An Open Letter to "The Gentleman (and Ladies) of the Press. And a Plea to the Gypsy and Travelling Communities

Sticks and Stones

Contrary to the popular playground rhyme, words, as well as sticks and stones, do have the power to cause hurt. We all know this, we have all in the throes of argument deliberately and spitefully used words to hurt, and most of us have regretted our malicious outbursts shortly afterward. That regret is often in the form of a contrite apology once the dust has settled, and a genuine wish not to let our darker selves rise to the surface again.

 

Graffiti as truth

For some however their spite and malice is not recanted or held in check. In fact it would seem to be a matter of professional pride (to some) that any opportunity to berate, belittle, demean, slander and provoke the Gypsy and Traveller communities is to be grasped with both hands and at every opportunity. They whip their readership into an anti-Gypsy frenzy (“Stamp On The Camps!”) then utterly fail to moderate remarks made by these rabid “voices of reason” in the online comments sections that they themselves provide, even though some comments clearly break UK Law, and those comments often remain after being reported and a request for removal made. Does anyone actually read these requests for removal? In some ways I hope the “Report Inappropriate Comment” button does indeed bounce to an unattended e mail account. At least then the lack of action is down to the mere tokenism of the publications in question, promoting a veneer of ethical behaviour before they go on to attack Facebook and Twitter for failing to protect users from abuse in their editorials.



 



 

Some Quick Pointers for our Journalist Friends

 

Gypsies and Travellers are recognised ethnic minorities under UK Law.

 

“I know that!” they all scoff in derisory unison. We know you know that. So stop belittling us by not capitalising our currently accepted ethnic designations. You do not do it to any other recognised ethnicity or nationality, so please stop singling us out for this special treatment.

 

If they are Gypsies and Travellers why don’t they travel?

 

We did not give ourselves those names. That is what others have called us. They are not our words. They are not our names (more of that later). We call ourselves Romanichal, Kale, Sinthi, Pavee and many other things. Others self define their personal ethnic designation. That is well accepted best practice in working with ethnic minorities. Perhaps it’s time we adopted that right? It will obviously surprise you to learn that our ethnicity is not dependent on what our odometer clocks up, or on how often we have our shoes re-heeled. There is not an ethnicity in the world that relies on some external action or practice to maintain affiliation. If you stop complaining about the weather or the European Union no one will be using the national press to demand that you stop calling yourself english.  Sorry, English.

 

You have a responsibility to impartially report facts.

 

No really, you do. Given the history of the British press and how it shaped the world you have the responsibility and weight of historical expectancy quite literally at your fingertips. Don’t use that responsibility to simultaneously repeat the inward-looking mistakes of the past (with none of the past glories to add karmic balance!) and further damage the reputation of our press.  It is not a place for your ego to take flight, and for your personal bias and prejudice dressed up as facts to be inflicted on a readership, who will then consider themselves “informed”; when in actual fact all they are informed of is your distorted world view.

 

We Know Our Rights! (We Just Don't use Them)

 

 

Other ethnicities and minority groups  that have embarked on claiming their rights, and reclaiming pride in their identities from those who display either an open or (often) not very well disguised hostility, have trodden similar paths and it seems we now have to lace up our political (because it is political) boots and head out on the trail.

 

We, like those in the black and gay communities need to reclaim words uses as barbs against us. And in some cases reclaim them before consigning them to the rubbish dump of history. Egyptian-Gyptian-Gypsy-Gyppo are your words, not ours. Just because some forgotten bureaucrat 500 plus years ago decide that we could be nothing other than Egyptian (!??!) we are not obliged to acquiesce down the centuries and continue to give validity to this error by using this misnomer ourselves.

 

Reclaim it, and put it from use. Whatever else we might be we are not north African.

 

Black people with a political vent some years ago could be seen wearing the prophetic warning on their t-shirts of “Caution, Educated Black Man”. Prof Ian Hancock (An Educated Gypsy) has given a very large nod to this message in his writings on Gypsy and Traveller issues and we need to take this into account and make it work for us. Those in the Romani and Traveller communities who wear a lack of education almost as a badge of honour need to wake up and get their children an education so that they can represent, advocate and help to advance their communities. Arming themselves so that they can challenge an ill informed and bigoted press and political (lack of) will. Those already in high profile and influential positions of Gypsy and Traveller stock need to have some honesty with the world about their ethnic heritage. Jake Bowers (a Romani journalist!) once said to me “But it’s not up to us to ‘out’ them is it?” Indeed it’s not. That is a personal responsibility, and one that needs to be taken seriously. I personally feel it is time for many to come out from behind the hedge of self imposed anonymity and into the open where everyone knows who they are. And when people all know who they are, they will have a clearer idea of who we are.

 

Like absolutely any other community on earth we have a minority among us who indulge in anti-social acts, criminality and have a selfish, self centred outlook that only extends only to the boundary of their slab, even if the effects of their attitude are felt much wider. And like other communities we wish they would simply disappear and take their behaviour with them.

 

Then the rest of us law abiding, rent and taxpaying, family oriented, community minded Gypsies and Travellers who have contributed to the UK economy and culture for hundreds of years can just get on with it. But there are no column inches in those families and individuals are there.

 

Journalism is not a profession in the strictest sense of the word as are doctors, lawyers et al, but maybe that is where we are going wrong? Maybe the only way to bring about professional standards is to have membership of a professional body? Of course that would not stop them (like me) holding forth in Blog form and online in general. But at least then if they had been “struck off” for their transgressions they would be reduced to commenting as “disgruntled of.....wherever” and boring everyone in their local pub, without the gravitas or outlet that their former professional status afforded them. Maybe we can then hold individuals to account for their lack of knowledge, bigotry and tendency to ingratiate themselves to right wing owners and editors as they navigate the ladder of their success rung by greasy rung; then being able to refer to them as “the disgraced former journalist!”

 

One day we will live in a world where people will be ashamed of how their grandparents allowed Gypsies and Travellers to be treated. Where they will look in disbelief at the headlines of the past, and where journalists will be held to a higher standard than that of promoters of hate. Gutter press indeed.