What is a Pikey?

[Kaboose the Moose]

So.. i was Watching "Snatch" (great film, go get it) and the character played by Brad Pitt was a "Pikey". and through the whole movie i kept thinking, do pikey's actually exist? are they like Gypsy? and do they really just beat on each other for the fun of it?

Also, have you have met a Pikey.?

EDIT: ok, Why are they called "Pikeys" anyway? why not just Gypsy's?

Since I am British and have lived in Australia for a few years..let me explain.

Pikey = a traveling bogan. Although Pikeys are sometimes also called chavs. The distinction (though never very clear) is that a Pikey can cause occasional problems when near your area of residence. The problems can range from mild to sever but as long as they are not in the area for a long time you can rest knowing they will go away

Chavs on the other hand are the worst kind of townie you can imagine. They are the red-neck Bogans of the UK. They are loud, annoying, play bad music, brick your house on Halloween, stab you when you're not looking, speak incoherently and dress badly. Oh and drive cars they stole, while having a boom box tied to the trunk.

Chavs will never go away. They won't get an education that will take them away to university and they won't do any work apart from annoy you. So the only way to get rid of them is to leave the area.

 

[El Poncho]

We call them Tinkers I think.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

"Pikey", "knacker" and "tinker" are commonly used slurs for what one might call "gypsies".
Personally, I always thought the term "traveller" was more apt. The word "gypsy" tends to bring to mind a hippy type in a colourful wagon.

I feel I should point out that the first three words mentioned are actually serious insults. The equivilent of the N-word for black people, or "******" for gay dudes.
I would not use them in a travelling community unless I planned on having my face rearranged.

Which is why I only use the terminology, "knacker", when they're not around. I've rarely had a good experience with them; even their diction and accent sounds crude, and that's before I get to the whole situation with the thieving dickhead children who hang around.

No offense, dude, but you are actually part of the problem.
There is - and has probably been for decades, centuries even - a serious stigma against travellers and the travelling community.
They're all "thieves" and "thugs" who are lesser beings than "good, civilised folk".
Basicly, this means they are perfectly okay to discriminate against.

When I was much younger, I actually witnessed a teacher ignoring a child being beaten up because her parents were travellers.
And when he was forced to acknowledge the situation, he punished her for fucking starting it.

Now, admittedly, he was a strong case. And it is likely the fact that she was a traveller had nothing to do with it, and he was just picking on the outcast because he could easily get away with it. But I think my point still stands.
That kind of blatant discrimination has led to a necessity for being the toughest, meanest motherfuckers around.

Unfortunately, this also means there is a high chance of aggression and violence within the home.
People can't just switch thug-like behaviour on and off. It is something you embrace, that becomes a part of you.
So children within the community, faced with discrimination outside of the home and aggression within, grow up with little to no chance of a safe haven.

Do you think, perhaps, that if you were faced with that, you might lash out?
Steal a few things, maybe?
Pick a fight or two?

And I know, I'm generalising here. Not every travelling kid grows up with horrible home life and discrimination everywhere. But it does mean that even if they don't, they are required to act like the other kids if they want to be accepted.


Ah, sorry. I shouldn't be unloading on you like this.
You've had bad experiences with them. Fair enough.
And I am quite aware I am being incredibly pretentious.
It's just kind of something that bugs me, you know?

 

[MetaKnight19]

Gypsies, as previous posts have said. There are quite a lot of them down here in the west country. In fact there is a gypsy camp about 15-20 minutes from my town. Also about once or twice a year some gypsies will set up their caravan on the side of the road and sell wood carvings.

 

[muckinscavitch]

I would believe that in north america, we use the term "white trash".

 

[ribonuge]

THIS is a pikey.

 

[Yumi_and_Erea]

"Beware of the pikey, as he keeps a cutlass on his person at all times."

Cookie for the reference.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

I would believe that in north america, we use the term "white trash".

kinda but not really, white trash, tho living in trailer parks, don't move around. gypsies tend to move around. England and Europe have some odd laws on people camping and such on property that North America doesn't

also for those that are wondering what accent Brad Pitt is using, it sounds more like a thick Newfie accent, which is Canadian, rather than a British one i can pick out

 

[funguy2121]

So.. i was Watching "Snatch" (great film, go get it) and the character played by Brad Pitt was a "Pikey". and through the whole movie i kept thinking, do pikey's actually exist? are they like Gypsy? and do they really just beat on each other for the fun of it?

Also, have you have met a Pikey.?

EDIT: ok, Why are they called "Pikeys" anyway? why not just Gypsy's?

That would be me, a Romny (probably misspelled), a gypsy. I believe it's a racial slur.

 

[Nepeccel]

They are Gypsies. And as people know in England, they knick stuff. Pikey is someone who steals things, so the name got transferred (at least in my mind that's how it works). I also heard a story that they steal your dog then sell it back to you!

EDIT: And they were speaking with Irish accents in Snatch.