Quote Originally Posted by Drag0nUL View Post
I live in Romania and here we also have a significant Gypsy population.
I have nothing against Gypsy as people, but i do think their community is somewhat disruptive. Or at least what they are showing.

I know quite a few gypsies that integrated all right in the normal society.
They make an honest living and 'feel' no differently than any other human being.

My problem lies with Gypsy communities that promote a certain way of life that's disruptive to the rest of the society:

-Many poor gypsies live in illegal 'villages' of makeshift shacks or ruined/abandoned buildings. Sometimes the police comes, kicks them out, they wait a bit, and they come back.


-Their family/clan ties, and the conflicts that arise from this. Here we don't have any kind of gang culture apart form gipsy clans and it's a bit shocking (in the bad way) to see 200 gypsies duking it out with axes and swords until the police comes(it's mostly for show though. I refuse to believe that 200 armed people can fight for real and end up with only 2-3 wounded).


-They have a distinct lack of respect (sometimes I even think they are unable to understand ) of the more abstract social norms, such as the civic duty to respect the law. Most gypsies will respect the law only for fear of consequences, and will break it at leisure if they think they can avoid them.

I've witnessed several incidents with gypsies caught in the act of doing something either illegal or just unpleasant (mostly faking disabilities in order to beg) and wouldn't quit doing it unless directly threatened with reprisal (once it took a police officer taking out his gun and removing the safety for a Gypsy beggar that was traveling in a train without ticket, pretending to have crippled legs, to get off the train, on his own legs mind you).
Yes, as I said, I knew a half Gypsy girl who I studies with in Szeged, and her and her family were good citizens and I had nothing against them. That was the only example that I saw of a well integrated Gypsy family though, and the wider Gypsy community was anything but integrated. The only major crime problem in Szeged is due to the Gypsy mafia, and their drug trade is well developed.

I have absolutely nothing against Gypsies as people, it is that 'Gypsy' way of life that refuses to obey the laws of society. No, I don't think Gypsies should be abused, oppressed, etc, but I do think that significant, targeted effort needs to be made to bring them into the larger fold of society. If they gave up that lawlessness, then people would start appreciating them for their cultural contributions, and their positive role in society.