Open Thread Wednesday

By on April 27, 2022 8:08 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

Photo: Martha Foley

Share this Story:

←  Older Comments
Newer Comments  →
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    My first response to your comment “Yes, they shouldn’t be there but they always will, to some degree” Meaning, motorized vehicles should not be on a sidewalk at any time. However, the world is not perfect, it is and always will be, fraught with uncertain dangers. Therefore, erratic, unpredictable walking/running is not only a danger to oneself but also rude and potentially hazardous to other pedestrians.
    It is best to teach children to walk straight, to be aware of their surroundings and others, when in public.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    The three ^ meant I was responding to all three comments.

  • MaggieO

    Any other advice on what I should be teaching my children, Arch? What are your thoughts on table manners? Should she refer to everyone as Sir and Ma’am? Are certain hairstyles inappropriate? Do you find the temporary tattoo on her forehead in poor taste? I think we are all well aware of the fact that children need to be taught things to keep themselves and others safe. That’s absolutely not the issue here. Motorcycles on sidewalks is the issue. They are dangerous, whoever you are. They should not be there. It should not be on pedestrians to adapt to it.

  • Andrew Porter

    Sure, everyone knows “the MTA is super corrupt.” Why, I heard it direct from Donald Trump. Would he lie?

    I I ever see you holding the exit doors open so people can get in without paying, I will happily turn you in to the NYPD.

  • Your Anti Yard Trash Neighbor

    What’s up with pile of garbage in the backyard behind Brooklyn Farms restaurant? It’s about six feet high by 20 feet long and very visible from Henry Street (at Montague). I suspect it has to do with the demolition of the burned building on Montague, but all the same, it’s an eyesore and probably not sanitary depending on what’s in the bags. Anything that can be done about that?

  • Andrew Porter

    The “Moonstruck” house just sold for $11 million. The NY Post has the story:

    https://nypost.com/2022/04/28/brooklyns-moonstruck-townhouse-asking-11m-finds-buyer/

    https://tinyurl.com/2p8wmce5

  • Andrew Porter
  • aeshtron

    There are camps such as Exodus International that teach children “to walk straight” by praying away their deviant desires to travel anything other than the straight and narrow. Some people believe children need to be forced to lead straight lives so that society can be functional, happy and gay ; )

  • Effective Presenter

    You tell em, Studio Arch.

    Baseless claims appear to be the norm in these troubled times.

    Fare evasion negatively affects all mass transit riders.

    Kevin

  • Effective Presenter

    Cassie, hallf the battle is “knowing it”

  • Effective Presenter

    Half

  • CassieVonMontague

    That backyard has always been an eyesore. It’s full of rats’ nests, too.

  • CassieVonMontague

    You are all welcome to my housewarming party, but you have to be nice to each other.

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    “The numbers show…”

    What numbers? Whose numbers? All I said is that absent reliable data, I’m unconvinced. If you can cite logical fallacies I’ll cop to them, but otherwise you’re resorting to ad hominem dismissal, or some other such fallacy I’m too lazy at present to identify.

    Do you believe that the MTA (or, for that matter, the NYPD) deserves your trust when they claim that fare evasion is a bigger problem than mismanagement and/or corruption? If so, why?

  • Henry Streeter

    Didn’t that space used to have a fountain, and was a memorial for someone’s son that passed away?

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    The discussion is about fare evasion, you brought in corruption, embezzlement and mismanagement, in an attempt to diminish the former. That’s a classic Straw-man fallacy or “Whataboutism”. Especially since you cannot produce any evidence of such wrongdoing by the MTA or NYPD. Arguing that they must be corrupt and falsifying evidence because such things may have happened in the past, is yet another fallacy.

    So, until you can provide credible evidence the fare evasion statistics are false, the numbers are good.

    Sure there is bound to be some wrong doing at the MTA and that needs to be addressed as well, but it doesn’t lessen the problem of fare evasion.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Q: What’s worse than a fare beater?
    A: A snitch.

  • Lucky Larry

    That’s a real bummer. I really liked Andrew Porter’s commentary on this blog and historical perspective on this neighborhood until until he dropped that terrible take. I’ll be sure to hold the emergency exit door open for everyone at the Clark Street station (once it opens…) in hopes that he’ll try to turn me in to the cops.

  • Mike Suko

    This probably makes for a really good argument – because there are factual (but subject to guesswork) questions like, “IS the motivation ‘I can’t afford it’? or is it larceny, i.e., ‘Why pay for something if you can get it for free?'” … but economic, too (If it costs $N Billion to run NYC’s subways, what happens if 5% of the rides are “stolen?”)

    My very unscientific “survey” has teens stealing a large number of rides. Have they lost their free ride cards? Are they limited to 2 a day and that’s the explanation?

    Fortunately, the City has introduced free or reduced fare rides for people of very limited means. You know it’s not as simple as asking a token booth attendant to buzz you through because you say you can’t afford it, … and maybe there’s a stigma, but if you take the “analytics” away, you see it boils down to “conservatives” talking about law and order vs. liberals voicing sympathy for people they’re guessing are struggling financially.

    Almost no one WILL “snitch,” but the next “Mayor Giuliani” (Adams, too, come to think of it) will get a million or more votes from people whose takeaway from rampant fare beating is, “Our City is out of control; almost no crime is truly victim-less, and some portion of those jumping turnstiles will graduate to purse snatching, because crime is so easy and laws ill-enforced.”

  • B.

    Well, Alex, that’s a really classy comment you’ve written in response to Andrew.

    All sorts of very poor people, young and old, along with us slogging middle-class people, pay their bus and subway fares, and yet you’re holding emergency gates open so that young people wearing $200 sneakers, or sipping lattes (or about to slug someone and steal his wallet), can get in for free. You’re a mighty fine fellow.

  • B.

    Isn’t that why so many shootings go unsolved? Because people don’t want to snitch, i.e., cooperate with police to get guys with guns off the streets?

    What’s worse than a snitch? Possibly a city in chaos.

  • Andrew Porter

    So happy you post this under your real name!

  • Andrew Porter

    Downvoters, I see you condone breaking the law!

  • Andrew Porter

    Where and when? My impression is that even people who post nasty comments are nice in person. Should I bring something?

  • Andrew Porter

    Ever heard the expression, “Drop a dime”? Where do you think that came from?

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    LOL, More straw-man fallacies, you’d be kicked off the high school debate team with that nonsense.

    Anyway, Now at least you admit it”I think we are all well aware of the fact that children need to be taught things to keep themselves and others safe”. Yet you are the one that said your child was undisciplined and darted about the sidewalk erratically. So I hope for the sake of your child you teach her to be aware and be safe.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Wow you really embarrassed yourself with that one.

  • MaggieO

    She would be quite safe, if not for the motorcycles on the sidewalks. Thank you for your concern.
    I guess it’s a good thing I never joined that debate team. Phew. Bullet dodged.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Fair enough, though I was kind of joking and we aren’t talking about murder here.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Consider, murder, rape, robbery, etc., are all very illegal crimes that carry harsh prison sentences, yet they happen every day. Now please explain how you are going to keep idiots from riding motorcycles on the sidewalk?

←  Older Comments
Newer Comments  →