. I try to keep an open mind but would I cross the road if a group of traveller men in their 20’s were loitering in the town square? Of course. You’ll call it prejudice but I have very fortunately made it through life without a violent altercation with a traveller. Some of my friends have not been so lucky.
If there was any group or subculture that I would treat with absolute distrust, it’s gypsies, Travellers and Roma. And this is coming from a man who has sat down in travellers home and ate coddle with them. Can be lovely people on the surface and obviously not all people are the same… BUT in general, I wouldn’t trust them. And I’m fine with that. I’m being brutally honest with myself and everyone.
Basically, if I had 200 euros and there were 3 groups of people that I had the choice to mind my wallet while I rescued a dog from falling in the river and it was a choice between gypsies, Buddhists and a bunch of Jainists, I’d probably leave my wallet with the Jainists or Buddhists. No disrespect to travellers but that’s the kind of discrimination I’ll make in my head. Sure, the Jainist could steal my wallet and so could any of the Buddhists but the probability of that is probably quite low in comparison to the travellers.. generally speaking.
It’s not some unconscious bias nonsense. It’s very conscious. It’s not a proud thing either. We’re all a little bit racist, prejudiced etc. We all discriminate in one way or another. If a woman refuses to date men shorter than her, then she discriminates against short people in her dating life. That is acceptable. Being short is an immutable attribute and the short person could have a heart of gold, but we discriminate all the time. It’s OK to an extent. Obviously, I don’t think I should have any more rights than a gypsy. I’m not above them. Our cultures are just vastly different.
There is a certain group whose lifestyle seems to center around things in which I find morally wrong and who react to me violently and deceptively, having robbed me and my work place multiple times.
I am naturally cautious of these people and open about my concerns and what has caused them.
Not all of the people in this group behave this way, just all the ones I’ve met which is a very significant number.
This group is not a race, this is not racism.
To be fair a majority of people with those opinions aren’t pulled out of their ass,they’re bias because of first hand experience. For instance,in my town we have one Sunday a year dedicated to our dead,including my granny. They thought a graveyard was a great venue for a big knacker brawl
My biggest concern about the travelling community is that they often take their kids out of school at 16 and force them to get arranged marriages this happened to two travellers in my school, the sad thing is they were actually very well behaved and actually got on well in school aswell
Come to Ireland and go talk to some gypsies.
Well see how you feel then having being robbed and kicked the shit out of
Inter traveller violence and intimidation has been ignored by the state for years… suicide is very high in the community and life expectancy is lower than average. Ireland needs to find a way to empower the women and mothers of this community … its the only way things will change . No traveller will speak out to the police about their community as the myth that its them against us has not only been propagated by us settled people but us also the party line for the cabal of traveller men that effectively run the show in each of the traveller family groups. This is why we have ongoing traveller feuds … its like these internal matters are policed by each other family … keeping feuds going distracts both parties and propagates the power structures. This line suits them as it keeps these violent men in power. I come from Tallaght, I have had many interactions with travellers and I found most of the men OK.. but all the women to be genuine lovely people trying to get by in a tough world.. if we support them.snd their children perhaps this can break the cycle of toxic masculinity ( I hate this term too as a man myself but its accurate at times) . If children see and are exposed to violence and machoism early they will follow the cycle… we need to help them to help their children find a new way whilst staying within their culture…
Come to county Longford and see what they have done to large sections of Longford Town. Talk to the people who have literally handed the keys to their homes back to the bank because they can’t live in their own house anymore due to the violence and crime. Talk to anyone who works in CAB and ask them what community is causing absolute mayhem across the midlands. Better still talk to some traveller women about why they are denied an education by their own community, how they are basically viewed as breeding stock and subjective to domestic violence on a horrific scale. Traveller culture is a horrible, sexist, violent and misogynistic stain upon the country
50% LOL… try 102%
2% margin of error.
Do you consider the theft, assaults and intimidation directed by Travellers against the Settled community to be racist too?
Are “gypsies” considered a race?
Additionally the issue with travelers in ireland is the factor that the majority from what I and others have seen they are extremely homophobic, sexist, racist, incestuous, partly pedophiliac, and violent. No one wants to be racist towards the group however they’ve grown a reputation for these things in ireland I think if they critiqued they’re own group over these behaviours rather than celebrate there would be no issue.
I feel bad for the ones who do critique as well as from what I’ve heard they basically get exiled.
28 comments
If every single interaction you have with a group of people is negative, obviously you’re not going to have a good opinion of that group of people.
Labelling it as “Hate” or “Racism” is a bit hysterical though.
Anyone got any popcorn?
You know it’s Saturday when the traveller posts comes crawling out of the shadows. A consistent way to set your weekly calendar.
Ugh we’ve been through this
Last brush I had with travelers was about 10 years ago.
I was waiting tables. They tipped pretty well. It was a simple transaction.
The adults ordered off the menu. The kids brought in happy meals. I didn’t bat an eye at that because who cares.
Order came out to like €35 they gave a tenner tip. That was it.
So for the bad things I’ve heard I seem to have met some sound individuals.
It’s too nice a day for this.
Difference between race and culture
Isn’t “gypsy” usually considered a slur?
I don’t think I’ve seen any discussions here about the Roma people, though I may have missed them easily.
Where do I start
Didn’t know gypsies were a race
Travellers are not a race
I’ll cross the road if I’m walking past a halting site, but I don’t consider myself racist.
I don’t recall saying I was anti-racist
Used to work in a place and we had a traveler couple who would frequently come in. Loved chatting to the dad as he was very sincere and open. Fuck me he had a hard life and has almost lived multiple times despite being five years older than me..both of his parents died young. Multiple family members dead from suicide but he had an insatiable desire to provide for his family
I used to work in a shop and everyday travellers would come in a rob the place literally everyday and never the same people i also know a guy who has a farm and has to ring the garda at least once a month because they are snooping around the place so its not based off nothing
It’s not the people, it’s the culture.
In fairness they stole my uncles deck.
My mums purse
My Nana’s gate and fence
They have a pretty bad track record
I honestly think that part of the problem here is this vague “I had a bad experience” statement is so easily challenged and written off as unfair justification for any sort of prejudice to exist. I also think it is very easy for someone removed from the working class to ideologically say “Irish people have an inherent problem with prejudice but not me”.
I moved to Ireland from England when I was 7 years old. Within a few years I had my first interaction with traveller children. There were 8 in my year group. Mostly to start with it was being disruptive in class, stealing from myself and other students. Not too bad. Later the violence and intimidation starts. I was lucky enough to make friends with a tall tough lad which helped fend it off. However, a new student from Argentina was not so lucky and dared try to resist the bullying instead of feebly succumbing. He was beaten to a pulp and taken home from school. He never resisted again. They wanted something you gave it to them.
Secondary school was less violent more psychological. Lots of homophobic abuse daily (I’m not gay but I sounded British and was delicate so I guess that gave them licence). Calling me and others (one of whom would later come out as gay) “fag”, “homo”, “gaylord” etc. Also going into town at lunch you would get the usual groups of travellers gathering in the town square to throw food or rocks at nerdy looking students and laugh. We’d play football after school and often have our ball stolen by travellers “hey you can we have a kick there?”. We’d walk 45mins to a pitch outside of town (which happened to be next to a halting site). Travellers would ask to play then when we let them play would get violent, threaten a punch-up, steal our ball and continue to play themselves. We’d walk home.
Then I reach adulthood and join the workforce (frontline retail). Besides the many scams which they attempt at Dunnes checkouts I never fell for them. Some did though and lost their jobs due to their floats being down significant funds. I worked in a remote off-licence and a group of travellers used to come in at 9:55pm just before closing time and steal as much as they could carry. They would literally laugh in my face and knock over bottles as they did it. We had recordings and their licence plate but was not worth persecuting them as they would be straight back to do the same the next night, or wait for me outside work to intimidate me.
These are a few of the interactions throughout life. I have met some lovely travellers in my time too. Some fantastic characters they have been and I loved talking to them at work. We even had a traveller in goals for our football team for a while who was a great character and well respected. I try to keep an open mind but would I cross the road if a group of traveller men in their 20’s were loitering in the town square? Of course. You’ll call it prejudice but I have very fortunately made it through life without a violent altercation with a traveller. Some of my friends have not been so lucky.
If there was any group or subculture that I would treat with absolute distrust, it’s gypsies, Travellers and Roma. And this is coming from a man who has sat down in travellers home and ate coddle with them. Can be lovely people on the surface and obviously not all people are the same… BUT in general, I wouldn’t trust them. And I’m fine with that. I’m being brutally honest with myself and everyone.
Basically, if I had 200 euros and there were 3 groups of people that I had the choice to mind my wallet while I rescued a dog from falling in the river and it was a choice between gypsies, Buddhists and a bunch of Jainists, I’d probably leave my wallet with the Jainists or Buddhists. No disrespect to travellers but that’s the kind of discrimination I’ll make in my head. Sure, the Jainist could steal my wallet and so could any of the Buddhists but the probability of that is probably quite low in comparison to the travellers.. generally speaking.
It’s not some unconscious bias nonsense. It’s very conscious. It’s not a proud thing either. We’re all a little bit racist, prejudiced etc. We all discriminate in one way or another. If a woman refuses to date men shorter than her, then she discriminates against short people in her dating life. That is acceptable. Being short is an immutable attribute and the short person could have a heart of gold, but we discriminate all the time. It’s OK to an extent. Obviously, I don’t think I should have any more rights than a gypsy. I’m not above them. Our cultures are just vastly different.
There is a certain group whose lifestyle seems to center around things in which I find morally wrong and who react to me violently and deceptively, having robbed me and my work place multiple times.
I am naturally cautious of these people and open about my concerns and what has caused them.
Not all of the people in this group behave this way, just all the ones I’ve met which is a very significant number.
This group is not a race, this is not racism.
To be fair a majority of people with those opinions aren’t pulled out of their ass,they’re bias because of first hand experience. For instance,in my town we have one Sunday a year dedicated to our dead,including my granny. They thought a graveyard was a great venue for a big knacker brawl
My biggest concern about the travelling community is that they often take their kids out of school at 16 and force them to get arranged marriages this happened to two travellers in my school, the sad thing is they were actually very well behaved and actually got on well in school aswell
Come to Ireland and go talk to some gypsies.
Well see how you feel then having being robbed and kicked the shit out of
Inter traveller violence and intimidation has been ignored by the state for years… suicide is very high in the community and life expectancy is lower than average. Ireland needs to find a way to empower the women and mothers of this community … its the only way things will change . No traveller will speak out to the police about their community as the myth that its them against us has not only been propagated by us settled people but us also the party line for the cabal of traveller men that effectively run the show in each of the traveller family groups. This is why we have ongoing traveller feuds … its like these internal matters are policed by each other family … keeping feuds going distracts both parties and propagates the power structures. This line suits them as it keeps these violent men in power. I come from Tallaght, I have had many interactions with travellers and I found most of the men OK.. but all the women to be genuine lovely people trying to get by in a tough world.. if we support them.snd their children perhaps this can break the cycle of toxic masculinity ( I hate this term too as a man myself but its accurate at times) . If children see and are exposed to violence and machoism early they will follow the cycle… we need to help them to help their children find a new way whilst staying within their culture…
Come to county Longford and see what they have done to large sections of Longford Town. Talk to the people who have literally handed the keys to their homes back to the bank because they can’t live in their own house anymore due to the violence and crime. Talk to anyone who works in CAB and ask them what community is causing absolute mayhem across the midlands. Better still talk to some traveller women about why they are denied an education by their own community, how they are basically viewed as breeding stock and subjective to domestic violence on a horrific scale. Traveller culture is a horrible, sexist, violent and misogynistic stain upon the country
50% LOL… try 102%
2% margin of error.
Do you consider the theft, assaults and intimidation directed by Travellers against the Settled community to be racist too?
Are “gypsies” considered a race?
Additionally the issue with travelers in ireland is the factor that the majority from what I and others have seen they are extremely homophobic, sexist, racist, incestuous, partly pedophiliac, and violent. No one wants to be racist towards the group however they’ve grown a reputation for these things in ireland I think if they critiqued they’re own group over these behaviours rather than celebrate there would be no issue.
I feel bad for the ones who do critique as well as from what I’ve heard they basically get exiled.
Right I’m ready for the down votes lads.