information about theiving societies - Writers Forum

Yumsa · 01-25-2006, 05:34 PM

hi, im writing a fiction about theives, and i want to noe if anybody can find some theif's societies information. thnx, yumsa

mammamaia · 01-25-2006, 05:38 PM

are you referring to 'gypsies' and 'travellers'...

what time frame are you dealing with?... current day or some bygone age?

Mike C · 01-25-2006, 05:55 PM

Naughty Maia, automatically equating theives to gypsies/ travellers.

Back to political correctness lessons for you!

Yumsa · 01-25-2006, 06:27 PM

ya i guess, like gypsies, or mugglers, and big societies and big gangs (mafia as a big society) any others?

EDIT: its like an olden london, but not exactly.... its a made up place (somewat like old london england back a few decades ago) around that time

Drzava · 01-25-2006, 06:51 PM

You too Mike, they prefer to be called Roma!

Mike C · 01-25-2006, 07:01 PM

I don't know where you get your misinformation from, D, but the Gypsy council of England would disagree with you. You're in Texas - gypsies are something you read about. Over here they're people we live with.

Drzava · 01-25-2006, 07:06 PM

Particularly strong is the movement in France and Spain (in this latter State, there are more than one thousand Romany churches, known as "Filadelfia", of which almost one hundred are in Madrid alone). In Germany, the most numerous group is that of Polish Roma, having their main church in Mannheim. Other important and numerous Romany assemblies exist in Los Angeles, Houston, Buenos Aires and Mexico.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people

No, there are quite plenty here too.

Drzava · 01-25-2006, 07:10 PM

Furthermore,
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/.../RR/pxrfh.html

"An effort was made in the 1970s to establish a mobile Romani-language school in Texas that would travel between Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth to bring literacy in English and Romani to the community"

"In Texas, the two main Romani populations are Vlax and Romanichal. Their main centers are Houston and Fort Worth, though significant numbers of families live in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso. Nearly every large town has some Romani residents."

and

"There are about 20,000 Romani Americans (Roma) in Texas, out of a national population of about one million."

So, before you accuse me of misinformation, please understand that Texas is a rather large place of 20 million, and contains a lot of different people, some here from the Spanish Crown, some from Mexico, some speaking their own version of Texas German and Czech (probably not anymore) and some gypsies too. With several cities ranking as the top 10 biggest in America, it would be absurd to think that just because one is from Texas means they never encounter a certain group of people, especially a travelling people

Mike C · 01-26-2006, 02:01 AM

Doesn't stop you being wrong! And whatever we call them, I doubt they'd be pleased about being called a thief's association!

Drzava · 01-26-2006, 01:06 PM

Did you even read any of the links?

"Gypsies or Gipsies derives from the erroneous belief amongst outsiders that the Roma originated in Egypt. This ethnonym was never used by the Roma to describe themselves. The term Gypsy has long been associated with persecution, and has acquired pejorative connotations." I think using the word 'gypsy' would equate them to being thieves, which, as you stated, they would not be pleased about. That is why, here anyway, the verb gyp has not enjoyed the common usage it used to have.

Mike C · 01-26-2006, 01:35 PM

As I said, the Gypsy council in the UK embrace the term Gypsy. Otherwise they'd probably call themselves something else. I do know that the Romani were thought, by outsiders, to originate from gypsies.

The Gypsies are a recognised ethic group. Whether or not that word has associations with persecution, it doesn't stop them being Gypsies any more than Jews stopped being Jews.

Drzava · 01-26-2006, 03:41 PM

I fail to see how the Gypsy Council UK calling themselves gypsies really means anything at all. The NAACP uses an antiquated term, and one that would be offensive if used today, and no one justifies using it because "Well they call themselves that." Same for whites using the n word because it appears in rap music and stand up comedians use it frequently. The Gypsy Council using it appears to me gypsies calling themselves that.

Even on the Gypsy Council website it states "Affiliated to the international Romani Union R.I.J."

So unless you are going to say why there being a Gypsy Council is relevant, I wish you would please quit bringing it up.

Mike C · 01-26-2006, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drzava

So unless you are going to say why there being a Gypsy Council is relevant, I wish you would please quit bringing it up.

Because

Quote:

The term Gypsy has long been associated with persecution, and has acquired pejorative connotations." I think using the word 'gypsy' would equate them to being thieves

you state that gypsy is a pejorative word. Gypsies think otherwise. I will restate - Gypsies are an ethic group. Not a thieves guild, or an abusive term for another kind of traveller.

Quote:

I think using the word 'gypsy' would equate them to being thieves

You think... you're giving your opinion. I am giving you fact.

Drzava · 01-26-2006, 06:08 PM

What fact is that? Gypsies are as much an ethnic group as niggers are

mammamaia · 01-26-2006, 08:35 PM

dr z...
unless you are one, in which case the term may be part of you and your pals' street lingo, i strongly suggest you don't use the 'n' word...

mike...
i made no judgment re whether the groups were 'thieving societies' or not, nor would i... i was merely asking the op if that's what he/she had in mind...

sorry i didn't make that clear... apologies to all 'gypsies'/'roms'/'travelers'/whatever-they-call-themselves... no insult/offense was intended...

hugs, m