Hypocrite, me? Yes, you!

 

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I want to tell you a story.  A sad story.  I'm going to follow that story up with something you don't want to hear.  Something you know to be fundamentally true, but you rationalise your way out of it.  Leave now, if you don't want to hear it.

A few weeks ago, I was driving home when a puppy ran out on the road.  I saw a little boy jump up and run after him.  Thankfully the little boy stopped at the edge of the road.  Unfortunately for him, he witnessed his faithful puppy being mowed down by a Landrover. The SUV kept on going, seemingly oblivious to the destruction it had just caused. 

I pulled over.  The little boy ran out and grabbed the already dead puppy with his little hands and started sobbing.  I opened my door and was about to get out when he ran back across the street with his precious puppy in his arms.  It was absolutely heart breaking.  He must have been about seven or eight and to see his dog effectively murdered was probably extremely traumatic.  My heart went out to him and it has been killing me ever since.

I have told numerous people this story in the last week and all of them were understanding and sympathetic.

As a social experiment I then rewind.  I tell them the puppy and the boy dashed out of a halting site, which they did.  All of a sudden a previously tragic incident becomes funny.  "Well, why didn't you say it was a knacker puppy?"  That sickens me.

The Ireland I left in the eighties was a very conservative society.  It has done an about face today and has become incredibly liberal.  The younger society is extremely progressive, passionately speaking against homophobia, atrocities abroad, racism and fighting for what's right.  However other than fat people and smokers, there is one group of people that are discriminated against constantly.  The travellers.

I brought the Yankee husband to visit Ireland shortly after we were married.  We went to lunch with my Nana and her sister and brother-in-law.  Himself just about fell off his chair when one of them muttered something about black people being the dirtiest of people.  I had to restrain him.  They didn't mean any harm, they seriously just knew no better.  They're in their late eighties and arguing with them at this point was not going to help. 

Himself was shocked by this for many years.  When we moved over he was also shocked at how people treat the Travellers.  How could any group of people be singled out in such a way?  He's American.  They don't operate like that, see.

Being just nine when I left, my only contact with travellers had not been good.  Growing up in Clonsilla, we were always told to bring our toys in at night in case "the knackers would take them."

Having spent most of my life elsewhere I too took a liberal stance when we moved back and was appalled at how they were treated.  The funny thing is, I still feel that way - himself, however - does not.  He works in retail and has seen the worst of them.  They steal, they cause fights and generally make his day harder.  He generalises and stereotypes them like the best Irishman.  I can't fathom this change of heart.

But he most certainly isn't alone.  I bring our old clothes to St. Vincent De Paul and have been told by numerous people that I shouldn't because "it just goes to the knackers."

I know it's true that statistics aren't on their side, but the same can be said of many minority groups.  In the United States statistics show that more violent crime is committed by black people than any other race, yet that doesn't allow people to blatantly discriminate against them, nor should it.

The same should apply here in Ireland.  I also can't help but think it's a vicious cycle.  It goes back to basic psychology.  If you tell someone they are bad and unwanted, they start to believe it and act out accordingly.

What really kills me though, are the children.  That little boy with the puppy was a LITTLE BOY!  He has his whole life in front of him.  Think of the things he could do with it.  But society is preventing that.  These children are not being given the same opportunities that our children are and that is wrong.  I understand that a lot of responsibility lies with the parents, but we have to step in at some point.

The main halting site here is across from the school.  As far as I'm concerned, some government official should be at that halting site everyday dragging those kids across the road to school.  We owe it to these kids to break the cycle.

I know this post is likely to bring about a lot of "But they fill-in-the-blank" type comments, but I don't care.  We are being hypocrites.  We scream and shout about the injustices that other minorities suffer, we yell about atrocities abroad, yet we constantly abuse and bash travellers here at home.  What is human about that?  Where is our pride and dignity?  It's time we put our money where our mouths are.  Do we really believe in liberty and democracy? Well, then surely it applies to everyone.

That is all.

Comments

[Cranky Canuck]

I don't think you will get to much backlash. Because what you said is true. I have lived in the country for 3 years now and it boggles my brain to no end on how ignorant people can be here.

And I wouldn't excuse someone of making a comment like that "because that don't know any better". That would be the time to make sure they clue in.

My own father made a comment about black people. I tore a new one on him and said that if he ever EVER said something like that again I would not ever discuss anything with him ever again.

He never did that again.

[Debbie]

No backlash from me; I completely agree with you. I don't understand why the heartbreak of a Traveller child should be any less valid or moving than any other child's. What a terrible thought. The fact that racism against the Travelling community is accepted here when all other forms of racism are (rightly) outlawed, is something about which we should be deeply ashamed. We demonise the travellers and make them responsible for a variety of ills in our society. Sound familiar? When you look at original images of the Irish in the UK early last century and before in, say, Punch, there we are: "no blacks no Irish", and the pics are representative of all that we accuse the travellers of now. http://url.ie/jf6 They are still our scapegoats, despite struggling against pretty terrible conditions much of the time.

Before anyone accuses me of being a woolly middle-class liberal who knows nothing, I should state that I have worked with travellers in various ways over the years. I found them as disparate a group of people as any other. Neither better nor worse but often more interesting. Why then do we only hear about the negative? Writing about good people does not usually make good copy!

I hope you don't mind but here are a couple of links for anyone who wants some info.
http://url.ie/jf4
http://url.ie/jf5

As you may have gathered, this is something I feel strongly about. Well done for bringing it up Debz.

Debbie

[le craic]

I'm actually shocked that anyone would react with the line "Why didn't you say it was a knacker puppy." - How many people reacted like that, or was it all of them?

I agree with everything you have said about the Irish attitude to the travelling community - it's shameful.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not just the travelling community that are disadvantaged. Look at the crime ridden areas of the major cities in Ireland. How do we break the cycle of young kids only seeing drug dealing as a way to a future. No education, no prospects and even less now with the "downturn"...

When you have people in this country that have a problem with social and affordable housing in their "private estate" - you have a society that has lost its way - and seriously so.

They have a problem with anyone not on the same rung (as they perceive it) as themselves.

Whoever said to you that clothes to the V de P go to travellers - can you pass on the message that they are very very wrong. Both my sister and mother volunteer in the V de P shop and it's all types of people that shop there, including 4x4 driving, well heeled women who can spot designer wear and then try to bargain down on price.

Why not suggest to them to put in a few hours every week in the shop and see for themselves, maybe then they might have a better appreciation for the work the V de P does.

[barry]

I have to say, with a heavy heart, that I'm not the least bit surprised. You are correct, we have an ability to be highly selective about our outrage. I would also add that travellers are not the only ones, almost all immigrants (except those from UK?) are bracketed. I saw an incident recently where a fridge was being loaded on to the boat that ferries between the mainland and our island and the driver of the van said to the skipper, will you help me, I'd rather help from an Irishman - the other crew member is a Pole!!

Hypocrisy is alive and well. Remember the recent case of the small farmer who killed a traveller.....

[Annie]

The same discrimination and disdainful attitude is being shown to foreigners, too.

I agree wholeheartedly with you Deborah.

[Dee]

It's a sad fact on our little island. It's so difficult to even get through to family members nevermind trying to change the minds of half the country. We'll just have to keep plugging away educating the people around us and hope for the best... anyone any other ideas?

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