One of the problems with being an out-of-town business park with nice green spaces, is that we often get visited by travellers.
I'm choosing my words carefully. And I'm going to have to today, as I'm about to tread a very fine line along quite a subtle, nuanced, and cultural issue.
The business park are professional about it. They see the infringement of several caravans as an illegal invasion, and their emails always follow that line. The goal for them is to 'evict' the travellers as quickly as possible while providing 'extra security' and even 'bailiffs' to help enforce the law - which I imagine is quite clear about who can park on your property.
This seems to happen every summer I've been here. And every summer, I feel slightly sorry for the travelling community, as well as the weight of collective annoyance that hounds them out of town, everywhere they go. It's a weird mixture, because I also feel that same dismay at the mess they create, the way they treat their animals, and the lack of social responsibility they display towards their environment and their children. They really could help themselves, and everybody knows it.
However, all of that is balanced and in the middle of the road, compared to the views of one colleague I overheard yesterday.
"I wish them [perjorative term] would drive into a forest, that a tree would collapse across the entrance, and they'd all starve to death trying to get out."
... which is offensive, horrific, and quite possibly racist. And if it's you, and you know who you are, and you're reading this: you sir, should be ashamed of yourself.
Told you it was a fine line. I was disappointed that I didn't say anything. I just sat here, open-mouthed, gawping at my screen in disbelief. I ought to have stood up and said something stern.
I've seen this kind of thing before, levelled at the travellers. It bubbles under the surface for a lot of people, and as it did yesterday, sometimes it oozes out. It is true that the travelling community can be a nuisance, yes, but the very moment we use language that dehumanizes a people group, or we start to think of them as an 'infestation' that needs to be 'exterminated', we're already two short clicks away from evil.
Anyway, the travellers have been moved on now, apparently. I wish I knew more about the culture, whether they roam because nimby farmers push them from field to field, to business park, to grass verge, or whether that's what they choose regardless. I'd like to know how they feel about the rest of society, and whether education could help them (and the rest of us) be more responsible. I'd love to find out what the roots are, and whether the idea of being 'settled' itself is a fabrication, not just for them, but perhaps for everyone.
That reminds me. I heard someone say the other day that yes, they definitely wanted to settle down, absolutely, but one place at a time, and not for long. I've never heard anyone agree by stating the exact opposite before: it was quite extraordinary. I made a face and moved on.
And maybe sometimes, that's the best thing to do.
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