# The Riches series premiere 12 Mar '07 (spoikers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696 "2007-03-13T01:59:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/21 "2007-03-13T13:24:20Z")
It occurs to me now that FX will probably get angry letters, maybe threats of a boycott, because of what’s seen as a negative view of the Roma. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/22 "2007-03-13T16:08:25Z")
_nitpick_ I’m pretty sure that the Romany and the Irish Travellers are two distinct groups. From what I understand, the designation “Traveller” has less to do with ethnicity and more to do with scamming. When the term Gypsy fell out of favor (because it is an affront to the Romany) “Traveller” was used to refer to the group that does indeed travel the country setting up scams. We have some locally - periodically there are news reports about the people they have conned (around here it’s usually home repair scams.) I may be wrong about the origins of the terms, but I am pretty sure the Romany are not associated with the Travellers. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/23 "2007-03-13T16:59:46Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry] _nitpick_ I’m pretty sure that the Romany and the Irish Travellers are two distinct groups. From what I understand, the designation “Traveller” has less to do with ethnicity and more to do with scamming. When the term Gypsy fell out of favor (because it is an affront to the Romany) “Traveller” was used to refer to the group that does indeed travel the country setting up scams. We have some locally - periodically there are news reports about the people they have conned (around here it’s usually home repair scams.) I may be wrong about the origins of the terms, but I am pretty sure the Romany are not associated with the Travellers. [/QUOTE] Irish Travelers are distinct from Rroma. For one thing, they’re from Ireland. There seems to be some debate whether they count as their own ethnic group or not, but they’ve been around since the middle ages at least. They do have their own culture, language and everything, so it’s not just a lifestyle. I think the Travelers would also resent the implication that they live entirely off graft, but they do seem to have a worse reputation than modern Rroma do. I can’t say if it’s because they actually are more criminal, or they just don’t have as good PR. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/24 "2007-03-13T17:11:15Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry] PS: What’s a “spoiker”? 😃 [/QUOTE] I was gonna say, who does this OP think they are, calling us all spoikers before we’ve even posted? Same ta you, ya lousy spoiker! 😛 (I TiVo’ed the show, haven’t watched it yet.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/25 "2007-03-13T17:21:16Z")
[QUOTE=FlightlessBird] This is definitely a cool idea. Very dramatic but also darkly funny (I guess that’s why they call it a black comedy) like a few of fx’s shows. I like the family, but am not sure how well this will work out for them. Are the kids going to go to school? I see problems with past school references, I’m such a buffer I guess. What about his work, won’t he need a SSN? [/QUOTE] Well Wayne and Dahlia can just use the Riches’s SSNs. The kids could be a problem. Since Doug and Cherian(?) didn’t have kids they’d have to create alot of fake documents. If they send them to school at all. So where they actually speaking Romany? ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/26 "2007-03-13T17:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] So where they actually speaking Romany? [/QUOTE] As noted in the other thread here, Romany and Irish Travellers are two separate groups, not ethnically connected at all. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/27 "2007-03-13T17:27:28Z")
Visit cemetaries, not too close by. Find the tombstone of someone who was born the same year and died soon. Use that name to apply for a SSN. Explain to the school that they’ve been home schooled until now. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/28 "2007-03-13T19:22:03Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Visit cemetaries, not too close by. Find the tombstone of someone who was born the same year and died soon. Use that name to apply for a SSN. Explain to the school that they’ve been home schooled until now. [/QUOTE] Just what do schools actually require for enrollment other than transcripts and proof of vaccinations (or sometimes an actually physical)? ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/29 "2007-03-13T19:43:25Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry] _nitpick_ I’m pretty sure that the Romany and the Irish Travellers are two distinct groups. From what I understand, the designation “Traveller” has less to do with ethnicity and more to do with scamming. When the term Gypsy fell out of favor (because it is an affront to the Romany) “Traveller” was used to refer to the group that does indeed travel the country setting up scams. We have some locally - periodically there are news reports about the people they have conned (around here it’s usually home repair scams.) I may be wrong about the origins of the terms, but I am pretty sure the Romany are not associated with the Travellers. [/QUOTE] Interesting. Thanks; consider my ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/30 "2007-03-13T19:45:20Z")
Also explains why the characters look a lot more Irish than they do like Romani. Now I feel stupid. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/31 "2007-03-13T20:17:08Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] Also explains why the characters look a lot more Irish than they do like Romani. Now I feel stupid. [/QUOTE] Don’t feel stupid; I don’t know very much at all about the difference, just that there IS a difference. There’s bound to be tons of people here who can fill us both in on the details. Hopefully one of 'em will be along soon to do so 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/32 "2007-03-13T23:49:42Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry] As noted in the other thread here, Romany and Irish Travellers are two separate groups, not ethnically connected at all. [/QUOTE] So they were speaking Gaelic? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/33 "2007-03-14T03:55:01Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] So they were speaking Gaelic? 😕 [/QUOTE] I didn’t actually notice them speaking anything but English, but if there was another language spoken, it would likely be Irish or Gaelic. Or, given that these people would have been settled in Louisiana for several generations, possibly French? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/34 "2007-03-14T04:06:49Z")
The son & daughter in front of the cop and Dahlia as they pushed the car into the water. It was something - (the closed captioning was italicized to indicate it was a different language. However, I’ve since erased it…) ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/35 "2007-03-14T05:24:20Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] So they were speaking Gaelic? 😕 [/QUOTE] Irish Travelers have their own language, called Shelta (aka Gammen, Sheldru, Pavee or the Cant). It’s a relative of Gaelic, but quite distinct. I have no idea if the Shelta was authentic. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/36 "2007-03-14T15:00:57Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Traveller) on Irish Travellers: > [@](#): > > Irish Travellers (commonly known as “Tinkers” because they worked repairing tin ware) are a nomadic or itinerant people of Irish origin living in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. They refer to themselves as the Pavee. It is estimated 23,000 Travellers live in Ireland, 15,000 in Great Britain and 7,000 in the United States… It was once widely believed that Travellers were descended from landowners who were made homeless in Oliver Cromwell’s military campaign in Ireland and in the 1840s famine, but evidence shows that they have dwelt in Ireland since at least the Middle Ages.[citation needed] which may support the popular myth that they are descended from ancient tribal kings of Ireland. It must be said that none of them would take kindly to ‘travellers’ being automatically equated with ‘scam artists.’ I saw a great BBC doc on the subject, and while seeing these people set their kids up for lives of poverty, illiteracy, (and, yes, scamming) etc. was heartbreaking, it was just as tragic to see the racism and discrimination they were up against. Reminded me a lot of North American native reserves. No easy answers, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/37 "2007-03-15T13:54:53Z")
Holy shit, that was fantastic! I’m stoked for next week’s episode! – IG ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/38 "2007-03-15T14:36:59Z")
The only thing that struck me as off in the show was the inept way the father handled himself after taking the money. Filling the old clunker with premium…handing the wife a $100 bill…stuff like that. And how did the temporary lead hillbilly know he’d taken the money? Didn’t they indicate that he didn’t know the combination to the safe? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/39 "2007-03-15T15:34:34Z")
[QUOTE=Atrael] And how did the temporary lead hillbilly know he’d taken the money? [/QUOTE] Maybe he had to ask Dad for his allowance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696/40 "2007-03-15T17:09:50Z")
I was impressed by the dynamic of their relationship. There was an incredible amount of love there. I’d been getting sick of the “bright wife married to substandard husband” type shows that keep getting presented to us. These two were a set. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-riches-series-premiere-12-mar-07-spoikers/395696.md?page=1)