Stealing the American Dream P1

For the past year, I have paid special attention to FX channel series, The Riches. It is a fascinating show about a family of Irish Travelers trying to stay one step ahead of the clan they left behind. What is most moving about that show is there is really no good guy-bad guy scenario, rather, everyone is complicated. The characters you love make devastating choices, and the ones you hate can still be heartfelt.

The show has prompted me to do some research on the actual Irish Travelers in the United States.

It seems that the writers of the show did a fine job researching the Irish Traveler’s traditions- but oddly enough, seldom is known about them. The most well known case is of Madelyne Gorman Toogood, who was caught on video-tape, beating her child.

She had turned herself in when a warrant went out for her arrest. She admitted that it was indeed her and her daughter in the video tape and expressed regret when interviewed by CNN in 2002.

Toogood did not say much concerning her lifestyle or family. She had hoped that child services would give her daughter to one of her 200-300 family members rather than a stranger, that is, foster care. And she also admitted that she comes from a group that often travels looking "for types of work." But like the custom of most travelers; she was very closed-mouthed about the details.

Toogood plead guilty to child endangerment in 2002 and was sentenced to a year of probation, a fine, and a suspended sentence of one year in prison. She was then caught two months later giving a false name for a driver's license in Michigan.

But questions still remain. Who are the Irish Travelers? Did Madelyne give them a bad name? And do the Riches portray travelers efficiently?

To be continued...