From the early 16th century to today,no ethnic group has aroused as much curiosity, envy, romance, hatred and fear as the Gypsy Travellers.
Often misunderstood, usually maligned, most people's perceptions are based on a mixture of romanticism, prejudice and ignorance.
The hundreds of thousands of Gypsies and Travellers living in the UK and Europe deserve better.
What a terrible day it is for Britain, wrote one Gypsy, when people are discriminated against merely because they don't conform to 'normal' behaviour.
Legislation was passed in the early 1970's to provide sites where Gypsies can stay, thereafter nobody was able to camp or stop on the road, even for a day.
In New Zealand in 2011, the same sort of draconian legislation relating to Freedom Camping was passed with huge fines able to be dished out for the slightest infringement of this dubious law.
It is yet to be tested in a court of law but tested and thrown out it will be.
Why did people go off to fight in wars asked Duncan Williamson, a Gypsy Traveller of Fyfe.
"But what did they fight for and why did they die?
For freedom to wander around.
But where can we wander, there's no place to go.
For they're closing our camping grounds down".
Latcho Drom my friends...
Gypsies like other groups, for example, gay/lesbian, mentally and physically handicapped, prostitutes, artists, musicians, are perceived as not fitting the norm by a society of often bigoted, hypocritical, politicians, religious leaders, the business community and the like.
ReplyDeleteThese groups are discriminated against because they supposedly don't fit the norm.
But, what is normal?
As your blog says, what has happened to our hard won and died for freedom of choice.
The lifestyle of the gypsies seems more normal and attractive to me .
What is normal? What is natural?
ReplyDeleteAnthropologists say we are all hunter / gatherers.
Either we adapt to a stationary life or we do not.
It seems more natural - or at least more healthy - to pull up stakes occasionally, to prevent intellectual and physical laziness.
--Some guy named Mark