what is a gypsy?

The Gitanos were part of an Indian army that opposed an Islamic invasion of India. After the defeat of that Indian army, they dispersed across the globe. To speak perjoratively of them is to participate in one of the oldest racist gigs on the planet. The Gitanos are a wise, gifted, persecuted people who served as an early warning system for Europe of the coming Islamic invasion in the Middle Ages. They have much to teach us, especially about freedom.

im surprised gypsies ar'nt more liked i know they have a stigma that they steal but you cant judge them all like that i think they have an amazing culture do you know that when som1 marries into a gypsie family they have to know how to build a caravan not the new 1's the old ones i could'nt do it i consider them as a race but they are all over the place so its more of a mixed race now

Originally posted by Nygdan
Excellent, thanks.

Come to think of it, whats this got to do with Secret Societies anyway? The gypsys aren't a group you can fill out an application for.

from the oirginal post:"I wasnt sure exactly where to post this but figured I would get the most educated answers here." thats why I posted it here. a better question is why did you use this thread to take shots at "rednecks from Alabama" as you put it?

thanks for all the links & info. I now have a bunch of reading to do!

Originally posted by Souljah
more of them in the balkans region.

The gypsies live in romania but move around to other places and steal things. I hate them

Originally posted by Croat56
The gypsies live in romania but move around to other places and steal things. I hate them

And how does this affect you in NY?

Croat
You are ignored because you post one liners, racist one liners on top of it, and uninformed racist one liners to boot. That is where I draw the line.

To the rest of the uninformed posters
Quit while you're ahead, seriously. All of your donkey like braying about the nature of Gypsies is making you look incredibly biased and uneducated. You're just repeating the same old nonsense that led to the holocaust, the same wives tales, the same bigotry. Gypsies are baby thiefs? Right..so I guess I'm a baby thief without every having stolen a baby, but that's okay with you all isn't it? You aren't affected directly by your own ignorance, so it just keeps on growing. Have you ever met a real gyspy? Of course not, they're mostly dead because of people like you! Shut your mouth-holes and listen to me for a second. I am a Gypsy. I will steal from you ten-fold if you steal from me, that's a promise. That doesn't make me a bad person, that makes me a person with an innate sense of justice.
The gyspies are identical to the Jews in almost every way. They have a secretive religion, a nomadic lifestyle, have been persecuted because they were different, and because they won't follow the rules of sovereign nations they migrate through. They have been scapegoats and boogeymen for europe since wolves roamed free. They were more like the wolves than the villagers, still are really, and because of it they were hated and shunned. I would rather be a wolf, than be what you are. Disgusting, intolerant, racist tripe. If you had but one neck I would strangle you all. The old european villages relied on the Gypsies for healing herbs and trade from distant countries, for dance and song and fortune telling. They hated us, but they needed us. We could teach you all a thing or two about how to be real human beings. Things you forgot a long time ago.

To the other posters
None of the above was meant for you. I appreciate any honest discussion on the subject. There are several interesting books on the subject, do a search on Barnes & Noble or a similar site for info. Pikeys are Irish gypsies. I've got Pikey on my fathers side, Scots Gypsy on my mothers side, and I can tell you for a fact, that depiction in Snatch is accurate. We are a grubby people, by necessity not choice, and we love dogs. That's about the only stereotyping I'll tolerate. We're not uneducated, just self educated. We're not criminals, just miscreants. We're not anti-social, we're anti-society. Freedom is the ultimate virtue to a Gypsy, and the societies of the world have been collectively migrating in the opposite direction for generations. Is it any wonder there are no more Gypsies?

[edit on 10-2-2005 by WyrdeOne]

Yeah, thats the good ol' elitism that made the Gypsies famous.

I'm sure if I even slighted a Gypsy un-knowingly, he would steal from me ten-fold.

So I am not saying anything bad about Gypsies, just that I wouldn't trust them, as far as I could throw them. Just like a member of a Secret Society, I know they have another family they are serving, and I won't have my guard lowered by someone calling me a racist.

akilles
Be on guard all you want. Spend your whole life locked up in a house with the shutters drawn if that's what floats your boat. I'm not insulting you in particular, i'm trying to make a larger point. The fear you're talking about is a self fulfilling prophecy. If you are nervous around Gypsies and worry constantly about them being thieves, the moment you misplace your wallet it's "The Gypsies did it!" The moment a kid runs away in your neighborhood, it's "The Gypsies did it!" You see my point? I'm not saying you have to trust me BECAUSE I'm a Gypsie, I'm saying it's unfair to judge me, the man, based on my heritage. I have no control over my heritage, only my actions. I would not steal from you because of a slight insult or because you gave me the wrong change. Perhaps some would, but do I deserve to be judged for their misconduct? - of course not. That's a waste of time, and counter productive from your stand point, because you will waste time and resources prosecuting people who have done you no harm, which will turn them against you, adding them to your list of enemies, which is growing longer by the hypothetical minute because you keep prosecuting the innocent and letting the guilty roam free - their numbers will grow rapidly as long as you keep it up.

I'm not trying to jump down your throat, and none of this is directed specifically at you, I'm trying to make a much larger point about racism and the effects it has on the cultures that embrace it.

good points WyrdeOne, some folks just dont get it. It's no different than Nygdan generalizing "Alabama rednecks". they come here claiming they deny ignorance then turn around & perpetuate it. I guess I can relate to your point since I am a lowly Alabama redneck***extreme sarcasm*** the gypsies I met seemed like very nice people. sure they had different values than I do but many poeple do. with that being said their values seemed strong. the family consisted of a mother & two daughters. they were good friends of my younger brother. the mother seemed to be more liberal with her daughters than most, letting them drink & party a little. they were a very close family. I never would have known anything about their heritage if the oldest daughter hadnt told us. the youngest daughter died in an accident while drinking & driving. about a year later the older daughter told us that it was time for them to move on. a few weeks later their house mysteriously burned down & noone who knew them has heard from them since. the one thing that really struck me was their beauty. those girls were quite possibly the most beautiful girls i have ever seen! I just wish I could have gotten to know them well enough to inquire about their traditions & such. I never did out of a combination of respect & fear. I guess those old wives tales kinda got to me too

Messiah
It's not disrespectful at all to ask questions. It's only disrespectful to make general assumptions without asking those questions. Many are content to do the latter, mostly out of fear. There is nothing to be afraid of, I promise. Gypsies have an undeservedly bad reputation, built around the erroneous interpretation of their values by those who perceived them as alien and inscrutable. The root of all racism is misunderstanding.

I think you would find most Gypsies would welcome your interest and your questions, especially since their culture doesn't get a lot of genuine press. They don't get equal time on the world stage, they're hated even by other fringe groups in their own countries. They really have no support from any institution, not even the ACLU. Gypsy is really more of a creed than a race, but as such it deserves equal protection under non-discrimination laws. Unfortunately, Gypsy youth still get beaten up and taunted every day in european schools that are otherwise oversensitive to discrimination and stereotyping. I don't understand it, therefore I hate it. I am exemplary of those I hate, because I can't understand THEIR hate, isn't that an amazing display of the cyclical nature of the phenomenon? How can this ever be stopped, except maybe by discussion of fear and community awareness of our similarities? Opinions?

Transparency is the only way, and it would take away all the uniqueness, and mystique of the Gypsy.

The first step is to tell us your Gypsy name. If you can't even trust people with your name, how do you expect them to trust you in return?

Originally posted by akilles
Transparency is the only way, and it would take away all the uniqueness, and mystique of the Gypsy.

The first step is to tell us your Gypsy name. If you can't even trust people with your name, how do you expect them to trust you in return?

And while he is giving us his gypsy name are you going to post your mailing adress and social security number? Only a complete idiot gives out any kind of personaly identifying infomation on a public disscusion board. Adn if any of the things that have been said about gypsy culture are true I would be against the traditions of his culture to give us that name if he actualy does have one. I for one do not believe that someone should have to break his own racial/religous/family/whatever in the hell you want to call them, traditions in order to justify himself to others.

EVERY culture on the face of this earth has practices that others think are strange. Even americans like me have things that we do that other cultures just dont understand. Part of denying ignorance is not removing those diferences it is understanding that while we may be different we are all stuck here together so we need to respect them.

Originally posted by nathraq
My grandfather used to chase the Gypsies out of his yard all the time. They are nomads, yes, but they are also thieves and con-artists. If my wifes town in Germany, back in the old days, when the Gypsies left town, there were sometimes some of the town children missing too.

Nothing mythical or magical or mysterious about them. Just avoid them, and keep your hand on your wallet

That's racist and stereotypical. But then again maybe you are. To add my two cents to the discussion, gypsy is a culture. Bottom line.

Every culture has thieves, fortune tellers, and tax dodgers. I am here in china and see them every day. They even have children beggars. These sores of human society did not originate or are owned solely by the gypsy culture. And if you are afraid of your wallet being stolen when you are with a gypsy you should be 10 times more scared when you see people from your race or culture because it's probably 100 times larger than the gyspy culture.

Originally posted by 00PS
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That's racist and stereotypical. But then again maybe you are. To add my two cents to the discussion, gypsy is a culture. Bottom line.

To call it as I see it is not being rascist. It is easy for an American to yell 'rascism' every time someone disagrees with them, especially with cultural issues. Gypsies are not well liked throughout Europe. The problems with them stem from centuries old experiences. Are you telling me, they are despised for no good reason?

Saying avoid them and keep your hand on your wallet is racist and stereotypical...let's go through some other racist and stereotypical remarks like... Blacks, avoid them and keep your hand on your wallet, or Whites, avoide them and keep your hand on your wallet, or Jews, avoid them and keep your hand on your wallet. Whenever you generalize one ethnicity, race, religion or other group of people you are being stereotypical and sometimes racists when race or ethnicity and culture are involved.

Scapegoat...learn that word and then get back to me. White people have more people in their culture than gypsies and there are more white murderers and rapists, thieves and liars than there are in the gypsy culture because there are more white people. So why don't you give everyone a warning about white people...you didn't you gave it about gypsys...Check yourself before you wreck yourself

Originally posted by Croat56
The gypsies live in romania but move around to other places and steal things. I hate them

Oh thats just the kind of racial tolerance we have come to expect from people in your area...
Isn't that red and white checkered pattern that all over the Croatian flag of fascist origin?
Not sure.. i heard somethin like it so I was asking?

About gypsies.. if they are "real" (ethnicly speaking) gypsies they are called roma and their language is supposed to be close to sanskrit. Tey come from areas around easter hungary and romania (Roma..nia?!?!) .

If someone else lives like a roma he is a gypsie.. a "real" gypsie is called roma.

[edit on 23/2/2005 by Corinthas]

[edit on 23/2/2005 by Corinthas]

Originally posted by Corinthas

Oh thats just the kind of racial tolerance we have come to expect from people in your area...
Isn't that red and white checkered pattern that all over the Croatian flag of fascist origin?
Not sure.. i heard somethin like it so I was asking?

[edit on 23/2/2005 by Corinthas]

No, our flag is not of fascist origins. It dates back to the 10th century.

That's about how long we, and other countries in Europe, have had problems with the gypsies.

The problems with them stem from centuries old experiences. Are you telling me, they are despised for no good reason?

No the RCC had its reasons for starting and perpetuating the stories. as It did
with all peoples that did not toe the party line as it were.

I have had the extreme pleasure of knowing a few Gypsies in my life anf for the
record I would and do trust them more than many WASCs i have met.

Akilles, were i you I would be less woried about Gypsies than i was about all
the other folks you have managed to P*****ff . you seem to have managed to P******ff just about everybody.

Originally posted by stalkingwolf

No the RCC had its reasons for starting and perpetuating the stories. as It did
with all peoples that did not toe the party line as it were.

Hi stalkingwolf!

What is the RCC?

I disagree that giving up your Gypsy name on the internet is the same as posting personal information.

For one thing, it is useless contextual information, in the sense that no one will use the Gypsy name given in person, when speaking with said person.

It would be the same as me sharing my NICKNAME! (its Akilles, btw)

The problem with Gypsies and others I have pissed off (as stated by stalkingwolf) is that they deal with me through their 'guard', and expect me to respond 'unguarded'.

These groups hide behind their Hive Mentality, and attack from its safe confines, and then ask to not be discriminated against, they rage against NOT being treated as an INDIVIDUAL. Guess what, Brothers, you aren't!