The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
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Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#2I have quite a few European friends on social media and they always seem perplexed whenever racial tensions flare up in the USA. Some even have openly asked "why do Americans find it so hard not to be racist? It's not that hard."
I always respond by pointing out that the citizens of almost every country are naturally xenophobic and/or racist, just not necessarily against people of African descent. In the case of Europe, I usually point to the Roma as an area where Europeans tend to be a bit racist. I had no idea there were huge Roma ghettos in Bulgaria, but I knew of some Roma communities when I lived in Rome, Italy. And without fail, countless Italians warned me to steer clear of the Roma because "they are all liars and thieves"...
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#3I have quite a few European friends on social media and they always seem perplexed whenever racial tensions flare up in the USA. Some even have openly asked "why do Americans find it so hard not to be racist? It's not that hard." I always respond by pointing out that the citizens of almost every country are naturally xenophobic and/or racist, just not necessarily against people of African descent. In the case of Euro…
Do you know Roma?
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#4Nice to see them being portrayed as friendly and in a somewhat positive light. Unfortunately, this is one of the most unfairly treated ethnic groups in Europe - the prejudice runs high even amongst people with generally progressive views - and I have to object to this headline's labelling of the area. I hope that in the coming years that would be treated as a racial slur.
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#5I have quite a few European friends on social media and they always seem perplexed whenever racial tensions flare up in the USA. Some even have openly asked "why do Americans find it so hard not to be racist? It's not that hard." I always respond by pointing out that the citizens of almost every country are naturally xenophobic and/or racist, just not necessarily against people of African descent. In the case of Euro…
As a rule everyone is quick to point out the failings of others, but be blind to their own. Such is the nature of the world.
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#6> However, it was mostly smiles, laughter, and happy people. Indeed, the locals were actually dancing in the streets, to the sounds of multiple sound systems blasting music around the ‘hood. Invitations into homes and yards were being extended, food and drinks were constantly being offered.
Reminds me of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAgPnsaxdsk
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#7Nice to see them being portrayed as friendly and in a somewhat positive light. Unfortunately, this is one of the most unfairly treated ethnic groups in Europe - the prejudice runs high even amongst people with generally progressive views - and I have to object to this headline's labelling of the area. I hope that in the coming years that would be treated as a racial slur.
I never met a Sinti or Roma, but many eastern europeans, and they all had nothing but hate for this group, based on stories of crime and theft.
Ticked me off a bit, since that was exactly the prejudice eastern europeans faced and face in western europe.
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#8Nice to see them being portrayed as friendly and in a somewhat positive light. Unfortunately, this is one of the most unfairly treated ethnic groups in Europe - the prejudice runs high even amongst people with generally progressive views - and I have to object to this headline's labelling of the area. I hope that in the coming years that would be treated as a racial slur.
> I hope that in the coming years that would be treated as a racial slur.
It won't. Perhaps you should do some research and not try to object to or ban more language, as the term is not always used negatively. While some Romani are opposed to it, others use the term in a positive light to promote their culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_Lore_Society
Many on social media today claim to be gypsies in a positive light (however, they're more claiming to adopt certain culture aspects they appreciate).
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#9This reminds me of the so-called City of the Dead[1] in Cairo.
It's an ancient cemetery which has basically turned in to a giant slum, with poverty-stricken people living among the ancient tombs.
There are a number of interesting videos on youtube about it, such as [2], [3], and [4], but it's the first of these that I found most fascinating, because not only did it show and talk about the City of the Dead, it also shows Zabbaleen.[5]
Zabbaleen is much like Stolipinovo, with people living among mountains of garbage.
The people who live there grow up there and are traditionally tasked with dealing with the garbage, which is shipped in to the neighborhood for them to live amongst.
It's clearly a miserable, nightmarish life.
As the narrator in the video says at about 9 minutes in, "I don't care how essential what they do is for Cairo. Cairo needs to get its shit together.. it's not ok."
I highly recommend watching this video[2]. The part on Zabaleen starts around 4'48".
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_the_Dead_%28Cairo%29
[2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8KiBycJi9I
[3] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeystshWL2I
Re: The Largest Gypsy Ghetto in Europe – Stolipinovo, Bulgaria (2016)
#10I have quite a few European friends on social media and they always seem perplexed whenever racial tensions flare up in the USA. Some even have openly asked "why do Americans find it so hard not to be racist? It's not that hard." I always respond by pointing out that the citizens of almost every country are naturally xenophobic and/or racist, just not necessarily against people of African descent. In the case of Euro…
I came here to write pretty much this. Here's a picture to clarify even further. https://imgur.com/m88rKwx