Why do you look for a justifiable reason for racism? Jews, too, were hated universally. Many Christians believed that Jews sacrifice children, with zero basis in reality.
Alexandra spoke about a vicious cicle. That long history of the repression was also a long history of again and again reinforced and refined negative stereotypes about the Roma.
Have you read hitchhiker's link in the other thread? About the systematic media mis-representation of the Roma in Bulgaria, exemplified by that 1997 event when all the papers wrote in great detail about how a Roma family walking across a road caused a bus crash, yet police declared ten days later that no one at all walked across or along the road?
Racism needs no proof. They can make it up anytime.
In Bulgaria they are always "the others" because they don't fit in the society.
You just said you aren't racist. So why this blanket statement?
Do "well-clad, clean and behaving" Romas not fit into society (ones that shopkeeper thought hitchhiker is)?
And what is this society you speak about? Since they were born in Bulgaria and grew up there, they are just as much part of 'society' as you are. Either that, or we could speak of parallel societies. At any rate, they don't deserve you anything. (It's more like the majority deserves inclusion to the minority, due to their greater dependence.)
As for the rest of the rant (of blanket statements again), haven't the others just discussed the origins of this situation, and the lack of real attempts to change it?
By the way, have you read my accounts of how police and judges deal with Roma in the other thread? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Lemme refine this. Racism can also operate with proof - by turning the particular into the general. "some X did Y" becomes "X do Y". And unless members of X are 100% innocents, racism will always find examples to reinforce the theory. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Lemme refine this. Racism can also operate with proof - by turning the particular into the general. "some X did Y" becomes "X do Y". And unless members of X are 100% innocents, racism will always find examples to reinforce the theory.
n Bulgaria they are always "the others" because they don't fit in the society. You just said you aren't racist. So why this blanket statement? Do "well-clad, clean and behaving" Romas not fit into society (ones that shopkeeper thought hitchhiker is)? And what is this society you speak about? Since they were born in Bulgaria and grew up there, they are just as much part of 'society' as you are.
And what is this society you speak about? Since they were born in Bulgaria and grew up there, they are just as much part of 'society' as you are.
I will try to explain again. Most gypsies live in "katuns", i.e. they live with their families and neighboring families. Others, "institutionalized" gypsies, live in aparatment buildings, just like the Bulgarians and Turks, and they usually don't cause any trouble, because they want to be friendly with their neighbors. Since even policemen don't wander in the katuns unless something really gruesome happens (and even then they might get attacked), the gypsies there have a bigger freedom to do as they will (Bulgarian law or not).
Either that, or we could speak of parallel societies. At any rate, they don't deserve you anything. (It's more like the majority deserves inclusion to the minority, due to their greater dependence.)
Parallel societies within the legal boundaries of a country? If you go to another country, don't you willfully agree to be legally bound to the system in power?
What do you mean they don't deserve us anything? If they are within the legal boundaries of the state of Bulgaria (and mind you, a state that constitutionally inhibits ethnic conflicts and provides equal rights to everyone with a Bulgarian citizenship), they are obliged to follow the law, or face the consequences. In other words, they should pay their taxes just as we do, or they are breaking the law. Are you trying to give gypsies more rights than to Bulgarians or Turks?
We are seeing an interesting phenomenom - gypsies with Bulgarian citizenship can't even speak the official language of the country, and in fact, they really don't need to - they can understand each other perfectly in the katun.
By the way, have you read my accounts of how police and judges deal with Roma in the other thread?
Must of skipped it, will read it right away, though I can imagine. I will comment on that on the other thread! Be careful! Is it classified?
