For the past few days, I have been doing research for my next novel. Without giving away too much, let me just say that this included reading up on the plight Irish Travellers and the racism against them. Wow is all that I can say and not in the good way.
To anyone looking past My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, the first thing that you will come across are stories related to the evictions last year of the Dale Farm traveller site in Crays Hill, Essex, United Kingdom. The stories are all pretty straight forward: Part of the Dale Farm site was legal, the other part wasn't. It was a long and drawn out process, full of protests, that ended in the eviction of the travellers occupying the illegal portion. What was surprising was the comments attached to these stories. The things that people posted ranged from ignorance to out and out cruelty!
I was shocked by the story that appeared on a UK blog The Telegraph titled: 'Irish Travellers are part of the British heritage and need to be accommodated'. Really? . Twenty-five pages of comments regarding the scams, lawlessness, and dropping property values thanks to the travellers. It was like going back in time. I was especially shocked with comments wanting to send them back to Ireland because they weren't really British. It reminded me of the comments one would hear in pre-civil rights America.
To anyone looking past My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, the first thing that you will come across are stories related to the evictions last year of the Dale Farm traveller site in Crays Hill, Essex, United Kingdom. The stories are all pretty straight forward: Part of the Dale Farm site was legal, the other part wasn't. It was a long and drawn out process, full of protests, that ended in the eviction of the travellers occupying the illegal portion. What was surprising was the comments attached to these stories. The things that people posted ranged from ignorance to out and out cruelty!
I was shocked by the story that appeared on a UK blog The Telegraph titled: 'Irish Travellers are part of the British heritage and need to be accommodated'. Really? . Twenty-five pages of comments regarding the scams, lawlessness, and dropping property values thanks to the travellers. It was like going back in time. I was especially shocked with comments wanting to send them back to Ireland because they weren't really British. It reminded me of the comments one would hear in pre-civil rights America.
So then I got the crazy idea that maybe this racism was just in the UK. I Googled "Irish Travellers in America". What comes up? Stories about Madelyne Gorman Toogood, the traveller woman that was caught on tape thrashing her four year old daughter. Even the faithful wikipedia shows an outdated 1940's photo (at left).
I still had high hopes and kept reading only to discover that there are actual "Irish Traveller Task Forces" set up in some cities and that retailers give their employees special "Traveller Training".
Again, here I am doing all this research and reading about the racism against the Irish Travellers in the UK and in America, and all I can say is WOW, and not in the good way.
I'd love to know if any of you out there
I still had high hopes and kept reading only to discover that there are actual "Irish Traveller Task Forces" set up in some cities and that retailers give their employees special "Traveller Training".
Again, here I am doing all this research and reading about the racism against the Irish Travellers in the UK and in America, and all I can say is WOW, and not in the good way.
I'd love to know if any of you out there
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