So... My sister is marrying a traveller

[Woodsey]

I've never heard a good thing about them, let's put it like that.

They seem to expect what everyone else is entitled to, whilst feeling they have no need to pay in with everyone else, they cause massive headaches for other people, they live on land that is not theirs (and no, I don't give a shit if the government owns that land, its still not theirs), and they're often thuggish and intimidating.

And none of them seem to be too big on travelling, as much as they are big on going to one place and parking caravans there.

Of course, not all of that will apply to all of them - maybe none of that applies to some of them.

 

[manythings]

Are they from Limerick? That's a very important piece of information.

OT: On the whole I have yet to meet a traveller who wasn't a thief or asshole. So... yeah. Not many good things to say about them.

 

[Lethos]

I'm not their biggest fan. The law applies to all, regardless of who you are.

 

[mental_looney]

Never heard anything good, my boyfriend is from the place in Ireland with the highest % of travelers in the population and has nothing good to say about them. Romany gypsies are not the same as Irish Travellers though.

Plus not a great life for girls get married and stay at home having lots of kids, no going to work, no going out without your husband.

But there are always exceptions to the general population of every group.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

I don't know mate. There's a huge amount of travelers and settled travelers in my town, and I haven't met many respectable ones (and even out of those, some have quite poor opinions of women). Maybe he's different, but just be sure to stay in frequent contact with her. I'd also like to note that, from what I understand, Irish traveler (I'm Irish BTW) and British-Irish traveler culture has some fundamental differences.

Edit: Oh right, anecdotes as well.

Had our oil stolen by some.
Had the local grit supply stolen just before the coldest winter in fifty years and were forced to walk to town for a month.
I've had groups of them try to fight me and/ or friends for our shoes (really).
Had a friend who had his phone stolen by a few.

Mainly negative stories, but there's plenty of decent travelers out there.

 

[Jazoni89]

I don't know mate. There's a huge amount of travelers and settled travelers in my town, and I haven't met many respectable ones (and even out of those, some have quite poor opinions of women). Maybe he's different, but just be sure to stay in frequent contact with her.

He is highly respectable, and he wouldn't even hurt a fly. He really isn't the whole stereotypical traveller you would think he is.

Maybe he is quite different from the norm, but he is a very nice guy, and believe you me, I tend to judge quite a lot.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

Only knowledge I have of them is coming in and messing up the local area.

Also burning down (multiple times) my friend's place of business.

So yeah, I suppose I don't really like them.

 

[Grimlock Fett]

I don't judge them all the same but when the fair is in town the crime rate goes up. I got started on by a guy after accidentally bumping his shoulder and apologizing in a club. He reacted by pushing me backwards and ripping his shirt off! The bouncer told me to walk away because they were travelers (a group had formed around me by this point)! If a non traveler had done this he would have been thrown out! I think anyone who is violent for the sake of being violent should be destroyed! Do martial arts or something. Dont start fights on random people who want nothing to do with you!

I admire the sense of community but I hate the sense of being better than everyone else and not being subject to the same laws/punishments as the majority!

 

[soes757]

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

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

This is what I saw, does he own a vortex manipulator?
That is all good day sir.

 

[Tharwen]

Does she like dags?

...

Fine. I'll write something useful. My only experience with them has been when a load of them set up camp in a field nearby and started building greenhouses and stables without planning consent and were forced to take them down by the council. They never really did anything else, and I never saw them outside the field, so I don't really know what to make of them.

 

[Luke3184]

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...

Being a descendant of Irish Gypsys myself I feel the need to ask whether he is part of one of the travelling clans that do travel and follow the historical customs or a traveller, the kind that parks up outside a town and causes chaos from his caravan. You used both traveller and gypsy in your description, wheras from my family I understand it as they really don't like the term traveller and use it to describe the latter.

Anyway if it's the former then not only is fine but you can also guarantee that your sister is entering into a bond not only with her husband but also with entire clan, and her daughter will be treated by the rest of the clan as if she was their own.

 

[Jazoni89]

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...

... How would I feel?

I would probably feel like I wanted to murder the traveller. Like I've heard how they treat their women. Like I'd have that awkward defense mechanism that I have where I feel I have to defend someone. I probably wouldn't do anything except google the local prisons to see if there's one I like the look of and wouldn't mind spending a few years for murder in, but I'd probably warn her it wasn't the right thing to do and that I had my concerns. I'd maintain hostilities with him even if it meant tearing us apart because I would feel it was the right thing to do. I'd probably idly plan his murder and be on edge for a long time. So, erm, you asked.

... I don't have sister, mind.

Don't really have any questions for you. Suppose I could try. How are you today?

Physically ill, because of that comment.

Look, not all of them are bad, and it took my sisters fiancée to make me see that. He is a great guy, and he loves and respects my sister a lot.

People are people at the end of the day, regardless of lifestyle.

 

[Grimlock Fett]

They're a lot like Ghouls in fallout3! Some are nice and can even help you out!
Most of what you see and hear is bad! And the majority that you meet are feral and need putting down! I hate reavers!!

(Edit}
Based on the fact that the majority of stories involving travelers are bad in my experience and apparently its the same for a lot of the people who have posted here!

 

[Kukakkau]

So she's continuing the line of uneducated, theiving people who refuse to conform to the surrounding society and thing laws and regulations don't concern them? Oh joy

Quick story related - my dad when he was a pest controller was called to a travellers site since it was swimming in rats. Second the van doors opened the kids stole all the equipment. Eventually the equipment was returned after explaining they came to help but after that no pest control company would help them and they got to live with their rats

Also remember a news story recently where a traveller community built houses without any planning permission on owned land and when told they had to leave since they broke the law they went up in arms about it, even though they knew it was against the law and they didn't care. /facepalm

I can tolerate people acting/believing differently. But people who don't teach their kids morals and don't give a shit about the people they are imposing on? *cocks gun*

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

I don't know mate. There's a huge amount of travelers and settled travelers in my town, and I haven't met many respectable ones (and even out of those, some have quite poor opinions of women). Maybe he's different, but just be sure to stay in frequent contact with her.

He is highly respectable, and he wouldn't even hurt a fly. He really isn't the whole stereotypical traveller you would think he is.

Maybe he is quite different from the norm, but he is a very nice guy, and believe you me, I tend to judge quite a lot.

He probably is, it's that with the reputation they have in the community I live in it's hard to tell whether it's a cultural thing, or if it's just people pointing out extreme cases. I've had my fair share of encounters with some, but I've also taken a lot of sh*t off settled folk. Sorry, I've made this way too personal. Anyway, point is I'm probably conditioned to mistrust them, so take anything I say with a pinch of salt.

 

[Jazoni89]

They're a lot like Ghouls in fallout3! Some are nice and can even help you out!
Most of what you see and hear is bad! And the majority that you meet are feral and need putting down! I hate reavers!!

Hmm...Gypsy Reavers, what a good idea...

Please make it happen Bethesda!

 

[DementedSheep]

I don?t know much about them and have never meet any. I saw a "documentary" on them and I didn?t like what I saw (it made their culture come across as very sexist and closed tbh) but I don?t know how accurate this documentary was. For all I know it could been a load of horse crap or trying to pin what a few do on the entire community. It would be unfair to assume they are all like that and continue to believe they are when they have proven themselves not to be.

 

[skizoman333]

My ex was a traveller. But not the official romani gypsie or Irish (although her great grandad on her dads side was a romani gypsie who fought for the Austro-hungarian empire in WW1) Her mum was a circus performer, so she had spent most of her life on the move during the spring to autumn travelling with the circus. She told me that she loved traveling, the people she met were fantastic (ive met but a few of them and they are incredible people) but when she was at school she was so sad and depressed she barely remembers it.

her education was patchy, but she's just gone to university to study english lit at aberestwyth so i dont think your niece will have that problem so long as her parents want her to have a good education.

she will have shit from idiots, and you'll need to be there to support her and sow her that not everyones an asshole.

in my experience travellers arnt bad, they just live up to the expectation because thats all alot of people think of the as

 

[Jared Domenico]

The fact that gypsies are an actual thing has me reeling.