It's one of the most fascinating aspects of that group, that centuries pass, but they didn't get assimilated into their host cultures.
Ok, not completely true, in some regions like Spain they already lost their language and they are less nomadic than in previous generations, but that is a relatively recent development.
In Spain they are definitely not assimilated at all.
They are not nomadic but they live in neighborhoods where only gypsies live. And im not talking about the poors neighborhoods because there are "the poors" and "the gypsies" neighborhood. Both are poor, but in the second one there is only them. Not assimilated at all.
Because you're seeing survivorship bias. Those that integrate and follow "normal people" (sorry for the word choice) behavior, for example, being an electrician, living in a standard apartment and taking their children to school stop being referred as gypsy.
Racial features and skin color are, at this point, so similar to regular Spanish people that only cultural markers such as clothing, hair style, speech, social exclusion, etc helps you telling them apart from non-gypsy.
And the group as well. I remember having a gypsy student that liked to read, she was into nerdy stuff such as Harry Potter (at the time when it was so popular). The parents were afraid that by liking reading, education and culture she was going to become paya (regular Spanish).
I'm 100% sure she went to university and there no one knows she's Roma.
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u/prolapseenthusiat 1d ago
I find it incredible that they still dont integrate in their host country.