‘Iain McCell’s ‘The New Gypsies’ is a 10 year project following Horse Drawn Travelers who live a low carbon footprint life style.’
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Thank you to Iain Mckell
The New Gypsies
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I’ve always been fascinated by the gypsy lifestyle. I want to live with them for a week just to see what it’s like.
Gypsy is not a lifestyle choice. It’s an ethnicity. Half a million died in the camps in World War2. Many are currently persecuted and even dying across Europe particularly Eastern Europe. This is grown up dress up. Many Ren Faire “Gypsies” perpetuate harmful myths and stereotypes. Two minutes on Google can educate you about real Gypsies-our preferred name is Roma or Rroma. Try Ian Hancock and Patrin for an excellent resource. Or just google Gypsy and, for example, Bulgaria, for current info on riots, protests and persecution.
These are photos of people posing in the most negative, stereotypical way…not real gypsies. It serves to reinforce the prejudice against those of real Rroma ethnicity…just look at one of the comments which calls for them to not have any children. Old, bitter bigotry is hard to overcome and photos like these do nothing to help.
They certainly don’t look like “Ren Fair Gypsies” to me. Rather, they look authentic, so I Googled this some more to see if they were Travelers mislabeled as Gypsies (same ancient lifestyle, same discrimination, different ethnicity– not Roma but Irish). They’re not. They’re leftovers from some 1980s “Post-Punk Anti-Thatcher protesters” movement, and despite all that garbage and plastic in the above photo, they’re supposedly committed to the sustainable lifestyle. Not too sure I buy that.
Still, Germaine, you’re condemning assumptions in the same sentence that you’re making them. These people sought out this lifestyle willingly, but they’ve also been at it for nearly three decades, and therefore it’s all some of the younger ones pictured above know.
Authentic? Are you kidding me? We don’t dress up in silly costumes. There are a wide variety of native dress depending on your vitsa-where your family is from, ranging from India to the U.S. and South America. Sinti like the Kalo in Spain and the Manouche in France can also vary widely from the traditional idea of Roma wear. Many modern Roma don’t even wear these. Cites your sources. Produce authentic links that show Roma dress up in bad Halloween costumes. Travellers, which the Pavee spell with two L’s in general, don’t dress up like this either. Ren Faire people do- hence the identification. Also, you missed the main point Gypsy does not equal lifestyle. These people are free to get up to whatever they like but that doesn’t make them Gypsies/Roma. It doesn’t matter what the children where raised as-they are not gypsy. If they want to have a semi-nomadic made up lifestyle that is their choice and freedom. But calling people who are playing something of game of pretend however long it goes on in made up costumes by the name of a persecuted ethnicity is ignorant. Again I suggest you start with Patrin and educate yourself on the variety of modern Roma, both those who practice older customs of both dress and culture and modern practice Roma who wear pretty much what any one else does. Dr. Hancock is a professor at the University of Texas and he wears what other professors wear from business casual to suits, etc. By stating that they “look authentic” to you when you are clearly not conversant with Roma either traditional or modern, you are further perpetuating myths, stereotypes and ignorance. Did you Google what has been happening in places like Bulgaria and even Italy? You might have seen real Roma and perhaps understood the gravity of the situation. We look back now on minstrel shows as repugnant and ignorant. Dressing up and calling yourself Gypsy is just as offensive, most especially in light of the the thousands who died in the camps and the many who continue to suffer from human rights abuses such as forced sterilization, false imprisonment, denial of education and access to housing and work and the most basic necessities of life. Another excellent source is Amnesty International- Google Amnesty and antiziganism and you will find a wealth of information http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/europes-roma-community-still-facing-massive-discrimination-20090408
Actually there are two different classifications of gypsy. one, with a capital G (Gypsy) refers to the ethnic group; whereas gypsy does in fact refer to a lifestyle choice not an ethnicity.
In any case, making a choice to live the way they have chosen is not “playing something of game of pretend.” This is how these people live. Disparity of nomenclature aside, you are asking for people to sympathize with the plight of your ethnic group, while degrading the lives the people in these pictures have built. That’s not ignorant, it’s just offensive.
Show compassion when asking for it in kind. They may not be Roma/Gypsy, but that does not invalidate their gypsy lifestyle.
Dictionary defines ‘gypsy’ as an ethnic group and separately as lifestyle. If these folks are off the system and essentially wanderers, they are by definition gypsies. These photos aren’t comparing them to ethnic Gypsies. People, relax.
I’m just wondering…. Germaine… If you are a gypsy…how are you on a computer typing?? If you are truly one who wanders, without a “home base” so to speak….
Just curious, not poking fun or anything.
I think we could label these folks as the “new” gypsies… as in constantly traveling, not settled down in one place. Yes, I’ve seen folks at renaissance faires kinda dress this way….Ren faires in recent years have turned into more of a masquerade thing more than a historical thing (you want historical, join the SCA). You also see fairies and people dressed as their D&D charactors (or worse–I have also seen Indiana Jones and Goku from DBZ). But I digress.
Most folks like to play “dress up”–these folks just do it on the move (maybe we could classify this as the flip side of “Steampunk”??)
I don’t know if you all get what I’m trying to say, not so sure myself…all I know is, if you get offended by people who are, in essence, playing “let’s pretend”–why are you on this site? This site is about time, and how one can construe and interpret it.
Perhaps Mr. Germaine can post some pictures of the “real” gypsies he is used to, and even the score…
“….Time has to go *somewhere*–it doesn’t get all used up at once….” –Neil Gaiman
Thanks for letting me rant. Or whatever.
While I was in the middle of looking at these photos, I thought to myself, “some of these folks look like they’re in it just for the ‘fashion’.” Then I got down here to the comments…
I think it is ok to refer to these people as the “New Gypsies.” Like others said the word can refer to a lifestyle. But, really, some of these costumes are pretty silly…
I have nothing against, and even have some sympathy for a community/movement aimed at being drastically more sustainable. (If that is true here.) But some of the people in the photos are dressed in such a way that it is sort of a caricature of actual Roma (maybe more true to the image in the Western imagination), not too mention totally impractical for living on the road…so it is sort of off-putting to me.
The people in the photographs are not Roma, that much is clear. But do they actually even call themselves “gypsies,” or is that a name that the photographer has given them? I understand the term to be derogatory (especially when used by non-Roma), but I have known Roma to use it when they’re describing a kind of a public, performed Roma identity, one that is distinct from their actual ethnic, cultural, and political history.
In the defence of some of these people who I know. The dress up as is being suggested is no such thing. They dress like this full stop. Its not play or pretend. I cannot speak for all, but the ones I know of do live on the move, does this make them Roma? Actually one of them i know is. I have never had prejudice against any person, I could never understand the poor attitude towards Roma. The only specific aspect I found difficult to fathom was the us and them, which comes from both sides to be honest. This is entitled the new gypsys, I guess because they choose to be on the move, live off the earth lightly and sleep under tarp. By showing such prejudice against these people, is it not behaving in the same manner as those bigots who condemn the Roma. Who cares what people wear, how people live, what religion they follow, what their sexuality is, or what is their skin colour or their gender. Isn’t it all about taking a stand for difference and not against it. I think the photos are beautiful
Well, I have to agree with Mazoe and Austin above and wonder as to Germaine’s reaction to this. I am lucky enough to know some of the above people. As far as Im concerned, they refer to themselves as “HorseDrawn”…. if horse drawn or travellers if ….travelling. The clothes are merely what they come across when on festivals etc or second hand shops…recycling..and are practical if living outsited or fun….who cares what others think of them. one of them is the only person i know who actually builds horsedrawn wagons by hand on the side of roads, fields or travller sites….to enable others to ditch the car, its pollution and overall unsustainable vibe and take to living and travelling a more “normal” way. Ive actually been invited to go “horsedrawn” next year by this man. What will I be called if someone photographs me in some weird garb? … who cares, its not important. But Id like to think that I wouldnt be discriminated against by the Roma, like Germaine, for trying to live better. Im used to discrimination from others for various reasons. We are all just people, and friends are the family we choose, not the one we are born into. Sometimes choices must be made….
It’s simple. Not all gypsies are Roma, not all Roma are gypsies. trying to earn some PC brownie points by insisting on Roma as the ‘correct’ term ends up discriminating against all gypsies who have no Roma heritage. In the UK the Irish travellers would be a good example of non-Roma gypsies.
What free spirited, creative people! I sure hope I never meet them.
I bet they’re all card-carrying douche nozzles.