So... My sister is marrying a traveller

[Jazoni89]

My sister is marrying a traveller next month after being with him for the past five years throughout her late teens to her early twenties. They have had a child together, and I'm am a proud uncle.

Now, This might be strange to some of you, but I'm more than okay with this, in fact over the years her Fiancee has changed the way I feel about gypsies, and Irish travellers. When I was a teenager, I had a very negative opinion on Gypsies citing them as Pikey's, and freaks who dodge paying council taxes by living in caravans for the whole of their lives. What I didn't know however was the sense of community, and the sense of togetherness that seems lost in most communities in England. They do it because they feel it's their way of life, and I personally shouldn't be the judge of that.

It's no secret that gypsies and Irish travellers are not high on the social spectrum, but I feel my sister has found her place in the gypsy community, and I am happy for her. She has decided to move into a caravan in the next couple of years with her fiancée like how he has for most of his life. In fact, he has expressed to me that he feels that living in a house seems strange and foreign to him, despite him having a flat now.

I do however express concerns about the lifestyle, not for her, but her daughter. Their is a lot of discrimination when it comes to travellers, and I feel that she might get bullied in the future for the lifestyle she is in. Which might make her feel detached from mainstream living, which may lead to crime, and other negative social outcomes.

When she get's married, she is not only making a lifelong commitment to love, but a lifestyle commitment which will affect her future, and the way she lives. It is a lot to commit to, and I wish her all the best. I feel their love is genuine enough for them to see this through.

To add conversation, what do you feel about gypsies, and Irish travellers. How would you feel if a family member was going into this kind of lifestyle, have you got any questions for me, let me know what you think, but keep it clean.

She might even start calling me a Gorger soon...

 

[Tsaba]

I feel the need to quote
On topic, I don't have a problem with them.

 

[necromanzer52]

I read that as "So...My sister is marrying a time traveller"

I had to reread it more than once, to read it properly.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I don't really mind them that much, but I find it irritating how they will fly in the face of the law and then get away with it, despite knowing full well what's allowed and what's not. I think that it can be compatible with the rest of society, but they don't seem to be doing themselves any favours by refusing to co-operate properly. For instance, some travellers rocked up on my old school's fields a couple of years back. That's not really on.

And my sister is getting married soon too. Weird.

 

[JediMB]

Haven't had much contact with the Romani, but the Irish caravan people I've met... were really creepy (I don't know why I felt that way), and had a habit of stealing from the store I worked at.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I don't care about somebody's backround as long as they are a good person I won't make exceptions on my judgement based on backround and don't use something like being a traveller or being black as a defense. As for your sister I hope she is happy.

 

[Jeremy Christian]

What's going to happen about your niece's education though? Would your sister stop travelling during term time? How often would you get to see your niece and keep track of her (not that your sister and her husband aren't capable parents)? Would they be able to generate enough income to support a tuition? Especially since your niece couldn't attend a public school without an address.

 

[tobi the good boy]

Uhm yeah, the only gypsy's I've met in my travels were scummy thieves, one even tried to get three other people to attack me an my friend for our wallets. I'm not sure what an Irish Traveller is though

 

[OldKingClancy]

I don't really know enough about travellers to judge. There's a group that comes by my area a few times a year and they cause trouble byt littering and assuming because they're travellers they're better than everyone. Plus - although I have absolutely no proof of this - reports of rapes seem to get higher. I'm assuming this is just this group of travellers but they've left a bad impression on me.

 

[Entropyutd]

The one thing I would be worried about is your niece's education.
Traveller women are raised to serve their men and nothing else. The community as a whole puts very little importance on education.
BUT that is out of your hands.

You are not going to be able to relieve any stigma, and like it or not your niece is a traveller child. Your side of the family will always be second.

 

[Jazoni89]

What's going to happen about your niece's education though? Would your sister stop travelling during term time? How often would you get to see your niece and keep track of her (not that your sister and her husband aren't capable parents)? Would they be able to generate enough income to support a tuition? Especially since your niece couldn't attend a public school without an address.

That's rather a misconception, most travellers (at least nowadays) tend to sick to certain places for quite a considerable while, in designated traveller hotspots.

There are certain schools which will take travellers, but not many. She's in school now, but at this moment in time she's living in a flat. The situation may change once they move into a caravan though, but yeah, I am quite concerned.

 

[Mr.White]

I've had a handful of experiences with Irish and Romani travellers because of my job, in my experience, Romani thieves seem to claim rape if they are stopped when trying to steal (we have had cases where the women would strip in the "holding area" and claim we raped them in some stores, didn't work when the camera footage was shown), and Irish travellers always seem to try and scam the tills.

But then again that's only because of my job, i'm only meeting some of them.

 

[Actual]

I'm afraid I am massively prejudiced against pikeys. Maybe there's some nice ones out there but the ones I've met are all violent criminals.

A couple weeks ago they were camping near my mates' house, a large gang of them went down the street knocking on everyone's door demanding scrap metal and shouting when they were refused, my mate was really intimidated but happily they were distracted by a load of old washing machines a neighbour keeps in their front garden.

I've had a couple of attempted muggings from pikey kids near their campsites and they pulled a knife on my brother.

Were I in your situation I would seriously worry about how that lifestyle would affect my sister and niece. She's not going to grow up knowing any better and she won't go to school so she's unlikely to be able to get a job, she'll just continue the gypsy tradition of stealing to survive.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

Ah.
You do realise what their policy on Women is, right?

Live at home, clean, wash, cook.
No education, no job, does what the Husband wants.

So yaaaaay!!!

 

[Jazoni89]

I'm afraid I am massively prejudiced against pikeys. Maybe there's some nice ones out there but the ones I've met are all violent criminals.

A couple weeks ago they were camping near my mates' house, a large gang of them went down the street knocking on everyone's door demanding scrap metal and shouting when they were refused, my mate was really intimidated but happily they were distracted by a load of old washing machines a neighbour keeps in their front garden.

I've had a couple of attempted muggings from pikey kids near their campsites and they pulled a knife on my brother.

Were I in your situation I would seriously worry about how that lifestyle would affect my sister and niece. She's not going to grow up knowing any better and she won't go to school so she's unlikely to be able to get a job, she'll just continue the gypsy tradition of stealing to survive.

My sister's Fiancée went to school, and as far as I know he was in there until he was 16.

I respect what you are saying, but I personally feel that many people tie them with the same brush. Though saying that, Only if you have connections with the gypsy culture, then I think it's the only way you can't be prejudice towards them. Their hatred has been written for generations, and generations. I don't really have prejudice towards certain people (maybe the WBC, but i digress), because I have had my fair share of prejudice with my social difficulties, but that's my personal feeling towards the subject.

My sisters fiancée is a very nice guy, and a great friend, and him being a traveller doesn't make me feel like he is any less of a person.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I typed out my honest opinion and was all set to hit post.
Then I realised that what I had typed would get me banned forever, even if it was my honest opinion based on experience of living near traveller's sites.

Make of that what you will.

 

[Jazoni89]

I typed out my honest opinion and was all set to hit post.
Then I realised that what I had typed would get me banned forever, even if it was my honest opinion based on experience of living near traveller's sites.

Make of that what you will.

Thank you very much for that, some things are better off not expressed.

 

[Knusper]

Yeah, they're fine. I think the prejudice that says that says they are all thieves is not well-founded. However, going off on a tangent, those Dale Farm lot shouldn't be an exception before the law.

 

[El Poncho]

How I feel about gypsies, hmm, not in a good light.

My dad hired one to patch up a hole in the roof, my dad gives him half the money at the start and was planning to give him half when he finished, my dad goes inside so they can get working on the roof, they just leave taking the money.

At my primary school gypsies tended to go there for a few months then away then a few more months, they wouldn't be very clean yet when I seen them get into their parents cars they had nice fancy cars, are they just too lazy to wash themselves?

I know this isn't true for all of them but this is my experience with them.