I come from a fairly decent background, but let me tell you something... When I lived in Spain for a while, after I lost my contract, I became destitute and homeless. I had two dogs in my care and no one wanted to rent a room out to me because of my situation, and because I had two dogs. Roma people, i.e. Bulgarian Gypsies were the only people who opened their door in Winter and welcomed me into their home. They gave me my own room, they shared their food, and told me that I and the dogs can stay for as long I want. These people had so little and yet they shared what ever they had. I eventually started working with one of them, collecting wooden pallets and taking them for recycling. Legit hard work, but at least I made some money and eventually got on my feet and out of Spain. Discrimination is a global phenomenon, and quite real. I know. I grew up and lived in South Africa, so I could tell you many stories besides this one. There are good people just as there are bad people in every nation, in every race group and every social class. Discrimination and race hatred is backwards and quite a problem. People need to learn to respect each other.
lovely comment. i am south african and the first thing i thought of when i opened this video was it's similar (not entirely but close) to the "cape flats".
Nice sentiment; but we don't want Europe becoming the next South Africa🙄 Also each European country has their own 'gypsy' population to deal with. Last thing we need is more exogenous detritus heading West.
I’m from the Roma community, but I’ve grown up in London my entire life, so my experience isn’t typical. In fact, I have done fairly well given my circumstances. Today, I’m an engineer with a degree in Computer Science. Let me begin by saying that while stereotypes exist for a reason, the reality is much more complex. The majority of Roma people are regular individuals who want to achieve something in life. However, a major issue in Slovakia is systemic racism. While I’ve never personally experienced this, largely due to my British accent, I’ve heard of instances where qualified individuals were denied jobs simply because they were Roma. Having grown up away from the community, I’ve developed some personal disagreements with aspects of Roma culture, particularly the closed-knit nature of the community and its traditional mindset. Marriages often occur within the extended family, and it’s rare to see a Roma marry outside the community, such as with a non-Roma (gadžo). This creates a psychological barrier to integration. This insularity often perpetuates cycles of poverty and exclusion. For example, in schools, studies have shown that Roma students often self-segregate, forming social groups only with each other, which hinders integration. Culturally, education is often not prioritized, and many young Roma are expected to marry and start families by the ages of 18-21. The result is a cycle of generational poverty. Adding racism and discrimination into the mix only makes matters worse. Opportunities are often denied to Roma individuals due to preconceived notions about their capabilities and behaviour. This prejudice, combined with systemic barriers, makes upward mobility even more challenging. That said, outliers do exist there are wealthy, educated Roma who have broken the mold but they are not the norm. For many Roma, the best path forward may be to leave Slovakia, pursue education abroad, and seek opportunities in environments with less prejudice. Ultimately, education is the key to breaking these cycles. However, for real progress to occur, both Roma culture and the external prejudice they face need to change. Without addressing these intertwined issues, integration and societal advancement will remain elusive. Many Roma families need to break the cycle of having children at a young age and instead prioritize education. This is a significant issue within the community. However, it is challenging because, in many cases, the parents themselves have not had access to higher education. Without role models or examples to learn from, it becomes even more difficult for the next generation to envision a different path. This is undeniably a complex problem, but it is not impossible to fix. Meaningful reform and intervention from the government could play a critical role in addressing these challenges. Providing targeted opportunities, such as access to quality education, mentorship programs, and community support initiatives, could help uplift the Roma community. At the same time, the Roma people themselves have important internal work to do. Shifting cultural priorities toward valuing education and long-term planning will be essential. Real progress will require both systemic support and a collective effort from within the community to embrace these changes.
I’m English and was homeless in London. Had wars with them for 2 years mainly over sleeping and begging spots. Now live on a gypsy site all tiganis and it is the worst. Extremely violent. The site in an absolute dump. You want to see the stuff they burn right outside their caravans. The litter. Of course not all are horrible I’ve met many nice family’s. But I wish I wouldn’t have to live with them in my own bloody country. Absolutely awful you can’t even walk through the site on your own after dark.
You are the BEST travel creator I follow. You are so good at discovering the lore of really niche and interesting places around the world. I love how you don’t observe them but actually tackle and find out so many misunderstood communities, societies and different worlds. ❤️❤️
@@catsnmi270 Hello!! If you mean me, I am not an anthropologist and I actually never studied anything or have any qualifications. Thank you so much for your compliments! I truly appreciate it 🥰🤍
Wow. Another fantastic video providing us with an insight into how others in the world live. I love the way you capture the good in all people- thank you. Excellent work!
I’ve had nothing but negative interactions with Roma people, my elderly neighbour was mugged not far from his house by a gang of them. We employed one at our place of work a coupe of years back and he stole items from peoples desks and the kitchen areas (even took the kettle and toaster) then only last week I helped a woman at an atm machine who was being hassled for money by 2 Roma woman. I do realise there’s good and bad in every culture but I thank you for uploading this content to show people (including me) not all Roma people are bad. Your videos are very good thank you for taking the time to produce them 😊
😂 @@TheHoodVoice2024 they are a menace in my town. drug dealing, burglary, benefit fraud, anti social behaviour, violence ect. I met one true Gypsy lady who was a fortune teller, she was pretty decent.
@@TheHoodVoice2024 roma people choose not to assimilate. they choose not to send their children to school or they pull them out at a very young age. they will often get pregnant extremely young. careers are not a goal. healthcare and education in 100% free and available to them. you have to look at why people are destitute enough to turn to crime not just defend them blindly.
Is she ignoring the fact they choose not be part of normal society most times? They parents not putting the kids in school messes them up as adults.... respect all cultures they say...
@@josieliftsthings We see them every day in the UK. Robbing, shoplifting, pickpocketing, organised begging all the while receiving benefits, housing, free education, medical care and access to work.
Oh my gosh, Josie. I feel like I say this every video but I love how respectful you approach every culture you come across. Even to ask how to say hello in the language of the people you’re meeting. Honestly I had no idea there were these assumptions and prejudices of the Roma people. I’d only heard of them from Peaky Blinders 🫣 Thank you for showing the side of humanity that is rarely shown and for having EMPATHY ❤ Something that a lot of people lack especially in the day and age of social media x
I am so GLAD that I stumbled onto this channel! It’s so important to show groups of people who are marginalized, treated with scorn and distrust, devalued, treated as “less than’s” and where the unfair deck of cards of life are stacked against them from the moment they are born into this racist world. It helps knock down the stereotypes of Roma’s that we in the western world see depicted on tv like Gypsy Sister’s or My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.
This comment made my day. I’m not sure when you stumbled on my channel, but I’ve only recently started making these style of videos, even though I have wanted to for a while. They haven’t been performing as well as my “old” videos, but personally I think they need to be shared more. Thanks so much for this comment. Glad to have you here 🙏
Me too this best vid I’ve seen for a long time, very insightful, I used to live in Vienna and attitudes my own included were very racist and now I’m looking to change my opinion 😅thanks for this great insightful video
Earlier, when someone said that they didn’t know the Roma were part of the holocaust, you said “yes, the unfinished job” And you’re trying to say that they aren’t a victim of systemic racism, when you comment things like this? You’re the problem. Honestly gross that people like you exist.
My Step Father was Roma. He gave up that life and settled down with my mother. Born and raised in Gloucestershire, England. We was a good father figure. He was well respected in the area. He had a difficult childhood, raised in poverty and absent father. He was doing hard labour at 12 years of age when he had to support his own family. Anyway, the Roma in England often did not like to be referred to as Gypsies due to the negative connotations of that word. They viewed them selves as agricultural workers and nomadic people, serving society's needs before the mechanisation of farming. After the mechanisation of farming, there were less need for the Roma and they have somewhat died out in certain areas.
“Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” It is so easy to judge from the comfort of our warm safe homes with our bellies full 😟 Thank you for taking the time to learn and to understand, which is way more than many Slovak people have done, sadly. Love from Slovakia 🌈
They may have very little, but look how clean their homes are. These people have dignity and are trying to rise above what the world thinks of them. A very enlightening video, thank you for this.
Yes people with little means take pride in taking care of their belongings. I learned the opposite is also true, people with money don't and have dirty houses.
Your empathy and open mindedness is beautiful and admirable! I wish that more people would think this way. Both of my parents were Hungarian refugees, so of course, I have heard of the Roma. Despite the prevailing attitudes, a close family member married a Lovari Roma lady - she is a very kind, humble person. My husband is a Mexican national, so I have seen discrimination first hand. When a people have been oppressed for centuries, forced to live in subhuman conditions, etc., there will certainly be problems. But no ethnic group is to be judged by their worse members. Seeing how others live, eating with them, conversing, etc. one sees how much we all have in common. Incidentally, I was born and raised in the United States, and have traveled widely, but my favorite music is Roma pop - like Kis Grofo, Notar Mary, Jolly, etc. and I found their songs by pure accident on RUclips - no one introduced me to it. Through the music, I have learned a few words - Shukar, Taves Baxtalo, Opre Roma! etc.
Growing up in a different town quite famous for it’s roma population i think when they meet an english speaking visitor they treat you much nicer than an ordinary citizen of the town. You are a novelty so no wonder they would be pleasant. They would never invite a local person from the town filming a video into their home. The amount of times i was attacked and robbed as a kid because i was white and needed to be in their area for train access is countless. They don’t realize how much trauma they can cause to people, even the little kids would attack me with bikes or throwing eggs. The crazy thing is that i know most people really try to not have prejudice like in the 90’s. People want to move on already and so roma in my hometown always get chances to lift themselves up. Just recently a kebab shop owner i know offered them a job renovatng his new buiding. He thought - "they are brown, i am brown i’m sure they suffer a lot of prejudice and so they can’t get a job". The guys stole everything in the building and ripped the copper wiring from the walls to sell. In the end i think that we can all undestand that people in poverty steal sometimes, i steal soybeans and corn from the fields to eat, but what was the one thing i never understand was why there was so much r word in my hometown by the roma men. They did it to a lot of girls, roma or not, and that’s a crime that is inexcusable because it doesn’t enrich you, it just hurts somebody. One girl i know personally ended up in a mental institution because of it. I’ve been through a lot with roma people and the bad experiences definitely overwigh the good. From my experience people always like to call eastern european people r---ist but i just think most of us are tired and dissapointed that no matter how much we try to help and be kind somehow our 80 yearold aunt always gets robbed and beaten. Nobody enjoys to live in fear when they just need to catch a train, nobody wants to be mean to a race of people for lolz here. I’d dare to say some people are just traumatized and there’s only so far you can keep lying to yourself that you are safe.
So true. I am Romanian and I know tiganis in and out… they will never ever change . Worst their number will grow exponentially since every Gypsy woman usually has 3-5 kids … it is the same as muslims. They spread like holera
Yeah, in the video I said I'm not telling people who live in Europe that I know how to fix the issues. However, we do know many of these issues exist due to systemic reasons - it doesn't mean that bad faith actions should be forgiven, not at all. However, prejudice does exist in the job, housing, relationships market etc and that does push a perpetual cycle. You see wonderful roma people in this video - studying, trying to get out. They're being punished because of what race they are, from actions they didn't take part in - this is the issue. When you start saying 'this race of people is bad' then you're judging innocent people based on race, you know? I know that its a nuanced issue, and direct experiences form opinions - but I just don't think the right option is what is happening now - which is blanket judgement. I don't think thats correct of anyone in any setting (considering some of the horrible things done by westerners all over the world, it doesnt make every westerner a person that would steal someones home and change their language etc, does it?)
@@josieliftsthingsyes, it's not racist or even prejudiced to judge the Hell's Angels as bad people that you don't want in your community. It's not based on the way they look. It's based on the way they behave & treat others. Judging sociopaths as bad people is not wrong. Anyone who is from California who isn't a Hell's Angels member or family feels they are bad people. It's based on not a handful of them engaging in criminal behavior. It's their collective beliefs & values.
I’m in US and first and only time I’ve encountered anyone from the Roma community was when i worked at a restaurant. They would come in, run me around for 2 hours, and then leave $0 tip, force meals to be comped, etc. One guy who came in A LOT questioned me over and over about me being Muslim, how that’s not right, how where my family comes from is a nasty place. And then still left $0. It’s interesting watching this video. It’s very difficult for me to group an entire people and put them in a box.
Romas, or gypsies in general, are often extremely generous tippers, usually leaving a substantial amount of money on the table if they're satisfied - but hey, people are people.
I rly love this video Josie, you are a very empathetic person. You thoughts are deeply love for human civilization and care.Every time I watch your video I can find some resonance.
thank you - thats what I hope. Even if some of my opinions are different, I try to find humanity as everywhere I have been, thats what most people have/want, regardless of how different we are :)
Hi Josie, I have been watching your videos from your India series and I have to say the way you are developing your product is amazing I am loving your new way videos like Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Albania one, Kyrgyzstan and now this, showing the real world. Kudos to you 💐💐 lots of courage and keep rocking. 😊
Thank you so much! I am pushing hard at the moment and RUclips isnt coming to the party just yet - it has a lot of the old data thats confusing it, from my old videos - it is what it is, it will turn around soon :)
At around the 35-36 min mark, when you were talking to the young man and saying hello to the little girls, I smiled really big and then burst into tears within the span of a few seconds. The emotions that you captured in this video *literally* hit me. I learned so much. Well done.
An excellent on-the-ground-view of the Roma communities. Thank you so much, Josie. I'm really enjoying travelling vicariously with you and Michael now that my physical travelling days are more or less over due to old age. I've always said that the best university in the world is the university of travel.
Just saw this and your other comment, thank you so very much for your comments!! I appreciate them and I totally agree, traveling has taught me more than anything else in the world. I’m sorry to hear your traveling days are over, but really excited to show you more of the world this year through my channel! ☺️🤍
Clicked straight away and watched to the end. Such a good video! Really insightful, thank you for sharing. Your content lately has been amazing! Loving the new style, all your videos have been so captivating, educational & has powerful messaging 🤍🤍Keep doing what you’re doing!
Really insightful documentary, I hope moving forward Roma people can have more chances everyone should have the chance for change and new opportunities. thanks Josie you've done very well 🖤
Thank you for doing what you do. I am part Roma (my grandfather was half) and I’ve learned things myself, just from watching this. Thank you so much, it means more than you probably know ❤
I came across your video 2day and I’m glad I did thank you for highlighting this it happens all over the world and is like it here in the uk it’s so very sad I’ve always supported the Roma community and it’s like it in my community there are good and bad people in every community I’ve met some beautiful Roma people
So glad i stumbled onto this channel. Wow Josie , amazing content. Thank you so much on this report of the Roma. I'll be more empathetic next time im in London/Europe.
My grandpa was Romanichal but we were settled for generations. Rest in peace he was an army veteran and a doctor. Not every Roma are the same. I am sorry you got robbed. Thanks for sharing this video.
I just found your channel and I thank you for your inclusive and honest compassionate content. A human perception of understanding and recognition that difference and reputation does not always equal what we perceive as fear or truth in the media images we see. Thank you
Just stumbled across your channel and watching this first video and it’s outstanding!! I am Irish and I like to think I know a lot about different cultures but I learnt something new so thank you!! fantastic work!!
Absolutely lovely to wake up today and read this! Thank you so much for watching. I am so so happy that you enjoyed my video. I am actually of Irish decent, only finding this out recently, so I am learning new things every day also. So glad to have passed on some insight ☺️ Thanks for watching! 🤍
Josie, I am so glad I stumbled on your channel. I became an instant Subscriber. I was born and grew up in Slovakia, now living in USA. I was born near by (Humenne and grew up in Presov). I know Lunik 9 very well. Thank you for highlighting this problem. I am proud of my native country, but Slovakia still has a lot of work to do.
Thank you so much. So glad you found your way here ☺️ Some of the work being done in Slovakia is great. The village with successful integration at the end is truly hopeful and inspiring. I really hope Slovakia and keep pushing in that direction! Thanks for watching and happy to have you here ☺️🥰
Just incredible Josie. What an amazing woman you are to be mugged but still make the effort to find out why and show us how the Roma community live. Your videos just get better and better.
So many people need to realize that there are GOOD PEOPLE AND BAD PEOPLE IN EVERY SINGLE RACE or GROUP OF PEOPLE!!! Seems many need to remember that you cannot judge an entire group of people because of an incident, race, religion, age, gender, hair color, etc. Every single one of us is different! 💯💯💯💯
@@josieliftsthings been watching your channel from the very beginning, love this new style of video! Also think the balance between what you show on this channel and your second channel is great. We can see how hard you and Michael work to produce what you do and it’s truly appreciated. Merry Christmas and looking forward to continuing to watch you thrive in 2025. 🤍🤍
Thank you so much - love and appreciate the support. Merry Christmas to you and your family if I don’t see a comment from you before then! See you in 2025 😉🥰🤍
Thanks for this video. The Roma live among us but seperate, and efforts to build trust and communication are always valuable. I wrote articles on my visits to a large area outside Heraklion twenty years ago, and need to go back.
Fantastic video! Could you consider creating a video on treatment of Indigenous Australians. I lived in Australia many years and I never seen or maybe there is uploads by bloggers but I never see it. I lived in Australia for a long time and I felt really bad for these people in Australia. Thank you
I will one day for sure - when I go home, it’s usually to rest, not to work. But I have a very unique idea and way to present it that I want to do properly, will take some planning (and I want to get better at my craft before i tackle it, being Australian ☺️)
@@josieliftsthings thank you! Australia is my second favourite country after Thailand of course ha :) but yes; I thought this is a good suggestion as I don’t see any bloggers touching this subject over there that much. Thanks for another great video!! Gave us a great insight, I dated a Slovak but never would I have thought there was this place in Slovakia, very interesting and thank you for raising it! Keep up the good work and happy Xmas!
I started to subscribe your channel since you traveled China 🇨🇳, because I am Chinese and my husband is Pakistani Muslim. I love your videos, your videos very real truths ❤❤❤❤, I am not native English speakers and I love to watch your videos also because I love learning your native English from your videos ❤❤❤
Love watching your travels,your respect for the culture and your appreciation of humanity...It would be an honor to meet you on your travels...remember happy wanderers are not lost..
Yes, I've been to some crazy places lately - the main thing I have noticed is that everyone wants the same things out life... we just have different barriers and paths to get it. Thank you so much for watching
You've done something no journalist or media outlet has - bridged your personal experience with the Roma people and, despite what happened to you, taken the extra step to speak with them directly. Thank you for offering such a balanced perspective
You can call out racism and lack of opportunities all you want, but after 25 years they should be using a different language so their kids can get the education opportunities and not keeping to themselves and just look to marriage into their culture young to have a bunch of kids running around when they don't have the means to even take care of themselves with out support and guidance that is holding them into what seems like an assistance based life style of hand outs or flat out taking from others what they need/want . I seen my family get knocked down and be homeless and struggle with kids and pull out of it with no other skills then hard work.. How do we get people to change into a more "western" mindset? I don't know and don't know if it's good to try and do that to all people, but I don't really feel sorry for people who are continuing to live in to my western view point, a very hard and poor life when they keep doing the same things that make them that way over and over.. Growing up I seen Asians in one generation have it all for their kids coming to a new land.. it's a mindset and behavior, people. stop blaming others and the past and focus on yourself. make yourself into what you want to be.. understand that if they see you coming from your part of town and have been burned, you're just going to have to work to gain trust. The young man seems to come from a good home. he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, I wish nothing but the best for him to get out of there.
Why should it be on the families to abandon their language, an inherent aspect of their culture, instead of on the government to implement schooling in the Romani language so the kids can have a higher chance of success? Surely they would also learn Slovak in school, to prepare them for employment and wider society, which I would assume is your desired outcome. If this were 100 years ago, would you want Ashkenazi Jews to abandon Yiddish in order to succeed in mainstream Christian society? Prosperity and heritage don't have to be mutually exclusive. Also, comparing an indigenous marginalized group to immigrants, who likely have some savings and come from at least a middle-class background if they're able to immigrate, ignores all systemic context that differentiates those two groups. It's not a "mindset and behavior" and "blaming others," it's the result of hundreds of years of discrimination and marginalization that culminated in the Roma people's social/economic status today.
"There is no racism! An entire folk should just abandon their language if they want to live! It's their own fault that they teach their children their native language!"--so, you first say it's not racism but then say that an entire ethnicity's language should just be wiped out, which is prime example of racism? Do you not notice the logical contradiction? I come from an ethnic minority myself, and my mother never taught me her native language, so I did grow up not speaking (what should have been) my own language, which is horrible. And a lot of people from this minority did the same, so our language is dying out, and the culture toghether with it. This is the DEFINITION of racism, when you say that to not be discriminated against people should let their language to die out. This is not the way to go. Providing kids with opportunities to learn in their native lanvguage while also providing them with opportunities to learn the majority language would have much better results for everybody. For kids themselves, that bilingualism would mean access to two cultures and benefits for their brain health, and for the country it would mean benefitting from being richer and more divirse linguistically, having more cultural heritage and diversity of viewpoints. I thought diversity and human rights were part of the "western mindset", as you put it? But apparently the "western mindset" hasn't changed since the colonial times when it meant "subjugating other cultures and wiping out their languages". If that's still the western mindset, then you're right, it's going to be hard to make other people switch to it
Speaking of colonial times , if people kept to themselves and never learned a common language, America the melting pot of many people living together would of never happened. These people left their homeland and are seeking another, I think like my German, Irish, Sweden in my back ground needed to learn a new way once they left their home lands to trade with the native Americans, it's just some the way of progress, I'm glad you wish to find out more of your background ID. everyone should know where they come from and where they wish to go..
@@redtrinitygirl "they left their home lands to trade with the native Americans" is a very nice way to put it. Maybe some of them started off wanting to just trade with them, but they ended up taking their land and killing the locals and erasing their cultures. The European Americans are actually a prime example of people coming to another land and never integrating, never learning the local languages (which you seem to be criticising in Roma people). If they did, the whole of USA would now speak Navajo, Cree and so on. Instaed, they still speak a European language (English, which comes from England). But they forced a lot of actual local people to abandon their languages, including by forcibly taking children away from their parents and punishing them for speaking their native language. Other locals switched to English after colonisation because otherwise they wouldn't get any educational or job opportunities in the new colonised world, so now a lot of indigenous languages are endangered... It's a real catastrophe for the entire world because whole language families are on the verge of extinction or reduced to just a few surviving languages (which is happening to indigenous languages all over the world because of colonisation, not only in the USA). That's why I'm glad to see that at least some Roma parents continue to speak to their children in their own language because who else would teach children their mother tongue if not their parents? However, when governments say that they value cultural heritage (which all governments say) but then refuse to invest money in providing at least primary education in the children's first languages (at least for the substantial--in terms of numbers--ethnic minorities in the land), it is a huge failure on their part (both in terms of ensuring children's right to their language and education, and in terms of ensuring quality education of a substantial part of the workforce), not to mention hypocricy.
@ I'm talking about my family's history that came from Sweden before it was America, they mixed with the native Americans early on and traded with them, later the line mixed with Irish, some Brits, a few Germens who were all very poor. My Grandpa was still growing some pumpkins the Cherokee grow that has been in the family for years, some family changed their names to white names to avoid the schools and shame, I will not go into it all, as there is history books and such, and it's probably a little too gritty to share here for sure!!.
With the difference that Romani people are not indigenous to Europe. They came to Europe from India, were nomadic, and gradually settled in each country. The video is highly misleading! Who do you think made the mess outside? The young lady simply chose two clean households. I’m surprised there weren’t small children outside sniffing toluene. If you want to see the reality, check out real videos!
🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇Hey mate I’m a newbie to your channel it popped up in my feed and I’m so happy it did!! 😊😊 You’re like discovery channel but with a chicky kick butt vibez.. 🥰❤❤
Incredibly heartbreaking, i learned as a young girl I was "gypsy " but when i asked i got a whopping. I never understood. I did my ancestry and seen for myself. I understood many reasons i am the way i am. I love the culture, i accepted myself after seeing such videos. Thank you
Really good and informative video. I'm Swedish and I have a lot of friends from different countries in Europe, and the prejudice towards Roma people. There are bad people in every cultural group. Maybe the reason the prejudice towards Roma people is so strong because they're forced to isolate themselves and are also often afraid to share they are Roma because how people tend to judge them
I'm an anthropologist and I've had an interest in Roma culture since I was a young child doing the ballet 'The Golden Thread' which involved Roma characters. I've spent years researching and understanding (as much as i can from a distance as I live in NZ) Roma culture and values, how they have adapted and carried on through what seems like the entirety of Europe trying to degrade, tear down and destroy all aspects of their culture, lifestyles and customs. A lot of my research has been on traveller communities in the UK, how the stereotypes of these communities prevent travellers from buying homes, from buying land, from getting jobs, from going to restaurants and bars, from finishing school due to bullying. Often they are described as angry and passionately aggressive people, but when you uncover the racism and cruelty their people have faced over the last 1000 years, especially the systemically racist policies in place, how racism against them is not punished, but accepted as normal, I'd be angry too. Thank you Josie for making this video, for uncovering the reality of the Roma population, highlighting that Roma people are humans, people who deserve understanding, love, kindness and patience. We're all human after all, and we should embrace all cultures, races, lifestyles and people.
The poverty truly breaks my heart, but the people are doing their best and their warmth and hospitality is extraordinary. It's the children that get to me the most; so precious. I hope life will get better for them soon. Josie, thank you for introducing us to the wonderful people you educate us about. Your love and compassion teach and remind us to be kind.🤗😿💓
Who do you think trashed their surroundings and the building they live in? Oh right, they themselves, but poor people, what a poverty. You would have to be a local living around them to really witness how dangerous many of them can be, not all of course, there are decent people too among them.
You're doing good work here, educating and breaking down barriers! Doing something good with your life, I'd be very proud of you if you were my daughter.
Hi, what an absolute pleasure to watch. Your thoughtfulness is very inspiring and I look forward to seeing many more of your videos in the future. Happy Christmas & Happy Boxing Day tomorrow and Happy New Year 🎆 Respectfully, Grace 🩰
Thank you so much Grace! Very glad you liked my video, thanks so much for watching. Excited to show you more next year! Happy Christmas and Holidays to you, too!! 😊☺️🥰
If you're interested in an amazing book on a deep dive on a Roma settlement and community by an amazing Anthropologist David Scheffel, look up Svinia in Black and White. I helped him with a research project in that community and it changed my life. THANK YOU for putting this culturally accurate video out addressing the systemic issues 🙌
I'm new to your channel and have been enjoying watching all of your videos on both of your channels. I appreciate you taking the time to make videos such as this one, it's important whether you are of the same faith/ethnicity or not to have a better understanding of everyone out there. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year
Fantastic informative video, I was very nervous when I was in regional parts of Slovakia. I heard about those districts but stayed away. If I go back, I'll check them out with an escort!
The level of compassion is tear inducing. Well done. Just well done. For the record though, roma choose to stay in these ttpe of conditions sometimes because culturally its viewed as safer to stick together and deter outsiders
Greetings from Italy! This video is yet another rare example of why I sometimes prefer watching RUclips over Netflix. One of the biggest problems, which nobody seems to mention, is that the Roma population, who have lived for centuries in close-knit, almost tribal settings in Slovakia, have been forced to assimilate. Women have even been subjected to forced sterilization to control population growth. The solution lies not only in better education and self-empowerment but also in giving the Roma community a sense of pride, cultural reconnection, and support for their traditional craftsmanship. For instance, they have always been renowned as exceptional smiths-a craft they are famous for but one that is unfortunately disappearing. Another issue is the prejudice-how many people subconsciously check their wallets when they see Roma individuals at a bus or metro station? We need more stories like this to help people reconnect with their hearts and restore a sense of humanity. The creator, even after being robbed by Roma individuals, decided to learn more about their community, and that is a beautiful human choice and experience she should be proud of.
You should be so proud of yourself after having the negative experience you had, for making the choice to transmute that into an opportunity for exploring, gaining and sharing a deeper understanding. It’s really beautiful and inspiring. ❤
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your making me a better person, i will sponsor you tbh
deserved
I come from a fairly decent background, but let me tell you something... When I lived in Spain for a while, after I lost my contract, I became destitute and homeless. I had two dogs in my care and no one wanted to rent a room out to me because of my situation, and because I had two dogs. Roma people, i.e. Bulgarian Gypsies were the only people who opened their door in Winter and welcomed me into their home. They gave me my own room, they shared their food, and told me that I and the dogs can stay for as long I want. These people had so little and yet they shared what ever they had. I eventually started working with one of them, collecting wooden pallets and taking them for recycling. Legit hard work, but at least I made some money and eventually got on my feet and out of Spain. Discrimination is a global phenomenon, and quite real. I know. I grew up and lived in South Africa, so I could tell you many stories besides this one. There are good people just as there are bad people in every nation, in every race group and every social class. Discrimination and race hatred is backwards and quite a problem. People need to learn to respect each other.
lovely comment. i am south african and the first thing i thought of when i opened this video was it's similar (not entirely but close) to the "cape flats".
@@maritzaretief367 I am South African too and felt the exact same thing, it definitely reminded me of the Cape Flats or townships in general in SA.
@@rugareroux3982 thank you
Nice sentiment; but we don't want Europe becoming the next South Africa🙄 Also each European country has their own 'gypsy' population to deal with. Last thing we need is more exogenous detritus heading West.
It’s always the ones who have nothing who share they aren’t addicted to the numbers that show on the 🏧
I’m from the Roma community, but I’ve grown up in London my entire life, so my experience isn’t typical. In fact, I have done fairly well given my circumstances. Today, I’m an engineer with a degree in Computer Science.
Let me begin by saying that while stereotypes exist for a reason, the reality is much more complex.
The majority of Roma people are regular individuals who want to achieve something in life. However, a major issue in Slovakia is systemic racism. While I’ve never personally experienced this, largely due to my British accent, I’ve heard of instances where qualified individuals were denied jobs simply because they were Roma.
Having grown up away from the community, I’ve developed some personal disagreements with aspects of Roma culture, particularly the closed-knit nature of the community and its traditional mindset. Marriages often occur within the extended family, and it’s rare to see a Roma marry outside the community, such as with a non-Roma (gadžo). This creates a psychological barrier to integration.
This insularity often perpetuates cycles of poverty and exclusion. For example, in schools, studies have shown that Roma students often self-segregate, forming social groups only with each other, which hinders integration. Culturally, education is often not prioritized, and many young Roma are expected to marry and start families by the ages of 18-21.
The result is a cycle of generational poverty. Adding racism and discrimination into the mix only makes matters worse. Opportunities are often denied to Roma individuals due to preconceived notions about their capabilities and behaviour. This prejudice, combined with systemic barriers, makes upward mobility even more challenging.
That said, outliers do exist there are wealthy, educated Roma who have broken the mold but they are not the norm. For many Roma, the best path forward may be to leave Slovakia, pursue education abroad, and seek opportunities in environments with less prejudice.
Ultimately, education is the key to breaking these cycles. However, for real progress to occur, both Roma culture and the external prejudice they face need to change. Without addressing these intertwined issues, integration and societal advancement will remain elusive.
Many Roma families need to break the cycle of having children at a young age and instead prioritize education. This is a significant issue within the community. However, it is challenging because, in many cases, the parents themselves have not had access to higher education. Without role models or examples to learn from, it becomes even more difficult for the next generation to envision a different path.
This is undeniably a complex problem, but it is not impossible to fix. Meaningful reform and intervention from the government could play a critical role in addressing these challenges. Providing targeted opportunities, such as access to quality education, mentorship programs, and community support initiatives, could help uplift the Roma community.
At the same time, the Roma people themselves have important internal work to do. Shifting cultural priorities toward valuing education and long-term planning will be essential. Real progress will require both systemic support and a collective effort from within the community to embrace these changes.
your insight is valuable and fascinating. thanks for sharing🙏🏻
thank you for sharing your perspective
wow thank you for your valuable input!
❤
I’m English and was homeless in London. Had wars with them for 2 years mainly over sleeping and begging spots. Now live on a gypsy site all tiganis and it is the worst. Extremely violent. The site in an absolute dump. You want to see the stuff they burn right outside their caravans. The litter. Of course not all are horrible I’ve met many nice family’s. But I wish I wouldn’t have to live with them in my own bloody country. Absolutely awful you can’t even walk through the site on your own after dark.
You are the BEST travel creator I follow. You are so good at discovering the lore of really niche and interesting places around the world. I love how you don’t observe them but actually tackle and find out so many misunderstood communities, societies and different worlds. ❤️❤️
This really made my day. Thank you so much. Let’s find more together. Can’t wait to show you 🥹🥰
Agree! Is Rosie an anthropologist by any chance? If not, she's a natural!
@@catsnmi270 Hello!! If you mean me, I am not an anthropologist and I actually never studied anything or have any qualifications. Thank you so much for your compliments! I truly appreciate it 🥰🤍
Wow. Another fantastic video providing us with an insight into how others in the world live. I love the way you capture the good in all people- thank you. Excellent work!
Thank you!! This one is one of my favourites - hit me really hard. Thanks for watching 🤍
I’ve had nothing but negative interactions with Roma people, my elderly neighbour was mugged not far from his house by a gang of them. We employed one at our place of work a coupe of years back and he stole items from peoples desks and the kitchen areas (even took the kettle and toaster) then only last week I helped a woman at an atm machine who was being hassled for money by 2 Roma woman. I do realise there’s good and bad in every culture but I thank you for uploading this content to show people (including me) not all Roma people are bad. Your videos are very good thank you for taking the time to produce them 😊
Have you ever thought that maybe he did these things because he's very poor, poverty makes people do things they wouldn't usually do
😂 @@TheHoodVoice2024 they are a menace in my town. drug dealing, burglary, benefit fraud, anti social behaviour, violence ect. I met one true Gypsy lady who was a fortune teller, she was pretty decent.
@ he wasn’t that poor he was being PAID for working 🥴
@@TheHoodVoice2024 roma people choose not to assimilate. they choose not to send their children to school or they pull them out at a very young age. they will often get pregnant extremely young. careers are not a goal. healthcare and education in 100% free and available to them. you have to look at why people are destitute enough to turn to crime not just defend them blindly.
@@TheHoodVoice2024 foh,,, 🙄
Is she ignoring the fact they choose not be part of normal society most times? They parents not putting the kids in school messes them up as adults.... respect all cultures they say...
Anyone ever traveling to Europe you'll find out quickly about Roma. It's has nothing to do with racism
This video literally shows you it does? Like??? Are you okay?
@@josieliftsthings We see them every day in the UK. Robbing, shoplifting, pickpocketing, organised begging all the while receiving benefits, housing, free education, medical care and access to work.
Imagine if we were all judged by the worst of the people who looked like us? You would hate it. But you feel ok to do it to Roman people.
@@josieliftsthingsThey’re Romani/Roma not Roman
@@Ana-fw6dr The N is quite obviously a typo. I made an entire video on them.
Oh my gosh, Josie. I feel like I say this every video but I love how respectful you approach every culture you come across. Even to ask how to say hello in the language of the people you’re meeting.
Honestly I had no idea there were these assumptions and prejudices of the Roma people. I’d only heard of them from Peaky Blinders 🫣
Thank you for showing the side of humanity that is rarely shown and for having EMPATHY ❤ Something that a lot of people lack especially in the day and age of social media x
Hahaha yes peaky blinders is all I knew too, until that night in Antwerp. Thank you as always
I am so GLAD that I stumbled onto this channel! It’s so important to show groups of people who are marginalized, treated with scorn and distrust, devalued, treated as “less than’s” and where the unfair deck of cards of life are stacked against them from the moment they are born into this racist world. It helps knock down the stereotypes of Roma’s that we in the western world see depicted on tv like Gypsy Sister’s or My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.
This comment made my day. I’m not sure when you stumbled on my channel, but I’ve only recently started making these style of videos, even though I have wanted to for a while. They haven’t been performing as well as my “old” videos, but personally I think they need to be shared more. Thanks so much for this comment. Glad to have you here 🙏
Me too this best vid I’ve seen for a long time, very insightful, I used to live in Vienna and attitudes my own included were very racist and now I’m looking to change my opinion 😅thanks for this great insightful video
They are not treated with disrespect . They have brought it upon themselves…
You have no clue and comment sh💩 here
Earlier, when someone said that they didn’t know the Roma were part of the holocaust, you said “yes, the unfinished job”
And you’re trying to say that they aren’t a victim of systemic racism, when you comment things like this? You’re the problem. Honestly gross that people like you exist.
My Step Father was Roma. He gave up that life and settled down with my mother. Born and raised in Gloucestershire, England.
We was a good father figure. He was well respected in the area. He had a difficult childhood, raised in poverty and absent father. He was doing hard labour at 12 years of age when he had to support his own family.
Anyway, the Roma in England often did not like to be referred to as Gypsies due to the negative connotations of that word. They viewed them selves as agricultural workers and nomadic people, serving society's needs before the mechanisation of farming.
After the mechanisation of farming, there were less need for the Roma and they have somewhat died out in certain areas.
“Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.”
It is so easy to judge from the comfort of our warm safe homes with our bellies full 😟
Thank you for taking the time to learn and to understand, which is way more than many Slovak people have done, sadly.
Love from Slovakia 🌈
Josie - this is so thought provoking. This might be the best video of yours yet. I really hope more people see it. I’m sharing it now ❤
Thank you! This one is one of my favourites - hit me really hard. Thanks for watching 🤍
They may have very little, but look how clean their homes are. These people have dignity and are trying to rise above what the world thinks of them. A very enlightening video, thank you for this.
A lot of them are definitely doing their best. Thank you so much for watching 🤍
easy to clean when you dont work.
Yes people with little means take pride in taking care of their belongings. I learned the opposite is also true, people with money don't and have dirty houses.
@@riverdeep399a privileged statement 😑
What a great video! Really appreciate the mix of experts and local people. Thank you for shedding light on this story!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! This makes me happy. Thanks for watching 🤍
The homes are so well-loved, well kept, and & so beautiful. An amazing video. Thank you for introducing us to these kind people!
Your empathy and open mindedness is beautiful and admirable! I wish that more people would think this way. Both of my parents were Hungarian refugees, so of course, I have heard of the Roma. Despite the prevailing attitudes, a close family member married a Lovari Roma lady - she is a very kind, humble person. My husband is a Mexican national, so I have seen discrimination first hand. When a people have been oppressed for centuries, forced to live in subhuman conditions, etc., there will certainly be problems. But no ethnic group is to be judged by their worse members. Seeing how others live, eating with them, conversing, etc. one sees how much we all have in common. Incidentally, I was born and raised in the United States, and have traveled widely, but my favorite music is Roma pop - like Kis Grofo, Notar Mary, Jolly, etc. and I found their songs by pure accident on RUclips - no one introduced me to it. Through the music, I have learned a few words - Shukar, Taves Baxtalo, Opre Roma! etc.
Growing up in a different town quite famous for it’s roma population i think when they meet an english speaking visitor they treat you much nicer than an ordinary citizen of the town. You are a novelty so no wonder they would be pleasant. They would never invite a local person from the town filming a video into their home. The amount of times i was attacked and robbed as a kid because i was white and needed to be in their area for train access is countless. They don’t realize how much trauma they can cause to people, even the little kids would attack me with bikes or throwing eggs. The crazy thing is that i know most people really try to not have prejudice like in the 90’s. People want to move on already and so roma in my hometown always get chances to lift themselves up. Just recently a kebab shop owner i know offered them a job renovatng his new buiding. He thought - "they are brown, i am brown i’m sure they suffer a lot of prejudice and so they can’t get a job". The guys stole everything in the building and ripped the copper wiring from the walls to sell. In the end i think that we can all undestand that people in poverty steal sometimes, i steal soybeans and corn from the fields to eat, but what was the one thing i never understand was why there was so much r word in my hometown by the roma men. They did it to a lot of girls, roma or not, and that’s a crime that is inexcusable because it doesn’t enrich you, it just hurts somebody. One girl i know personally ended up in a mental institution because of it. I’ve been through a lot with roma people and the bad experiences definitely overwigh the good. From my experience people always like to call eastern european people r---ist but i just think most of us are tired and dissapointed that no matter how much we try to help and be kind somehow our 80 yearold aunt always gets robbed and beaten. Nobody enjoys to live in fear when they just need to catch a train, nobody wants to be mean to a race of people for lolz here. I’d dare to say some people are just traumatized and there’s only so far you can keep lying to yourself that you are safe.
So true. I am Romanian and I know tiganis in and out… they will never ever change . Worst their number will grow exponentially since every Gypsy woman usually has 3-5 kids … it is the same as muslims. They spread like holera
Yeah, in the video I said I'm not telling people who live in Europe that I know how to fix the issues. However, we do know many of these issues exist due to systemic reasons - it doesn't mean that bad faith actions should be forgiven, not at all. However, prejudice does exist in the job, housing, relationships market etc and that does push a perpetual cycle. You see wonderful roma people in this video - studying, trying to get out. They're being punished because of what race they are, from actions they didn't take part in - this is the issue. When you start saying 'this race of people is bad' then you're judging innocent people based on race, you know? I know that its a nuanced issue, and direct experiences form opinions - but I just don't think the right option is what is happening now - which is blanket judgement. I don't think thats correct of anyone in any setting (considering some of the horrible things done by westerners all over the world, it doesnt make every westerner a person that would steal someones home and change their language etc, does it?)
@@josieliftsthingsyes, it's not racist or even prejudiced to judge the Hell's Angels as bad people that you don't want in your community. It's not based on the way they look. It's based on the way they behave & treat others. Judging sociopaths as bad people is not wrong. Anyone who is from California who isn't a Hell's Angels member or family feels they are bad people. It's based on not a handful of them engaging in criminal behavior. It's their collective beliefs & values.
The hells angels aren’t a race? None of your examples are a race. Are you ok?
You literally are judging them based on how they look.
I’m in US and first and only time I’ve encountered anyone from the Roma community was when i worked at a restaurant. They would come in, run me around for 2 hours, and then leave $0 tip, force meals to be comped, etc. One guy who came in A LOT questioned me over and over about me being Muslim, how that’s not right, how where my family comes from is a nasty place. And then still left $0.
It’s interesting watching this video. It’s very difficult for me to group an entire people and put them in a box.
Romas, or gypsies in general, are often extremely generous tippers, usually leaving a substantial amount of money on the table if they're satisfied - but hey, people are people.
I love how you turned an unfortunate circumstance into something more important. You’ve educated yourself and I🥹❣️
❤️❤️❤️
I'm so glad your channel was suggested to me! Wonderful journalism.
As a person who lived side by side with them - I don't think it's a good idea to challenge anyone one of them.
Right. They gang up on you and have HUGE families
and connections/informants.
lol i wonder why
Waited so long for this. Worth it. Haven't watched it yet and know it'll be amazing
I rly love this video Josie, you are a very empathetic person. You thoughts are deeply love for human civilization and care.Every time I watch your video I can find some resonance.
thank you - thats what I hope. Even if some of my opinions are different, I try to find humanity as everywhere I have been, thats what most people have/want, regardless of how different we are :)
Thank u for making this, i feel seen and heard as a roma person and its rare to feel that way on the internet ❤️
Thank you for watching ❤️❤️
Hi Josie, I have been watching your videos from your India series and I have to say the way you are developing your product is amazing I am loving your new way videos like Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Albania one, Kyrgyzstan and now this, showing the real world. Kudos to you 💐💐 lots of courage and keep rocking. 😊
Thank you so much! I am pushing hard at the moment and RUclips isnt coming to the party just yet - it has a lot of the old data thats confusing it, from my old videos - it is what it is, it will turn around soon :)
I am sure it will. ❤ keep hustling rockstar.
This was super interesting. Thank you so much!
At around the 35-36 min mark, when you were talking to the young man and saying hello to the little girls, I smiled really big and then burst into tears within the span of a few seconds. The emotions that you captured in this video *literally* hit me. I learned so much. Well done.
I missed the early members access! Can’t wait to watch this 😮😮😮
You’re here now that’s what matters!
An excellent on-the-ground-view of the Roma communities. Thank you so much, Josie. I'm really enjoying travelling vicariously with you and Michael now that my physical travelling days are more or less over due to old age. I've always said that the best university in the world is the university of travel.
Just saw this and your other comment, thank you so very much for your comments!! I appreciate them and I totally agree, traveling has taught me more than anything else in the world. I’m sorry to hear your traveling days are over, but really excited to show you more of the world this year through my channel! ☺️🤍
Clicked straight away and watched to the end. Such a good video! Really insightful, thank you for sharing. Your content lately has been amazing! Loving the new style, all your videos have been so captivating, educational & has powerful messaging 🤍🤍Keep doing what you’re doing!
This is the most incredible story. Thanks so much for sharing! Your videos are awesome
Really insightful documentary, I hope moving forward Roma people can have more chances everyone should have the chance for change and new opportunities. thanks Josie you've done very well 🖤
Thank you for doing what you do. I am part Roma (my grandfather was half) and I’ve learned things myself, just from watching this. Thank you so much, it means more than you probably know ❤
I came across your video 2day and I’m glad I did thank you for highlighting this it happens all over the world and is like it here in the uk it’s so very sad I’ve always supported the Roma community and it’s like it in my community there are good and bad people in every community I’ve met some beautiful Roma people
I know a Roma woman here in Canada she worked hard and took good care of herself. I was proud to call her friend.
Why where you
Thank you dear Josie for your empathy and kindness plus forgiveness ❤
Beautiful video well put together I love you thoughts and emotions that are happening throughout the video great work!
So glad i stumbled onto this channel. Wow Josie , amazing content. Thank you so much on this report of the Roma. I'll be more empathetic next time im in London/Europe.
What an excellent video! So glad I found this channel!
...another quality episode!! Love your new format Josie. Thank you for educating me ❤
Thanks so much!
My grandpa was Romanichal but we were settled for generations. Rest in peace he was an army veteran and a doctor. Not every Roma are the same. I am sorry you got robbed. Thanks for sharing this video.
I just found your channel and I thank you for your inclusive and honest compassionate content. A human perception of understanding and recognition that difference and reputation does not always equal what we perceive as fear or truth in the media images we see. Thank you
You are such a great communicator Josie!
Wow this style of video is seriously your calling 👌🏼
Thank you❤ instead of hating, you are learning and bring us with you in this journey, thank you
Again another awesome video. I posted on your Discord so I won’t repeat here - but bravo !!
❤️❤️❤️
Loved this! Very well made and so insightful.
Thanks so much!
05:02 woah, someone give him a modelling contract. Makes half of Hollywood look like trolls
Just stumbled across your channel and watching this first video and it’s outstanding!! I am Irish and I like to think I know a lot about different cultures but I learnt something new so thank you!! fantastic work!!
Absolutely lovely to wake up today and read this! Thank you so much for watching. I am so so happy that you enjoyed my video. I am actually of Irish decent, only finding this out recently, so I am learning new things every day also. So glad to have passed on some insight ☺️ Thanks for watching! 🤍
@ thanks so much ❤️
Great doco style video again! Well done!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
Josie, I am so glad I stumbled on your channel. I became an instant Subscriber. I was born and grew up in Slovakia, now living in USA. I was born near by (Humenne and grew up in Presov). I know Lunik 9 very well. Thank you for highlighting this problem. I am proud of my native country, but Slovakia still has a lot of work to do.
Thank you so much. So glad you found your way here ☺️
Some of the work being done in Slovakia is great. The village with successful integration at the end is truly hopeful and inspiring. I really hope Slovakia and keep pushing in that direction! Thanks for watching and happy to have you here ☺️🥰
Just incredible Josie. What an amazing woman you are to be mugged but still make the effort to find out why and show us how the Roma community live. Your videos just get better and better.
This is absolutely your style Josie!!
You are a story teller and a brilliant one at that ❤
Thank you so much!
What a joy to have found you. Amazing insights into your travels ❤ have subscribed and now have a binge watch channel 😀
So many people need to realize that there are GOOD PEOPLE AND BAD PEOPLE IN EVERY SINGLE RACE or GROUP OF PEOPLE!!! Seems many need to remember that you cannot judge an entire group of people because of an incident, race, religion, age, gender, hair color, etc. Every single one of us is different! 💯💯💯💯
Your show is heartbreaking !!
A beautiful people!!
Thank you for sharing their story and showing that people are more than the stereotypes that exist about them ❤
Thanks so much Samantha. Love your open mind 🤍🤍
@@josieliftsthings been watching your channel from the very beginning, love this new style of video! Also think the balance between what you show on this channel and your second channel is great. We can see how hard you and Michael work to produce what you do and it’s truly appreciated. Merry Christmas and looking forward to continuing to watch you thrive in 2025. 🤍🤍
Thank you so much - love and appreciate the support. Merry Christmas to you and your family if I don’t see a comment from you before then! See you in 2025 😉🥰🤍
Thanks for this video. The Roma live among us but seperate, and efforts to build trust and communication are always valuable. I wrote articles on my visits to a large area outside Heraklion twenty years ago, and need to go back.
Fantastic video! Could you consider creating a video on treatment of Indigenous Australians. I lived in Australia many years and I never seen or maybe there is uploads by bloggers but I never see it. I lived in Australia for a long time and I felt really bad for these people in Australia.
Thank you
I will one day for sure - when I go home, it’s usually to rest, not to work. But I have a very unique idea and way to present it that I want to do properly, will take some planning (and I want to get better at my craft before i tackle it, being Australian ☺️)
@@josieliftsthings thank you! Australia is my second favourite country after Thailand of course ha :) but yes; I thought this is a good suggestion as I don’t see any bloggers touching this subject over there that much.
Thanks for another great video!! Gave us a great insight, I dated a Slovak but never would I have thought there was this place in Slovakia, very interesting and thank you for raising it! Keep up the good work and happy Xmas!
@@josieliftsthingsI love Spanians videos about Australia.
you should interview Barkaa ❤
I started to subscribe your channel since you traveled China 🇨🇳, because I am Chinese and my husband is Pakistani Muslim. I love your videos, your videos very real truths ❤❤❤❤, I am not native English speakers and I love to watch your videos also because I love learning your native English from your videos ❤❤❤
Love watching your travels,your respect for the culture and your appreciation of humanity...It would be an honor to meet you on your travels...remember happy wanderers are not lost..
Thank you so much!
18:28 feeling so emotional all of you giving matresses. It's soooo kind. ❤
It was a lovely gesture from Igor
@josieliftsthings so beautiful
Excellent. Very interesting .I used to work with Romany in Devon UK back in the eighties.
Great insight, well documented. Greetings from Sydney, Australia.
Thank you so much for watching from my home in Australia! 😊
Dude you have such an incredible heart! So enlightening to see behind the curtain and away from the preconceived notions.
Yes, I've been to some crazy places lately - the main thing I have noticed is that everyone wants the same things out life... we just have different barriers and paths to get it. Thank you so much for watching
You've done something no journalist or media outlet has - bridged your personal experience with the Roma people and, despite what happened to you, taken the extra step to speak with them directly. Thank you for offering such a balanced perspective
Thank you! I love this
You can call out racism and lack of opportunities all you want, but after 25 years they should be using a different language so their kids can get the education opportunities and not keeping to themselves and just look to marriage into their culture young to have a bunch of kids running around when they don't have the means to even take care of themselves with out support and guidance that is holding them into what seems like an assistance based life style of hand outs or flat out taking from others what they need/want . I seen my family get knocked down and be homeless and struggle with kids and pull out of it with no other skills then hard work.. How do we get people to change into a more "western" mindset? I don't know and don't know if it's good to try and do that to all people, but I don't really feel sorry for people who are continuing to live in to my western view point, a very hard and poor life when they keep doing the same things that make them that way over and over.. Growing up I seen Asians in one generation have it all for their kids coming to a new land.. it's a mindset and behavior, people. stop blaming others and the past and focus on yourself. make yourself into what you want to be.. understand that if they see you coming from your part of town and have been burned, you're just going to have to work to gain trust. The young man seems to come from a good home. he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, I wish nothing but the best for him to get out of there.
Why should it be on the families to abandon their language, an inherent aspect of their culture, instead of on the government to implement schooling in the Romani language so the kids can have a higher chance of success? Surely they would also learn Slovak in school, to prepare them for employment and wider society, which I would assume is your desired outcome. If this were 100 years ago, would you want Ashkenazi Jews to abandon Yiddish in order to succeed in mainstream Christian society? Prosperity and heritage don't have to be mutually exclusive.
Also, comparing an indigenous marginalized group to immigrants, who likely have some savings and come from at least a middle-class background if they're able to immigrate, ignores all systemic context that differentiates those two groups. It's not a "mindset and behavior" and "blaming others," it's the result of hundreds of years of discrimination and marginalization that culminated in the Roma people's social/economic status today.
"There is no racism! An entire folk should just abandon their language if they want to live! It's their own fault that they teach their children their native language!"--so, you first say it's not racism but then say that an entire ethnicity's language should just be wiped out, which is prime example of racism? Do you not notice the logical contradiction? I come from an ethnic minority myself, and my mother never taught me her native language, so I did grow up not speaking (what should have been) my own language, which is horrible. And a lot of people from this minority did the same, so our language is dying out, and the culture toghether with it. This is the DEFINITION of racism, when you say that to not be discriminated against people should let their language to die out. This is not the way to go. Providing kids with opportunities to learn in their native lanvguage while also providing them with opportunities to learn the majority language would have much better results for everybody. For kids themselves, that bilingualism would mean access to two cultures and benefits for their brain health, and for the country it would mean benefitting from being richer and more divirse linguistically, having more cultural heritage and diversity of viewpoints. I thought diversity and human rights were part of the "western mindset", as you put it? But apparently the "western mindset" hasn't changed since the colonial times when it meant "subjugating other cultures and wiping out their languages". If that's still the western mindset, then you're right, it's going to be hard to make other people switch to it
Speaking of colonial times , if people kept to themselves and never learned a common language, America the melting pot of many people living together would of never happened. These people left their homeland and are seeking another, I think like my German, Irish, Sweden in my back ground needed to learn a new way once they left their home lands to trade with the native Americans, it's just some the way of progress, I'm glad you wish to find out more of your background ID. everyone should know where they come from and where they wish to go..
@@redtrinitygirl "they left their home lands to trade with the native Americans" is a very nice way to put it. Maybe some of them started off wanting to just trade with them, but they ended up taking their land and killing the locals and erasing their cultures. The European Americans are actually a prime example of people coming to another land and never integrating, never learning the local languages (which you seem to be criticising in Roma people). If they did, the whole of USA would now speak Navajo, Cree and so on. Instaed, they still speak a European language (English, which comes from England). But they forced a lot of actual local people to abandon their languages, including by forcibly taking children away from their parents and punishing them for speaking their native language. Other locals switched to English after colonisation because otherwise they wouldn't get any educational or job opportunities in the new colonised world, so now a lot of indigenous languages are endangered... It's a real catastrophe for the entire world because whole language families are on the verge of extinction or reduced to just a few surviving languages (which is happening to indigenous languages all over the world because of colonisation, not only in the USA). That's why I'm glad to see that at least some Roma parents continue to speak to their children in their own language because who else would teach children their mother tongue if not their parents? However, when governments say that they value cultural heritage (which all governments say) but then refuse to invest money in providing at least primary education in the children's first languages (at least for the substantial--in terms of numbers--ethnic minorities in the land), it is a huge failure on their part (both in terms of ensuring children's right to their language and education, and in terms of ensuring quality education of a substantial part of the workforce), not to mention hypocricy.
@ I'm talking about my family's history that came from Sweden before it was America, they mixed with the native Americans early on and traded with them, later the line mixed with Irish, some Brits, a few Germens who were all very poor. My Grandpa was still growing some pumpkins the Cherokee grow that has been in the family for years, some family changed their names to white names to avoid the schools and shame, I will not go into it all, as there is history books and such, and it's probably a little too gritty to share here for sure!!.
the way europeans speak of romani people reminds me so much of how european colonizers speak about us native americans
100% agree, some of the comments here are so disturbing and in complete denial.
With the difference that Romani people are not indigenous to Europe. They came to Europe from India, were nomadic, and gradually settled in each country. The video is highly misleading! Who do you think made the mess outside? The young lady simply chose two clean households. I’m surprised there weren’t small children outside sniffing toluene. If you want to see the reality, check out real videos!
So sweet and considerate to not ask questions while giving the mattress ❤
Wow what a amazing video ❤
🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇Hey mate I’m a newbie to your channel it popped up in my feed and I’m so happy it did!! 😊😊 You’re like discovery channel but with a chicky kick butt vibez.. 🥰❤❤
Incredibly heartbreaking, i learned as a young girl I was "gypsy " but when i asked i got a whopping. I never understood. I did my ancestry and seen for myself. I understood many reasons i am the way i am. I love the culture, i accepted myself after seeing such videos. Thank you
Lets make 2025 the year of learning, understanding, and lifting others up on RUclips. No more exploitative content. This is perfect.
Really good and informative video. I'm Swedish and I have a lot of friends from different countries in Europe, and the prejudice towards Roma people. There are bad people in every cultural group. Maybe the reason the prejudice towards Roma people is so strong because they're forced to isolate themselves and are also often afraid to share they are Roma because how people tend to judge them
I'm an anthropologist and I've had an interest in Roma culture since I was a young child doing the ballet 'The Golden Thread' which involved Roma characters. I've spent years researching and understanding (as much as i can from a distance as I live in NZ) Roma culture and values, how they have adapted and carried on through what seems like the entirety of Europe trying to degrade, tear down and destroy all aspects of their culture, lifestyles and customs. A lot of my research has been on traveller communities in the UK, how the stereotypes of these communities prevent travellers from buying homes, from buying land, from getting jobs, from going to restaurants and bars, from finishing school due to bullying. Often they are described as angry and passionately aggressive people, but when you uncover the racism and cruelty their people have faced over the last 1000 years, especially the systemically racist policies in place, how racism against them is not punished, but accepted as normal, I'd be angry too. Thank you Josie for making this video, for uncovering the reality of the Roma population, highlighting that Roma people are humans, people who deserve understanding, love, kindness and patience. We're all human after all, and we should embrace all cultures, races, lifestyles and people.
The poverty truly breaks my heart, but the people are doing their best and their warmth and hospitality is extraordinary. It's the children that get to me the most; so precious. I hope life will get better for them soon.
Josie, thank you for introducing us to the wonderful people you educate us about. Your love and compassion teach and remind us to be kind.🤗😿💓
Yes it really is heartbreaking - the village at the end gives me hope. Thanks for watching! ❤️
@@josieliftsthings It's always my pleasure Josie! I'm so happy I found your channel, please stay safe!❤❤
Who do you think trashed their surroundings and the building they live in? Oh right, they themselves, but poor people, what a poverty. You would have to be a local living around them to really witness how dangerous many of them can be, not all of course, there are decent people too among them.
The inside of that cement block house looks AMAZING. That man should be PROUD. He's done good for his family.
Bury me standing: The Gypsies and their journey by Isabel Fonseca is an excellent book. I highly recommend.
You're doing good work here, educating and breaking down barriers! Doing something good with your life, I'd be very proud of you if you were my daughter.
Hi, what an absolute pleasure to watch. Your thoughtfulness is very inspiring and I look forward to seeing many more of your videos in the future.
Happy Christmas & Happy Boxing Day tomorrow and Happy New Year 🎆
Respectfully, Grace 🩰
Thank you so much Grace! Very glad you liked my video, thanks so much for watching. Excited to show you more next year! Happy Christmas and Holidays to you, too!! 😊☺️🥰
@ 🙏
All cultures have outliers... We need to interact to empathise to understand each other Cheers J 😇☮️
If you're interested in an amazing book on a deep dive on a Roma settlement and community by an amazing Anthropologist David Scheffel, look up Svinia in Black and White. I helped him with a research project in that community and it changed my life. THANK YOU for putting this culturally accurate video out addressing the systemic issues 🙌
Such a good video!
Thank you sooooo much. I love this one. Thanks for watching 🤍
I'm new to your channel and have been enjoying watching all of your videos on both of your channels. I appreciate you taking the time to make videos such as this one, it's important whether you are of the same faith/ethnicity or not to have a better understanding of everyone out there. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year
Fantastic informative video, I was very nervous when I was in regional parts of Slovakia. I heard about those districts but stayed away. If I go back, I'll check them out with an escort!
This needs to be re titled to - 50 HOURS IN SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION .
😊Totally agree with other comments, this video is your best yet ❤😊
Thank you Tabitha!
The level of compassion is tear inducing. Well done. Just well done. For the record though, roma choose to stay in these ttpe of conditions sometimes because culturally its viewed as safer to stick together and deter outsiders
Your best video to date!
Thank you! It’s my personal favourite to be honest. So glad you like it. Thanks for watching ☺️🥰
Great video, Josie ❤️
Thanks for watching :)
What a brilliant channel
This absolutely made my day today. Thanks so much for watching and your comment. ☺️☺️
An interesting point of view. Always useful to see another perspective.
I enjoy showing different perspectives that usually people don’t think about. Thanks!
Hello from San Diego,California 😊I’m new and now following Mahdi also😊😊😊
Interesting and deep documentary ❤
Greetings from Italy! This video is yet another rare example of why I sometimes prefer watching RUclips over Netflix. One of the biggest problems, which nobody seems to mention, is that the Roma population, who have lived for centuries in close-knit, almost tribal settings in Slovakia, have been forced to assimilate. Women have even been subjected to forced sterilization to control population growth. The solution lies not only in better education and self-empowerment but also in giving the Roma community a sense of pride, cultural reconnection, and support for their traditional craftsmanship. For instance, they have always been renowned as exceptional smiths-a craft they are famous for but one that is unfortunately disappearing. Another issue is the prejudice-how many people subconsciously check their wallets when they see Roma individuals at a bus or metro station? We need more stories like this to help people reconnect with their hearts and restore a sense of humanity. The creator, even after being robbed by Roma individuals, decided to learn more about their community, and that is a beautiful human choice and experience she should be proud of.
Thank you so very much for your kind words and open mind/heart. The world needs more people like you 🙏🤍
Nice to hear a fellow Aussie narrator
What a wonderful travel vlog! This is my first of yours, Josie; and subbing right NOW!
Hey thank you SO much!! This is awesome to read. Welcome a board! 😊😊
You should be so proud of yourself after having the negative experience you had, for making the choice to transmute that into an opportunity for exploring, gaining and sharing a deeper understanding. It’s really beautiful and inspiring. ❤
Thank you!
Great video josie
Thank you!!