The comments so far are generally in line with what I heard during my travels in Europe. But it's interesting because there seems to be consistency in the anecdotal experiences people share about Roma, and there is clearly a stereotype that - although it is clearly very pejorative - appears to have been widely sanctioned (even state-sanctioned). There are obvious parallels with the historical Jewish experience in Europe too, although it's clear there are vast differences between the two groups. I suppose there are parallels between the Roma and other marginalized groups too - I've heard their situation likened to a social apartheid. And of course, there's the whole chicken-egg/persecuted-impoverished angle that seems to divide politicians and human rights advocates.
I have a hard time believing that any ethnic group, especially one as large as the Roma (10 million in Europe), could have a culture that is as uniform and unlikeable as theirs is so widely believed to be.
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