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MonsieurReynard t1_j06aizq wrote

Now zoom in and it's all thanks to four square miles of the Boston and Cambridge area containing half the PHDs and MDs in America. I'm only half kidding. Kinda skews the stats. But plenty of places in Mass don't show any such major contrast with the surrounding region. So let's not congratulate ourselves too much when there's homeless addicts walking our streets too.

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NativeMasshole t1_j06d8y8 wrote

It's also not some happiness factor like people act like it is. Literally just means that we have a high level of development. We're still missing essential things like functional public transportation, especially when you look outside the 495 belt.

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NoMoLerking t1_j06kfs4 wrote

>…especially when you look outside the 495 belt

Those are just fairytales. We all know there’s nothing outside 495.

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OakenGreen t1_j06lxfd wrote

Nothin but trees anyways. But don’t bother to come and check. Us squirrels like to be left alone.

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fakecrimesleep t1_j06nav6 wrote

thar be dragons outside 495

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spitfish t1_j06ppoi wrote

> Those are just fairytales. We all know there’s nothing outside 495.

Fall's colors, Winter's snow pack, & Summer's hiking trails say otherwise.

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Thor_The_Bunny t1_j06qniw wrote

>when you look outside the 495 belt.

There's an area outside the belt?

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TomatoManTM t1_j075too wrote

Please fill in the map for us if you venture there

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oneMadRssn t1_j06w1w3 wrote

By the same token, we're probably significantly boosting the HDI of our surrounding states like NH, VT, ME, RI, etc. For example, pretty much anyone in Southern NH is within a few hours drive of top 5 best oncology centers on the planet.

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BasicDesignAdvice t1_j072cw1 wrote

I get what you are saying and I agree completely.

BUT, having lived in other states and traveled this country extensively....MA is way above its peers. New England and New York in general is so far ahead of the rest of the country. Even when things are bad they don't touch the rest of the country.

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Puppyl t1_j09q8k8 wrote

Yeah NE and NY is just a very good place to be, very noticeable difference between here and the rest the country

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Shufflebuzz t1_j071ucz wrote

You could probably say the same about Iceland, where 90% of the population lives in the greater Reykjavik area.

It's a very cool place. The things they're doing with geothermal energy are amazing.

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fendermrc t1_j08bqj6 wrote

Well, they do have a volcano in their back pocket.

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Shufflebuzz t1_j08civn wrote

Multiple volcanoes.
And glaciers.
Even a volcano with a glacier on top of it.

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wownotagainlmao t1_j06q2i0 wrote

Implying that Switzerland and Norway don’t have their own issues. I just spent a few hours at the Zurich train station. South Station feels like a luxury resort by comparison.

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WinsingtonIII t1_j07zs7k wrote

Eh, not really though. MA has the highest rate of college-educated adults in the US in general at 46%: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_educational_attainment

That isn't just due to Boston and Cambridge, the state overall has a high level of educational attainment compared to most places in the world. And things like high incomes and longevity (the other things measured by HDI) tend to be positively correlated with educational attainment.

Obviously there is variation between places in MA, but that is true everywhere.

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Miami_Vice-Grip t1_j080vy9 wrote

Yeah, every discrete location has a floor and a ceiling. The HDI is saying that Mass has a higher ceiling than the rest of country, but I'd also argue that Mass's floor is higher than most of the country's floors as well.

I mean, aside from the temperature in winter, I'd rather be homeless in MA than in like, Mississippi.

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WinsingtonIII t1_j08145q wrote

Exactly. MA certainly has pockets of extreme wealth and education. But the median in MA is also higher than median elsewhere in the US, it's not just those pockets dragging everything else up.

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legalpretzel t1_j09agit wrote

Considering MA is the only state with a right to shelter you’re 100% better off homeless here than Mississippi.

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PersistNevertheless t1_j0a7umx wrote

It’s not universal - my family didn’t qualify for any help when we were homeless for years. I love MA; just saying though

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capybroa t1_j06nblu wrote

Yeah here in Holyoke it doesn't exactly resemble Switzerland

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SpecterCody t1_j06wdoc wrote

Next door to Holyoke also agrees. Whenever I see these high stats for this state I think "those must be the places no one can afford to live".

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capybroa t1_j0730m1 wrote

It's a sign of just how wealthy those areas are that they pull the average up that high, even with the poverty that exists in other communities in this state.

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Old_Gods978 t1_j06iiqe wrote

Yeah but the Redditors don’t see them. And if you are poor just move

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fighterxaos t1_j08l1yt wrote

True. Living here in Springfield in western MA, with all the beggars and drug addicts, it sure doesn't feel like there's a high HDI here.

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exit7girl t1_j08y5rp wrote

You need to stay away from Mason Square! ;)

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fighterxaos t1_j0984js wrote

Funny enough I lived in Mason Square for a few years.

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catgotcha t1_j086yyo wrote

I'm from Canada – Vancouver, specifically. I've been in Massachusetts 10 years now. And the quality of life here is definitely not nearly as high as where I'm from. I know this is mostly anecdotal but if someone told me that only three countries in the world had a higher HDI than Massachusetts I would absolutely NOT believe them.

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PtrWalnuts t1_j06plrl wrote

Yep I live in a nice safe Massachusetts town A very nice young couple were begging outside the market-basket. They asked for money. I said I would buy her some food.

She said if I can just get five more bucks I’ll have enough to go to a restaurant and get out of this cold. It’s 25° in Massachusetts.

I gave her 10 bucks. Because I had it.

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[deleted] t1_j0761pp wrote

It’s better if you just ignore them

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PtrWalnuts t1_j077jxa wrote

Why so they can freeze to death and thus decrease the surplus population?

If we didn't ignore them maybe there would be less of them.

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wgc123 t1_j07e1ux wrote

I never do anymore , since my car was keyed because I bought someone a meal instead of giving “just $5 so I can eat”.

A couple issues with “helping” them

  • you’re only helping one person at a time and it may not go very far. An appropriate service can help that money go further to help more

  • while there are way too many people that could use a hand, the most extroverted/aggressive pan handlers, with the most profitable locations, are likely to be a scammer. Donating to the appropriate service is more likely for your money to get to the truly needy, and you won’t skip out on someone quietly suffering

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[deleted] t1_j07beex wrote

That money would be better spent if you donate it to a credible charity organization like a local soup kitchen

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PtrWalnuts t1_j07gk92 wrote

I do that too. I also buy people food and hand it to them.

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Stringgeek t1_j07h5ml wrote

Yeah cool, treat them as if they’re subhuman and therefore invisible. So classist. They are people just like you, and the vast majority of them aren’t addicts or mentally ill. Even if they were, though, people still have basic human needs to eat, for example, and have warm clothing in the winter.

The sole reason I carry cash around is so that I can give it to homeless people. If we knew each other in meatspace, I would not be friends with you.

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