• KurtVonnegut [comrade/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    They were originally refugees fleeing from India. That is why their language and style of dress is reminiscent of Indian culture. Over the centuries they have inter-married and their culture has changed, similar to European Jews. But the Roma are still highly stigmatized all over Europe and many never found a permanent home. Many countries never allowed Roma to settle permanently (or own land). From a Marxist point of view, they are basically considered part of the "reserve army of labor" by capitalists, as many Roma can't afford to invest in real estate, stocks, or other capitalist instruments, so they have to work for wages. Today, most employed Roma are low-paid service workers, working in the "gig economy" or other jobs in the informal sector. They are often super-exploited (like illegal immigrants in America). But there is also a very high rate of unemployment among the Roma, due to discrimination that is similar to how homeless people and ex-prisoners are discriminated against in the United States.

    TL;DR: the all he negative stereotypes that Americans have about homeless people, Europeans have about Roma. And the solutions are similar: free public housing, jobs programs, and fighting discrimination.

    Statistics on Roma employment: http://www.errc.org/roma-rights-journal/systemic-exclusion-of-roma-from-employment

    Short video on Roma employment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m70pLQAtc4