American Amish/British Gypsies
 

The similarities just hit me.

A friend told me how she's seen "my big fat gypsy wedding' on cable in a hotal and was fascinated/shocked.

That's kinda how I felt about the Amish when i first saw a documentary about them.

So I've been watching the gypsy wedding thing on youtube and I'm seeing so many similarities.

On the surface, they seem so very different, but really, they're quite similar. Both are cultures living within but apart from the modern world, with a huge emphasis on religion and morality and community spirit/extended family. The two cultures embrace the two extremes of dress sense and flamboyance, but apart from that, I see more similaries than differences....

Both shun education beyond the basics -especially for girls. Both are deeply religious. Both shun marriage with outsiders. Both are seen as stinky and weird by outsiders......

I live near the Amish, weird maybe, stinky... not so much ;)

my friend nurses them, she says yes stinky. maybe you just moreso ;)

I'm currently amuse byt the gypsies dressing like sluts and being so chaste and the Amish dressing like nuns and then doing Rumspringa....

The Amish don't do as many tarot readings, and don't live in gaily painted wagons.

I saw an episode of Gypsy Wedding whatever ...

I thought it was very interesting that the prime place to pick up women was at the horse fair.

Or if you're a redneck.......at funerals.......;)

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I started a thread on irish gypsy weddings in the entertainment category but no one posted so I'll post here. ;D

The women - omg, the poor gypsy women. They are totally dominated by the men and the men don't seem to be the full shilling AND mullets are still the preferred hair style.

The Irish gypsy girls do indeed dress like working girls. I saw one cute girl in cut-offs, thigh high white leather boots and a captains hat talk about how gypsy girls cannot ask out the boys or swear in front of them.

oh sorry, bri, hardly ever here and rarely go there, my bad.

I just didn't want everyone to think I was hating on the gypsies!

there seems to be a lot of animosity towards them. They've a big camp in South Carolina and the neighbors aren't exactly thrilled. Seems they are blamed for a lot of home improvement scams, etc.

Well, I saw a story about that years ago on one of those news magazine shows like 20/20, so it must be true. ;)

There is a family of Amish around here. Let me tell you, you've never seen better looking people. I'm serious. This guy takes the horse and buggy into town with his wife, and people can't help but stare. He is gorgeous and she is beautiful.

*looks around for amish costume*

To paraphrase Walt Whitman:

"I think I could turn and live with the Amish
They are so placid and self-contained;
I stand and look at them long and long..."

we have problems with "traveleres". They are usually Irish and operate like the sterotypical gypsy. Always involved in scams.

That's the impression I'm getting, too.

I wonder how they came about - dispossessed farmers?

You want to love them. ;)

These guys come through here every few years painting roofs. Of course anymore the whites are on the ground selling and they've got black kids doing the dangerous work. I wonder if they have historical ties to the travelers? Their ancestors could very well have been deported by the English.

Not sure if things have changed in recent years, but in Argentina in the 90s, the gypsy women generally wore long flowing skirts in bright colours. I never saw their living conditions, but was generally warned against being in close proximity with them as they had a reputation for being thieves.