Friday, February 18, 2011

Having a Black Belt in Invincible Ignorance

Some of our feminist friends are discussing a recent DailyMail article detailing a Channel 4 reality show, "My Big Fat Gypsy Weddings". The show follows Gypsies (or Travellers) and details their marriage rituals and some aspects of their off-the-grid lives.

The travellers form closed communities with a well-defined way of life which breaks the law when it doesn't try to simply skirt it. Courting rituals and mores are closely defined as well. Even though girls are expected to marry as virgins, they often dress like cheap tarts. The rules are different for girls and boys with boys being allowed to drink at an early age and having much more physical liberty than girls. The girls are often taken out of school early to stay home and take care of their younger siblings.

It is clear that despite the big fat weddings with big fat dresses and big fat cakes, the men in the traveller community rule with a firm hand. And have done so for generations despite the attempts of law enforcement and social engineers. And yet our "egalitarian" friends have the solution:

"So, who wants to be a women's self-defense instructor among them? Doesn't look like it'd be too hard to change this culture for the better!"

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