AtDtDA23: The Ancient Code of the Region

[Michael Bailey]

I saw that article in the local paper.

What it reminded me of in Pynchon, is the part
where the osteopathic dude is warned by the Drop gang
that other doctors in a town might offer violence to his competition...
"doctors?" - he asks - "men of healing?"

same thing with the gypsies...

in reference to fortunetellers, at least qua fortunetellers,
I've had this serene image of somebody gazing at a crystal ball,
and although I've never given it enough creedence to actually
_go_ to a fortuneteller (almost did one time, but she had
closed for the day & didn't say "come back later", so had
time to decide not to go after all, without feeling like I had
breached etiquette in ignoring an invitation or raised false hopes),
it still is a little shocking to read about
them behaving like mobsters to each other

the other part of the equation, gypsies as beggars,
certainly is familiar enough - the Cher song "gypsies,
tramps and thieves" for instance...

mendicancy isn't a great trait for a culture to encourage...
although speaking from inside a culture that apparently
feels it's okay to use false information to justify mass killings
in various non-white constituencies (Gulf of Tonkin, probably the "Maine";
Saddam's wmd, etc) - I wonder which culture is actually more sustainable...




On 12/6/07, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've encountered Gypsys in America on the streets of Boston, where
> their primary "trade" is pan-handling, sometimes in exchange for a
> plastic flower or some other worthless item.  But where I really saw
> them in full-force was in Florence last Spring. What I saw what a was
> disgusting:  all of the females of the culture were very aggressive
> and persistent beggars.  It seems the children are taught this role
> from a young age, and it is a part of their identity.  The men/boys
> were elsewhere, doing who knows what.  I guess one might say this is a
> disadvantaged culture, but it seems to me they have embraced
> disadvantage as an identity.
>
> David Morris
>
>
> On Dec 6, 2007 10:40 AM, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Gypsy clans feud over fortunetelling biz
> > By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer
> > Wed Dec 5, 2:44 PM ET
> >
> > NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A dispute between two Gypsy clans over control
> > of the fortunetelling trade in this Southern California city has
> > spilled into court, offering a rare glimpse of an insular culture that
> > has long settled scores according to its own Old World rules of
> > honor....
> >
> > http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071205/ap_on_re_us/gypsy_turf_war
>