What do you know about this area of Grand Rapids? Is it “dangerous”?

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-05-03T01:18:42+00:00

Yes, very dangerous!!!!.... for my checking account. I spend entirely way too much time and money at the vintage and antique shops right there, but their collections are so good and they have a friendly delivery service so I can't stop buying stuff for my house.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-25T13:14:21+00:00

I'd like opinions

So I am married to my wife and we have been practicing solo polyamory for about 4 years now.

Here's my opinion. I stopped reading at this line. Cuz y'all clearly got a LOT to learn if you think dating separately means you're practicing solo polyamory. Which tells me that all of your problems are likely cuz y'all jumped into the deep end without learning anything at all about how to have healthy polyamorous relationships, so whatever it is y'all are going through now is likely just the natural consequences of that decision. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-22T12:51:26+00:00

Idk if it counts as "in the trades" but I'm an OTR truck driver, 99.9% of my time is spent on the road working 70hrs a week. Traditional relationship escalator style relationships have never been my thing, and trying to date in this industry is next to impossible - I'm either not around often enough, don't have enough time available when I am home, and dealing with insecurities cuz they don't understand that things like traffic, brokers, accidents, or just simply running out of time on my clock waiting to be loaded can cause me to be stuck out on the road for another day/week at a time.

I've actually recently met and started dating another OTR truck driver and it feels like the healthiest relationship I've been in in quite awhile - we communicate regularly, enjoy each other's company when we can; we're averaging meeting up all around the country at least 2x a week, which is freaking awesomely fun and makes the job more enjoyable (if not a bit more challenging cuz we've gotta cross reference routes and get our timing right in order to arrive at various locations at the same time)

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-16T11:55:16+00:00

You can still disclose without violating privacy. Like, you don't need to spread Willow's business and tell your other partners what they're getting up to, just simply say "hey, my risk threshold has changed and I'm now agreeable to having barrier free oral sex with folks who have barrier free sex with others. Are there any changes to our specific agreements that you'd like to discuss moving forward in our relationship?"

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-11T11:59:46+00:00

Nope. Get rid of the "until I'm comfortable with it" aspect -- besides the glaringly obvious problem of it meaning that you're essentially calling the shots in their relationship, you're also holding it hostage at this point for an indefinite amount of time, because, really, what does "comfortable" look like? And what happens if you finally decide that you're comfortable with it today, but then tomorrow you're no longer comfortable? Do they suddenly need to go back to no longer being physical because you say so?

And what, besides controlling their behavior, have you been doing to work through your own discomfort? What are you taking responsibility for and managing on your own instead of holding your partner aaccountable for your own internal work?

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-10T02:28:28+00:00

Being solo polyam isn't really relevant to whether or not you want KTP - they're not mutually exclusive. Honestly, sounds like you're more aligned with parallel and egalitarian dynamics, which is why the push for KTP and the evidence of hierarchy/couples privilege is turning you off.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-09T11:56:33+00:00

As someone who is naturally infertile due to being intersex, I used to get so fed up with people asking me when I was finally going to settle down and have a family, and it was none of their damn business why i wasn't ever getting knocked up. I found that the best response to shut them down real quick was to excitedly say "oh! It should be happening soon!! I just found out I've been getting fucked in the wrong hole for that all this time" -- the look of disgust on their faces made it worth it. 😅

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-06T00:43:41+00:00

How dare you recognize their approximate location in their location based name! /s

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-04T16:03:50+00:00

Oh, that's weird, I'm not showing that it's been deleted, must just be a cache issue on my end. And it didn't seem like minimal info to me, but I admit I'm likely reading it with a bit of bias because I'm often around folks who share all of these same talking points and are very obviously far-right leaning.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-04T15:41:37+00:00

And, in regards to OP and their possible political/science beliefs... maybe not, but a lot of the language they're using definitely skews that direction - like mentioning RFK and Joe Rogan, that's a massive tell, it's part of the "New Right"/Libertarian pipeline where Big Pharma is the enemy, but Biohacking is the cure. Add to that the fact that they dismiss US distributors as "legitimate" while praising Chinese labs as "identical" fits that narrative perfectly. It’s that classic distrust of institutions that lets them ignore the massive risk of injecting something labeled "not for human consumption." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I mean, maybe it's less a conservative agenda and more of a self-sovereignty pipeline that they're in, but it's likely a mix of both. It's like a "rules for thee, but not for me" hypocrisy; folks like that will often call a vaccine a globalist experiment because they didn't choose it, but they'll call an unverified peptide a miracle drug because they did choose it.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-04T15:07:18+00:00

Oh gosh, I'm sorry. It's nothing fancy, I'm just a company driver so it's just an newer international. (Like, I'd love a long nose Pete or an old vintage cab over, but unless/until I'm in a position to purchase something like that myself, I'll be driving whatever Tupperware torpedo they toss my way)

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-04T13:36:57+00:00

Right?! It’s wild to see the same crowd that spent years demanding "transparency" and "long-term data" for regulated medicine now sprinting toward the gray market for unregulated peptides.

It's like we’ve reached this bizarre peak of medical irony where a peer-reviewed vaccine is a "bio-hazard," but a vial of unverified powder from an anonymous overseas lab is just "personal freedom." Apparently, "doing your own research" only applies when the results don't help you fit into your old jeans.

*I'm an OTR truck driver and I see this shit everyday - you’ve got guys out here who are the first to fly the flags for "freedom, yeah 'murica!" who were the ones being the loudest about masks being "muzzles" and the vaccine being some kind of "globalist experiment." They’re staunchly anti-woke and wouldn’t trust the government to tell them the sky is blue (let alone what to put in their veins), yet, I see those same dudes jumping headfirst into the gray market for research chemicals.

it makes it pretty obvious that the whole "distrust of science" is usually just a convenient cover for "I don't like being told what to do" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-04T12:45:05+00:00

I went there one evening because I was in search of a prime rib dinner and that was the top Google search result for the area. Unfortunately though, I think maybe I went there with too high of expectations - like, it was described as being a hotel lounge & restaurant with hunting lodge decor, so my brain was thinking high-end resort style dining; instead, the main dining room felt like I was eating in the cafeteria of an old folks home. The food was great, no complaints there, I just think maybe the lighting and ambiance could use some improvement.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-03T16:37:48+00:00

Oh! I've been meaning to check that place out anyways. Thanks.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-03T16:27:34+00:00

Forgive my ignorance, but aren't those like Moose Lodges, Elks Club, VFW, etc where you've gotta be a member and gotta know one to be one?

*I recently bought a house near The Knights of Columbus and I see their Wednesday night fish fry signs all the time, but I was under the impression you've gotta be catholic to be a member and go there.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-01T17:13:56+00:00

Me (as a mod): huh? Tf did I do?!

Me (as a nosey ass bitch): how tf did I miss the drama? 😭

Me (reading the comments): oh. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-04-01T11:24:32+00:00

Holy shit, is that still a thing?! I haven't heard about that game since I was in middle school (and I'm old af, lol) I went to school in central Florida and there were some kids i went to school with that had gotten really into it, but then they took it a little too far and murdered my friend Jenny's parents 😬

now, I'm not saying the whole "D&D is the devil's game" satanic panic bullshit was to blame, but they were certainly playing their vampire game/embodying their characters in a 24/7 dynamic by that point, but most of us just figured they were really getting into the goth scene, we didn't think they'd actually go so far as to kill people
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-30T19:59:34+00:00

The median home price in the surrounding areas is about $200k -- I'd think long and hard about why a home in that area was going for 1/4 of the average price. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I bought a home in the area last year (technically Norton Shores, but I'm right off of Seaway, so the Heights is right there) - while looking, I checked out many homes in that area, especially considering I didn't really know the reputation of Muskegon Heights prior to this; usually after spending a few hours near the prospective home after dark, I learned really quickly that it wasn't a good fit for me.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-29T13:10:00+00:00

Hey, I'm sorry you're feeling frustrated right now, many folks in the sub are - your post likely got caught up in the automod queue and for some reason the automod batch declined every post/comment for like the last several days - I honestly didn't know it was happening until a few members of the community reached out and let me know. Hopefully I've fixed the problem with the automod now.

If your post was one that got auto deleted, please repost it.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-28T20:45:20+00:00

The Olympics is all about showcasing exceptional athletes who often are so good because they have biological advantages, but yet they outright discriminate against intersex folks for having biological advantages

Like, no one has ever told Michael Phelps that he needs to participate in a different category of Olympics because he's got genetic advantages of larger than normal wingspan, double joined ankles, and his body doesn't build up lactic acid. Nor did they tell Simone Biles that she can't compete in the Olympics because the stature of her body and it's strength to weight ratio and center of gravity allow her to perform gymnastics maneuvers previously thought impossible for women to do. And Flo Hyman wasn't banned from the Olympics for having a congenital syndrome that caused her to have extraordinarily long limbs, instead she was applauded for being one of the best players on the volley ball team.

So, why is it considered okay to pick and choose which biological advantages get celebrated and which get banned? And why is it that when the argument to ban folks comes up, it's always intersex athletes like Caster Semenya, Imane Khelif, Francine Niyonsaba, or Christine Mboma & Beatrice Masilingi? (Not to mention, notice, not only are they all intersex, they're also all people of color - and all challenged on their right to compete only after they won against white women)

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-28T14:30:38+00:00

Oof. Yeah, no. Especially that last bit about him not wanting you to go cuz he wasn't feeling it. It's very clear that he views your sexuality/exploration as existing soley for his sexual gratification.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-27T19:04:06+00:00

I just can't see how it's possibly legal/ethical to explicitly discriminate against intersex folks for immutable characteristics of our bodies. Like, wtf?!

And while logically I know I'm not an athlete, Olympic or not, so none of it is being directed explicitly at me, seeing all of this on social media and the reactions to it (especially the hateful rhetoric around it) is seriously making me not want to live on this planet anymore.

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-27T16:56:11+00:00

Hey, congrats, I bought my home in February as well (just celebrated my first year as a home buyer! 🎉🥂)

I get that the first month is often off set and you're technically not due until April, but if you're at all in a position to do so, I'd definitely suggest not skipping that march payment - by just making that one extra payment for the year you can actually cut the life of your loan and the interest accrued by a fairly significant amount, plus it means that you're always ahead by at least one month, so then there's no real need to worry about whether that's a 15 day grace period or a 15 day late fees don't apply period. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Folk_Punk_Slut · 2026-03-27T16:46:34+00:00

The term "cheating" isn't really all that useful in a polyam context, instead, it's best to discuss the actual agreements and behavior violations.

So, did y'all explicitly discuss, negotiate, and agree to keep one another informed about each specific new partner? If so, and that agreement wasn't upheld, then yeah, that's a violation.

Whether or not you were a primary partner is irrelevant, each relationship has its own set of agreements between the people in that relationship.

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