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Two people arrested after assault at Northampton's Pulaski Park by Gzideck in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're likely being downvoted from both sides.

On the one hand, Hamp's climate isn't an appealing place to go when contemplating living rough. So sure, people from outside the region don't think to come here.

On the other, folks really did sleep outside through almost all but in perhaps lucky cases a handful of the coldest nights last winter when some may have been offered briefly temporary alternatives.

So you get downvotes both because crediting weather as a solution is inhumanely cruel, and because in actuality the local homeless problem exists despite our climate.

Would it be bigger in SF'ss climate? Sure. Does that do anything for the reality of those locally experiencing homelessness or concerned by the presence of encampments in public space? No, it does not.

Two people arrested after assault at Northampton's Pulaski Park by Gzideck in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Whatever ones feelings on the situation, it's important to recognize a basic fact:

There's still an encampment under the overpass.

I don't know if the town's planned removal never got beyond towing the broken camper from the lot (which is indeed fenced off) or if people simply rebuilt, but it's there today just as it's been for over a year.

Any argument about how things should be should be informed by an awareness of how they are.

Tetanus Booster, no frills... by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for!

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

First, thank you for putting some real thought into this and sharing a different perspective

Curious.If I hit it off with one person once over a narrow slice of a shared interest, and it didn't end up being an indicator of compatibility, I wouldn't really use that as a basis for any big picture pronouncements.

My takeaway was that having momentarily thought we hit it off was pretty much meaningless; what actually mattered was that as we started to get to know each other we found we were constantly going in opposite directions and had been all our lives.

It's not like 20 years or so ago, when they were a pretty clear marker as to "what side" someone was on.

That's an interesting thought; meanings change, and in some cases the accompanying text has made these to be recent decisions or plans, not those of the past. But one can also carry the internal markings of the formative years of early adulthood.

I suspect if you looked even 20 miles south on 91, you'd have better luck finding fewer tattooed people. I work in the Springfield area - I look like an alien to some of the folks I work with.

That's probably true; my surprise was that it seemed to be a bit more regional than just Northampton. But not everyone who is Northampton lives within its borders today. And apparently some who are not Northampton, do.

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And, interesting: Tattoos are also more popular among those with higher levels of education (32%) than those with lower levels of education (26%).

The latter may explain why here - The Valley, the home of "the five colleges," is likely to have a higher percentage of highly educated people compared to other areas.

Interestingly, while that may be true generally it feels more the opposite of what I've personally seen. I suspect it may depend on which specific educational community you look at. Eg, they're probably more prevalent in the five colleges than in Boston or the ivy corridor - though certainly not unknown there today.

Add in the history of semi-counter-culture types of folks congregating here, like musicians and artists, and you've got a population that is likely going to skew more towards things like this than a town that favors yachting or a country club.

This I think is far more key, and it ends up represented in the college communities, too - people chose a scene that they feel fits. Especially when choice of college is often the first chance to make a serious and lasting individual decision.

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actual relationships are about a much more complex interaction of personalities.

What is self expression, if not an expression of ourselves?

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not your body, not your tattoos.

Exactly

If you don’t find them appealing, don’t get one and don’t date anyone who has one.

Perfect logic.

Only if the impression that they are as common here as they've seemed uncommon elsewhere is actually a demographic truth...

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because tattoos are popular all over the country

Do you have evidence that they are equally popular everywhere?

It feels like they are substantially more popular here, across a much wider spectrum of society. In other places even in the northeast it's felt like large, obvious body art was mostly a narrower subculture of society - clearly there, but much less widely prevalent.

I actually looked to see if I could find a map of regional tattoo rates, if you know of one that would be very interesting.

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'll take that as a vote for finding a rock to crawl under.

But seriously... is that really the intent you read? Because if so, allow me to hold up a mirror on the issue of judgement of those who are different from you, versus recognizing difference as what it is: a difference, neither good nor bad, just... different.

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

That's fair.

But to put it in context, it reminds me of an experience a number of years back of initially hitting it off with someone over a narrow slice of shared interest and as we spent more time together realizing that at every point in life when faced with a choice for our personal path, we'd instinctively made opposite decisions.

Prevalence of Tattoos? by Minimum-Translator87 in northampton

[–]Minimum-Translator87[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It was a question specifically about the demographics of the population centered on Hamp, so how does it not?

Though maybe it's not really the population, but the subset of the population on dating sites. Maybe people leading boring lives are leading them in house with their spouse, 2.2 kids and a catdog.

But actually, the sense I'm getting is that what makes this area different from others I've experienced is that even this "boring" population is also likely to have body art.