Is there a sense of community in your local area?

[Dale Gribble]

As in, do you feel connected to others in your local town? My small southern town is very community focused. The people you interact with on the day to day are the same people you see in church, at the store, getting gas etc. I do all I can to avoid chain stores and to shop with the mom and pop stores for this reason, among others. I don't mind paying a little extra to support them. The local coffee shop, feed store and butcher all know me on a first name basis and I know them. It really is a strange thing to adjust to, coming from a not so great military town. Btw, if you have a local butcher you're really missing out if you don't buy your meat from them. If it's anything like mine the meat is so much better. I wouldn't eat pork until I started going to the butcher. But back on topic. People here are the people that would give you a ride home, or help you change a spare tire, or discount something for you if you come up a little short. It's something you really don't see anymore, and part of that is keeping overdevelopment away. If the county commission could have it their way they'd bulldoze everything, pave over it and build mcmansions to sell to Yankees, and just like that the community dissappears. People who visit say its like I live in a hallmark movie town, or compare it to Mayberry, but that's really how it is.

Church on the other hand Is an even stronger sense of community, because not only are you part of the same community but you share the same religion. I've seen church members come together to help others in need, and I know if I really needed something I could ask the church and they would raise money for me or help me any way they could.

So what is it like where you live? Is it a tiny little hallmark town with friendly people, or is it a big city where you have to be on guard all the time?

 

[Arnox]

Actually, yes. The best way to find this out I find is to simply take regular walks. See if anyone says hi to you, or even better, strikes up a conversation with you. In any case though, you have to remember that there's friendly people everywhere. They're usually too shy to say anything though.

 

[Gauche]

Streets are full of homeless here
I've been so desensitized to them being strung out in some unnatural position in the middle of the sidewalk that I don't care to know if they are alive or not. Don't know how they pull that shit off in 90 degree heat, asphalt burns

I remember the first time I felt such concern and considered calling an ambulance but seeing that no one else was alarmed I ultimately didn't

The experience reminded me of a 15+ year old youtube video I saw of a chinese person getting stabbed and the folk walking by were stealing their things. I remember thinking how inhumane they were but I ended up not much better

My sister worked at a shopping district for years where a cripple would beg for money regularly. One day she found her in the local mall walking about and cursed her out

It isn't like I'm on guard all the time, have had no reason to be but I'm not gonna hold a conversation with folk asking me for a lighter I don't have

Environments hold much influence

 

[Dale Gribble]

Actually, yes. The best way to find this out I find is to simply take regular walks. See if anyone says hi to you, or even better, strikes up a conversation with you. In any case though, you have to remember that there's friendly people everywhere. They're usually too shy to say anything though.

Around here it's the silent head nod, or just say hello as your walking past. Normally if it's somewhere I'm going to be for a little while it's not unusual to get into a conversation with the people around you. I was at the park with my kids the other day and all the younger dads like me formed a semicircle to bullshit while they watch their kids.

 

[Dale Gribble]

Streets are full of homeless here
I've been so desensitized to them being strung out in some unnatural position in the middle of the sidewalk that I don't care to know if they are alive or not. Don't know how they pull that shit off in 90 degree heat, asphalt burns

I remember the first time I felt such concern and considered calling an ambulance but seeing that no one else was alarmed I ultimately didn't

The experience reminded me of a 15+ year old youtube video I saw of a chinese person getting stabbed and the folk walking by were stealing their things. I remember thinking how inhumane they were but I ended up not much better

My sister worked at a shopping district for years where a cripple would beg for money regularly. One day she found her in the local mall walking about and cursed her out

It isn't like I'm on guard all the time, have had no reason to be but I'm not gonna hold a conversation with folk asking me for a lighter I don't have

Environments hold much influence

That's much like the town I used to live, drugs are bad there and it seems like every week there's another murder/shooting. I've also seen the fake homeless panhandle, a group of gypsies used to stand at intersections holding signs with some random little girl, saying it was their daughter and she was sick and going to die. Unsurprisingly it was exposed it was all bullshit. Think that same group of gypsies got arrested for stealing people's chickens out of their yard.

When I go to the city now you can really see the deterioration, there's tent cities set up all over and used needles in the street. The mayor had a dumpster and Porta potties put up at some of these tent cities as well. Don't know what for, they still throw shit all over and leave their used needles on the sidewalk. Still though, I keep some narcan in my truck and on the occasion I see someone who could be oding I try to make contact and see if they're OK. I've had to call the ambulance a few times. This is the city I used to live in btw, not where I am now. You'd (hopefully) never see that where I live now. So yeah, absolutely no community there.

 

[Arnox]

I remember thinking how inhumane they were but I ended up not much better

One of the problems with those big cities (of many) is that there's SO MANY fucking drug-addicted homeless people, so trying to call up an ambulance for them simply cannot be done, and by the time they get out of the hospital, they're probably going to be shooting up again anyway.

This can actually definitely be fixed, but it's going to require a variety of things, most of which our wonderful politicians are going to completely fucking ignore.

 

[Gauche]

I've also seen the fake homeless panhandle, a group of gypsies used to stand at intersections holding signs with some random little girl, saying it was their daughter and she was sick and going to die. Unsurprisingly it was exposed it was all bullshit. Think that same group of gypsies got arrested for stealing people's chickens out of their yard.

The teenagers around here were holding a fundraiser to raise money for the funeral of a dead classmate. Kids were at each corner with bright red buckets, waving around boards with photos of the deceased, fanfare and all. I thought it bizarre how the school would greenlight it, went on for 3 weeks, wasn't like the teachers weren't aware

Turns out the dead kid didn't exist
Shit made it to the local news and is how I even found out

I only give away food/water, never money I can't know how is being spent. The Texas Panhandler is a good episode

 

[Dale Gribble]

One of the problems with those big cities (of many) is that there's SO MANY fucking drug-addicted homeless people, so trying to call up an ambulance for them simply cannot be done, and by the time they get out of the hospital, they're probably going to be shooting up again anyway.

This can actually definitely be fixed, but it's going to require a variety of things, most of which our wonderful politicians are going to completely fucking ignore.

I would support the war on drugs if it was the military raiding and executing cartel members. A bullet for every drug dealer. This would ideally extend to pill mill doctors and the pharmaceutical execs paying their bonuses. Opiates have devastated Appalachia, while the rich execs sit back and laugh at the pillbillies.

I watched a video awhile back, I think it was Brandon Buckingham who went to one of those northern states and found the two guys who make "tranq dope" aka fent mixed with tranquilizers, that narcan won't bring you back from, and will make your limbs literally rot off, just by asking around. If our politicians wanted to do something about it, they could. They do not care about you.

Edit: while I'm thinking about it, when the US left the middle east, the taliban or whatever they're called rounded up all drug dealers and executed them, then rounded up all the addicts and threw them into prison to detox. I don't know if it was effective, or how long they stayed clean, but they did SOMETHING. They tried to improve their community and fellow countrymen. At least they tried. Our government instead gives out free needles, narcan, and the state alternative to dope, methadone and suboxone.

 

[Dale Gribble]

The teenagers around here were holding a fundraiser to raise money for the funeral of a dead classmate. Kids were at each corner with bright red buckets, waving around boards with photos of the deceased, fanfare and all. I thought it bizarre how the school would greenlight it, went on for 3 weeks, wasn't like the teachers weren't aware

Turns out the dead kid didn't exist
Shit made it to the local news and is how I even found out

I only give away food/water, never money I can't know how is being spent. The Texas Panhandler is a good episode

Those are some really scummy teenagers. I never give money to the homeless. If I'm I'm a good mood ill offer to buy them food or point them to local harm reduction resources. Ironically if they were honest with me and told me they just wanted to get high I'd be more inclined to give them money. I don't want to hear a 20 minute sob story while I'm trying to get gas.

 

[Logal]

Yes

 

[Arnox]

Yes

That's a very extensive answer, but how about a little more details?

 

[Houseman]

No

 

[Arnox]

No