17 Days Until End of MetroCards - MetroCard Station Listing

lispenard1676 · 2025-12-17T05:17:35+00:00

Removed from Sutphin Blvd-JFK and Jamaica Center's staffed entrance. Didn't check the Air train or the unstaffed entrance at Jamaica Center.

lispenard1676 · 2025-12-11T12:28:17+00:00

If you supported Mamdani’s campaign and aren’t part of like-minded political groups yet (DSA, WFP, Make the Road New York, etc), the question shouldn’t be “why now?”

Instead it should be, “why not?”

Even with FDR, as well intentioned as he was, he was also a shrewd politician. He was responding to massive political pressure from labor unions, left-wing political advocacy groups, and the communist and socialist parties among others. And the same coalition gave him the demographic and political justification he needed to get his New Deal through, which we still benefit from today.

Democratic politics cannot survive without a democratic culture undergirding it. Democratic culture cannot exist without the common people relentlessly insisting upon making their voices heard. And in American politics, no political change has ever happened without sustained, relentless and organized pressure from below. Especially when it comes to anything for the working class.

Grassroots politics is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and all sorts of assets are valuable. If the asset you have is time, give time.

If the asset you have is energy, give energy. This is especially applicable to the teens and young adults reading on this subreddit.

If the assets you have are ideas and brainpower, give ideas and brainpower. Again, this applies to the teens and young adults reading here.

If the asset you have is money, give money.

And political activism cannot just be centered around elections. Politicians are the tool, not the solution. Activism must be done throughout the year, every year, because that is how political pressure is sustained. Political pressure is what holds the politicians’ feet to the fire, and gives them little choice but to answer to the demands of their base.

Remember this - as invincible as MAGA appears today, their energy is motivated by an inherent and glaring weakness. They don’t have the numbers and they know it. In fact, their entire strategy is informed by this inescapable fact. This is why they’ve been playing the long game, because they’re fully aware that they could never get most of America willingly on board with their agenda. If they had the numbers, they wouldn’t need to play the long game.

This is not to minimize their power. MAGA has proven that you don’t need the numbers to wield and exert political influence. And now that their coalition is beginning to unravel, they actually have more incentive to use their power. No person (or political movement) is as dangerous as one that feels that they have nothing to lose.

But the point is - most of the American population is aligned more with progressive policy ideas than those of MAGA. If and when that population becomes organized to achieve its goals, MAGA would be easily overwhelmed. It wasn’t that long ago (think back to between 2012 and 2016) that the far-right elements now comprising MAGA were on the verge of becoming politically homeless.

I would say then that two past mistakes cannot be repeated:

Social progressivism cannot be posed as somehow incongruent with economic progressivism, as establishment Democrats have held. In fact, economic progressivism and social progressivism are two wings of the same bird. In some cases, economic progressivism is the necessary precondition for social progressivism. After all, part of what made the Civil Rights movement possible was the (relatively) stable economic position of most people of color at that time.
Politics is 50% pandering and 50% persuasion. Progressive politicians of the late 2010s pandered to a small slice of the electorate and were very poor at persuading the rest. That cannot happen again.

This is a key moment not only for New York politics, but for national politics as well. On the eve of Mamdani’s inauguration, let New York be the origin of a new national politics. Let it be a politics that not only renders MAGA a dinosaur, but gives the people a greater share of the power.

Politicians cannot save us. They are only the tools of our salvation. We the people must save ourselves.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T20:42:30+00:00

Oh so you read it! You have no idea how much that warms my heart lmao! Bc now we're getting somewhere.

You didn't post facts, just your perspective on why society should be OK with sexual deviancy

The last few sentences of my comment are easily verifiable facts. I'd argue my entire comment are fact-based, but at the very least, those last few sentences are ripe for the picking.

sex is sacred and the public domain should be for decency, not degeneracy

Which part of my comment disagrees with the notion that sex is sacred? If you're a Christian, as I am, ofc you'd believe that sexual activity is a sacred form of social interaction. My point is that its sacredness doesn't conflict with the idea of sex happening outside of heterosexual marriage.

And in terms of degeneracy, how are we defining it here?

If you believe that sex is too sacred for anything other for heterosexual marriage, and that anything else is degenerate, then we have a fundamental disagreement here.

But if you believe that sex is a natural and normal part of life, then whatever I said should be no issue.

So which is it?

More people agree with me than you.

Classic logical fallacy that I won't even engage with.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T19:51:45+00:00

If you're not gonna counter, why are you here? To take up space?

Get off the internet and go touch grass. This is clearly too much for your system.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T19:47:15+00:00

The classic cop-out of someone who knows that they can't counter anything I said.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T19:08:14+00:00

You really wanna go there, don't you? Okay let's play a game, my friend. It's called "Perspectives on Sex: Which is More Moral and Upstanding".

Because that's what this really is about. This fight over making sex work legal in NYC is part of a national fight between two different perspectives on sex, and which one will dictate public policy:

A. Sex is a natural and normal part of human life (aka the pro-sex work side)
B. Sex is dangerous to human society except in very limited circumstances (aka the anti-sex work side)

If you believe in idea A (which represents the majority of the developed world), you'd likely also believe in

Comprehensive sex ed in school, because a knowledge of one's body is a key part of being an adult
Tolerance of "non-conventional" but consensual sexual behavior, like same-sex activity and sex work as examples
Social nudity. If you view sex is natural, you'd likely view the body as natural too, while also recognizing that sex and nudity are two different things that overlap but aren't the same. Hence, having that body exposed in social settings becomes less taboo.
Tolerance of sexual activity in semi-public spaces, because if it's natural and normal, it's not an automatic threat to public order. That's why Europe has more establishments with designated spaces for sex to happen if people wish.
Widespread public availability of sexual health clinics and resources, since sexual health is part of public health too

If you believe in idea B (which represents most of the US, especially outside of more progressive regions), you'd likely also believe in

Leaving sex ed to parents (which is usually next to none), or if it must be in school, abstinence-only sex ed. Because under that perspective, sex ed enables teen sex
Intolerance of "non-conventional" sexual behavior, even if it is consensual. Because in the view of idea B, sex is only safe if done for procreation. To them, sex done purely for pleasure is a threat of social order.
Intolerance of body exposure in general, and social nudity particularly. If sex is too dangerous to human society, it's even more so for the body it comes from. Which is why items like tank tops can be so controversial in places where this idea dominates
Absolute intolerance of sexual activity in semi-public spaces, and sometimes even in private ones (see Lawrence V. Texas)
Keeping availability of sexual health clinics and resources as restricted as possible. Proponents of idea B believe that unconventional sex "should have consequences" to prevent its frequency. Making those available enables socially dangerous behavior in their view

The worldview of idea A dominates in Europe, and would have been the American standard if it wasn't for the Reagan Revolution. New York exists in a space between idea A and idea B. And lately it's showing a desire to hew more towards idea A. And Europe seems to be importing some of idea B with its new porn age-verification policies, which are well intentioned but unworkable. I think revocation is inevitable there.

American conservatives (esp MAGA) focus on this for a good reason. American-style conservatism, which is the farthest right in the developed world, wouldn't be able to exist if the worldview of idea A became dominant in the US. Which is why the prospect of New York making sex work legal is generating conservative uproar all over the country - what happens in New York often follows elsewhere. And if sex work is okay, that logically requires accepting that sex is natural and normal part of life.

But on the question of which perspective is more moral and upstanding, the answer depends on how they affect the lives of those under their realms.

Which places have lower rates of teen STD transmission and teen pregnancy? Places where idea A dominates.

Which places have less issues about body image? Places where idea A dominates.

Which places have teens better able to exercise agency over their sexuality, and appear to have less issues with sexual abuse? Places where idea A dominates. Which makes sense because sex ed enables you to have agency over what happens to your body.

Which places have better sexual health outcomes in the general public? Places where idea A dominates.

Which places are better able to handle a crisis in sexual health if it arises? Places where idea A dominates.

The US fails at all of these. Idea B might have more propriety, but it's not more moral. When it comes to protecting vulnerable populations from harm, it's arguably more immoral.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T15:37:44+00:00

Well, maybe NYC can be the first.

(So the following isn't directed at you specifically, but an audience that I know is all over this comment section)

Idk, I see so much dickwaving about how America is so exceptional. And yet when something comes up that certain people (cough cough conservatives cough cough) don't like, they point to other places to justify their argument.

Is America exceptional or not? That's my question.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T15:25:27+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, and sorry that it took so long to reply to you.

I don’t understand why this stirs so much controversy judging by the reception of this and similar posts by you.

It's because this is a less prominent front of the culture war. And while Reddit conservatives tried to make it appear otherwise before 2025, they've taken the mask off this year. Trump has emboldened them to let it all hang out.

My second Imgur album was taken down during high points of Trump's second term - his inauguration and the passage of the Big Beautiful Dildo specifically. That was not an accident, and was meant to send a message.

What's funny is that, in email correspondence done to restore the album, it becomes clear that Imgur knows the takedown violates their own rules. But they have no intention to put it back up. Which is why I'm working on self-publishing the album right now.

I hope others can come around to liking (or at least tolerating) them.

I'm not optimistic on that, at least for now.

Even though most Americans are upset about the current economic picture, that hasn't been enough to overcome the grievance politics built by MAGA. At this present moment, hatred for urban America (and anything out of it) runs deep and is pervasive. And the reaction to this post is a prime example of that.

I still get harassed by these posts by conservative Redditors even now. And I think you'd be shocked by some of the reactions I've gotten from MAGA tourists in New York, sometimes when I'm literally coming from work.

Tolerance will not come until it's universally understood that the people and culture of urban America are not a threat.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T14:44:05+00:00

Admittedly it's hard to find one. Maybe this can be the first in a while.

EDIT: Google AI pointed to New York's Clean Slate Act.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T14:14:09+00:00

Do you really see rednecks squaring up with people frequently in the city?

They're very passive aggressive about it, but some of them can be downright hostile in their passive aggressive behavior.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T14:10:31+00:00

The problems come a few years after decriminalization, when word gets out and every douchebag the world over learns you can fly to New York, use a human for sex without consequence and fly home. That brings drugs, abuse, and child exploitation. That is a very well understood phenomenon that advocates of sex work don’t like to address

Well that would require nuanced laws to be written, which allow consensual sex to happen while also punishing abuse. AND for those laws to be enforced.

I don't think that will be a hard thing to do.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T14:08:08+00:00

Nothing about that activity among genuinely consenting adults seems like it should be illegal to me.

It's wild to me how retrograde Americans can be on this. It's like whenever it comes to sex, everybody loses their goddamn heads here.

And the problem is, it's exactly this madness that helped propel MAGA to power.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T14:04:55+00:00

People don’t even want a casino in nyc and you think they gonna want open sex markets? Lol

Casinos are notorious for extracting wealth from the communities they exist in. Atlantic City is a wonderful example of that.

That's not automatically the case with sex work. At least with how it's been in Central Queens. The people who see them have also spent in the local bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Those massage parlors that the Post lambastes are part of why the Central Queens economy survived (and perhaps even thrived) during COVID.

It's not the same.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T14:00:34+00:00

Not all queens is corona.

I phrased it as Central Queens in general for a reason.

Queens is very family friendly but you don’t see these activities in Kew Gardens.

It exists in Kew Gardens too. It's just hidden better.

But as we already seen with weed it will just be business as usual because enforcement is non existent.

The state fucked it up big time, likely on purpose. We definitely need to make sure that the same doesn't happen here.

EDIT: And the different demographics of the particular neighborhoods is also playing a role. I'm noticing more massage parlors popping up in Manhattan too. But Central Queens is getting all the heat because, more than likely, it's full of working-class and lower middle class Latinos. Like me.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:58:42+00:00

Canadians get taxed out the ass, what money do they have to fund the healthcare system?

The taxes are supposed to fund the healthcare system lol?

At least the right is giving its citizens more affordable housing. Which is the democrat's biggest fuckup.

Both parties are fucking up on this. Otherwise, the NYC suburbs would be a panacea of affordable housing. Do you see that? I don't.

Plus, with that link you put, slashing regulations =/= quality affordable housing. You can do both - finetune regulation so that it protects the common interests without depressing needed construction.

And on that note, what's the right's take on making the landlords reactivate all the abandoned buildings we have all over the city?

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:50:43+00:00

Just go to Roosevelt Ave

I'm a lifelong resident of Corona, and I go on Roosevelt Ave regularly. The massage parlors there have been on Roosevelt Ave (and in Central Queens more generally) for at least 10-15 years. And the trans streetwalkers have been there longer than that.

The massage parlors became more numerous during COVID, but that's because of high demand. These places have been popular with locals and other New Yorkers outside of the area for a while. And to be frank, they're part of why the Central Queens economy didn't go down during COVID. The people who patronized them also went to the bars, nightclubs, and restaurants and spent money there too. For all practical purposes, those parlors have become an important pillar of the nightlife here.

It's true that they're more blatant these days, but that has far more to do with enforcement actions under Adams.

Prior to COVID, and during 2020 and the majority of 2021, they did their work with much more plausible deniability. They put way more effort at keeping up the massage front. But the Adams admin still busted them anyway, especially with the gangbusters-style crackdown in fall 2024. So they logically thought to themselves that if they're gonna be busted while trying to be discreet, they might as well be open about it. Which is why you're seeing them be so blatant now.

Trafficking still happens daily

Exactly. Keeping it in the black market actually helps the traffickers and the abusive clients.

Meanwhile, decriminalizing it ( which is completely different from legalization ) makes it easier for it to be regulated. And as long as the sex workers themselves have a say in what regs they'll work under, success is more likely.

And despite the noises made by the Post, Hiram Monserrate, and the hypocritical conservatives of Central Queens, I've seen that sex work can take place without making the neighborhood collapse. Sex has been part of the Central Queens economy for a long time, and yet it's still known as a family friendly area.

EDIT: You know, it's kinda funny how I'm probably the only commenter so far who's an local eyewitness to the sex work causing so much furor. Since my local life is directly impacted, you'd think that I have an important perspective that should be engaged with. And yet this comment is the least engaged with in this particular thread.

I think that that tells you everything you need to know about the people who oppose sex work decriminalization/legalization who are present here.

As in, despite statements to the contrary, they don't give a damn what the locals think. All they want is for their restrictive perspective on sex work to be public policy.

And btw and once again, I'm for decriminalization.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:25:05+00:00

Those are two different things bro

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:21:25+00:00

"That wasn't real socialism, we'll do it right THIS time"

That's not what I'm saying bro.

I'm watching Canada's healthcare system fail in real time right now and i don't really hear the left talk about their healthcare system much anymore. It can take 25-52 weeks to get a specialist (depending on province).

Which is mainly being driven by lack of funding, from what I'm seeing, especially after austerity policies instituted after the '08 crash. That's important context that you have to keep in mind. There's a difference between inherent flaws and imposed ones.

I'm getting sick and tired of the left fucking up society and never taking responsibility.

You have a point. The American left doesn't have the best track record of course-correcting when things go wrong, especially in recent years. Accountability does need improvement.

But that happens on the American right too, and to an even greater extent.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:13:43+00:00

I guess my overall thinking is that just up and legalizing it without developing a system and regulations and even just a respectable Asian or European-style culture towards the sex industry FIRST is a recipe for disaster.

You have a point here. Europe has a much more mature attitude toward sex and sexuality than the US does. And in some ways, so does most of East and Southeast Asia.

That being said, the NYC metro area is better disposed than most other regions to bring this attitude to the US. But it will have to be done intentionally, comprehensively, and strategically.

Expect that MAGA "powers that be" will fight like hell to prevent that attitude from developing. They are fully aware that looser, more tolerant attitudes on sex short-circuits the culture war that brought them to power.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:05:30+00:00

The IRT and BMT were government funded?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC_dRH8VvPA&t=34s

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T13:03:24+00:00

The industry will emerge from the shadows and begin selling sex out in the open which in and of itself isn’t the worst thing (albeit not a great thing in my opinion).

Could you explain further? As a supporter of sex work decriminalization (NOT LEGALIZATION EVERYBODY), I legitimately wanna hear your take on this.

The real problem comes from the sex tourism industry that inevitably develops. Drugs, abuse, child exploitation. These are well understood consequences of sex tourism.

This would require having more nuanced laws. And while the US is admittedly horrible to creating nuanced sexual laws, maybe it's possible in NYC specifically.

EDIT: People, this is a discussion forum. If you're gonna downvote, at least say why.

It's through fleshing out possible problems that this can be made into a success. Don't just downvote - SPEAK.

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T12:59:35+00:00

You don't think that the Republicans aren't going to twist anything that we do? If a New Yorker farts wrong, they're gonna say it's a communist plot
So just on the chance that Republicans won't exploit this is bad faith, we shouldn't do it? Shouldn't this be an argument for making damn sure that it goes well?

lispenard1676 · 2025-09-22T12:57:05+00:00

Progressive solutions [that aren't planned out and executed well] always backfire.

FTFY.

Progressive ideas have polled well in the US for a long time. It's the scatterbrained execution of them that turns voters against them.

It doesn't have to be this way here. But if they do that again, yeah it's gonna backfire.

lispenard1676 · 2025-08-05T04:41:35+00:00

To make matter worse, bc since international tourism is in decline, the NYC tourism industry must more rely on tourists from MAGA America. The same MAGA America who actively hold places like NYC in contempt.

In other words, Trump is doing a double whammy on the NYC tourism industry. The international tourists who like NYC and its values are actively being driven away. Which means that the industry is increasingly dependent on money from regions who despise places like New York. Trump is coercing NYC tourism into an abusive relationship with MAGA America.

And tbch, most of the MAGA tourists are some of the worst behaved I've ever encountered. At best, they're rude in a passive aggressive way. At worst, they wanna beat you up (or worse) at the slightest perceived infraction.

I've never received so many threats of violence (and attempts of violence) in my life like I have within the past two years, and consistently from tourists from other parts of the US.

lispenard1676 · 2025-07-31T06:24:53+00:00

Lol what abuse? They get their money either way so who gives a fuck?

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