Um, I went to great lengths to make clear that I am absolutely NOT suggesting that every last member of such a group was a scam artist. Further still, I acknowledged the realities that (in Europe) precipitated their lifestyles. And last but not least, I’ve never once in my history on the SDMB said anything offensive about ethnic groups.
You can deny that the the Pavee/Gypsy/Irish Traveler economy relies on scams for the sake of this message board’s quixotic attempt to weed out “offensive” content all you want, doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.
Please have a little patience while the FQ mods get to this later.
The use of “Gypsy” was a significant part of the reason I closed it until it could be reviewed. You have not been warned or even modnoted. Your thread has been temporarily closed.
Also as you know the use of the word “gypsy” to describe people, especially in conjunction with scammers is offensive, consider not using it.
…to be at odds with statements like this from your OP
Also, finding media references to Irish Travelers as scam artists doesn’t necessarily make it non-racist and a “fact.” Another possibility is racist media.
Everyone with bigoted views, through all of human history, thought their views were justified by facts. Everyone. There’s nothing special about the Roma, or those with bigoted views about them.
You used two offensive terms, even while noting that you know that one of them is offensive. That’s certainly saying something offensive.
You also assumed that the possible scam artist in your anecdote was a member of a given group, based on no evidence whatsoever. The wild guesses of your “gossip group” aren’t evidence. All you know is that when challenged the supposed duct-cleaner left the group; which is some though not definite indication that the person’s a scammer, but no evidence whatsoever of their ethnic group, skin color, or culture.
You also appear to be assuming that because some scammers are or claim to be members of a culture that that means that the culture as a whole must be based upon scamming; and/or that because it’s common for people from outside that culture to have a derogatory perception of it that such perception must be based upon fact.
I said no such thing. I said the townsfolk did, and used that as a jumping-off point for my question about why these traveling economies rely on scams. Which apparently they don’t because to admit it is a violation of some SDMB wokeness policy.
You didn’t ask about “traveling economies,” you asked about the Gypsy/Irish Traveler/Pavee culture. See the difference?
Are you even reading what you write? You first state “if you’re white, even if you’re Irish, even if you’re Catholic, even if you have strong Mediterranean features, you’re going to be fine. You’re not going to face systemic and widespread discrimination or hostility.” But you follow that by wondering why scamming is an inherent part of their culture. I mean, what do you think discrimination is?
You are not helping your case. If the FQ mods had any doubt about what action to take on your post, I suspect that doubt is shrinking.
Are we just going to pretend that scamming is not an inherent part of their culture? Also, I admitted that they got there (at least in Europe) because they’re persecuted beyond all reason and sanity. Persecution of ethnic groups happens here, too. Just not to white/European ethnic groups (save for Catholics, and even then, anti-Catholic bigotry is rare here).
If the bar here for what is considered an offensive post that unfairly characterizes an entire people were just a strip of paint on the floor the OP’s post would clear it with ease.
Kindly remove your hand from your head and show me a cite that says widespread persecution of a European ethnic group is a thing here in the US. I’ll wait.
Last I looked, putting words into another poster’s mouth is a violation of the Registration Agreement. "Is this centuries-old reliance on scams for money so baked into these groups’ cultures that the idea of living legitimately is just not on their radar? "
