Sunday, November 4, 2012

Message for Troubled Times

Homeless Person, Kendrick Park, Sunday morning

UPDATE: Monday morning
 A few hours after this photo was taken Amherst Police arrested Michael Chayet after receiving reports of a male party "possibly homeless" yelling at people and urinating in public. When the officer approached Mr. Chayet he threatened to "punch him in the face."

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just discovered this blog and have been reading posts and comments for the last three hours. I'm commenting here simply because it's the most recent.

You're an idiot. Umass will never change. The students and partying will get worse. It's academic reputation was destroyed years ago. It's a degree factory for middle class kids that will never amount to anything. The town is a dump and only still survives because of the school. Move, give up and move. You and all the residents have lost.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, an awful lot of folks have "discovered this blog" recently.

So make sure your name, address, and rap sheet do NOT appear.

But for a Cowardly Anon Nitwit like you, it will probably NOT be very long (if in fact it has not already occurred).

Anonymous said...

The opening rant poses an interesting question Larry: Are the kids who are causing the chaos and getting arrested basically good kids with clean pasts, who are simply, and maybe temporarily falling into the Umass party reputation? Or are they kids who have been a holes all their lives, and are coming to Umass because it has become "a degree factory for middle class kids that will never amount to anything"? Richard Marsh

Larry Kelley said...

A little of the former and a lot more of the latter.

Anonymous said...

It always was for middle class kids, and as Amherst College was referred to as "that priest factory," you can know that names/stereotypes don't mean much. But you are right: I haven't amounted to much. I'm only a mother of two above average adults, a homeowner, someone who contributes time and money to charities, and I pay my taxes.

Anonymous said...

and so larry cedes his broad hatred of students.

you know what you are larva, an anti-studentite.

Anonymous said...

Ah, so you agree with this Nitwit? I guess calling you an idiot was a tough way to start, I was trying to make a harsh point. You've lost, it's no longer worth that fight. Your efforts, although admirable, are pointless and silly. That school is literally the worst university in the country. At least the kids at Umass Boston care, they are also destined for nothing but they care. The students in Amherst are just there because it was the cheapest option for parents to get their useless, malcontent, spoiled, hip hop listening, idiot kids out of their triple decker for 4 years, probably less.

Anonymous said...

i just graduated from UMass, was one of the most avid parties on campus, and am going to Johns Hopkins Med... yea.. i'm gonna amount to nothing.

Larry Kelley said...

You probably should have taken more writing courses. Or Philosophy.

Anonymous said...

If you think that amounts to anything, I weep for you. You're an average American. Average is not what institutions of higher learning should be about.

Larry Kelley said...

Ms. Anon 1:52

I'll bet you were never arrested for assaulting a police officer over fighting for your righty to party.

Anonymous said...

What a hate-filled blog this is becoming. And people who way UMASS is a degree factory for people who will never amount to anything don't know what they are talking about. And you, Larry, to agree with them, are worse then they are. You started out ranting and raving about the few bad apples and are now lumping the whole school with them. Do you really believe that the thousands of students who go to school at UMASS will not amount to anything? What is your problem?
My child is in graduate school there and their goal is to get a PhD and then probably teach somewhere. I would hazard a guess that my child will make it further in life than you could ever imagine, Larry.

It's one thing to put down the crazy drunken students..you have moved into new and ridiculous territory when you agree that no one who graduates from UMASS will amount to anything. You have crossed the line from concerned citizen to obsessed and dangerous citizen.

Larry Kelley said...

As my friend Bill would say, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Clearly Richard Marsh (who leaves his name by the way) opened with, "Are the kids who are causing the chaos and getting arrested ..."

So that no longer paints with a broad brush, but narrows things down to a laser-like focus on bad apples and how THEY see UMass.

(I'm trying to think of the metaphoric equivalent in brush terminology or fruits but will have to settle for the mixed metaphor).

And even if he/we did, gasp, disparage the #1 employer in town (which we most certainly did not do), it would still be called "Freedom of speech".

You know, that basic principle our country was founded on?

Thus that would hardly make me (or Richard) a "dangerous citizen." Yikes!

Anonymous said...

"If you think that amounts to anything, I weep for you. You're an average American. Average is not what institutions of higher learning should be about."

Really? I guess I'm just not smart enough to know what institutions of higher learning are about. I thought it was to learn critical thinking and how to contribute to society. I'm so sorry to make you weep.

And what lofty heights should I be reaching for when I get my doctorate, only possessing a lowly master's degree? Or am I doomed to mediocrity because I attended UMass. Amherst, the flagship of the state school system?

(Yes, Larry, you really need a font for sarcasm because that guy will never get it.)

And, no, BTW, no arrests in my family ever -- 4 undergrad degrees from UMass.

Anonymous said...

UMass Amherst is still a very respected college throughout the entire county. Despite their reputation as a "party school" or the like, it offers various degrees for the students to be able to accomplish their dreams. If you think you will amount to nothing from going to this school you could not be more wrong or more ignorant. It's academic reputation was not destroyed, it only just gained another reputation for partying.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually UMass had a reputation as a party school a generation ago when Frat Row was in full bloom, but not so much now in the this day and Digital age.

Anonymous said...

larry kelley: the man who won't debate and thinks he's never wrong.

Larry Kelley said...

"in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king".

Anonymous said...

What about the poor homeless person in the picture. Shouldn't we be commenting on that?

Anonymous said...

It's strange how you people posting call Larry a UMass student hater. He isn't. If you are a such an intelligent critical thinker, you'd realize the posters here are. Larry just allows them to post on his blog. He's just shining a bright light on the partiers that get arrested and bring a blight onto the town. Oh, and even in California, UMass is referred to as Zoo Mass. It has a reputation as a party school.

Anonymous said...

Really? Larry does not hate students? You could have fooled me. He literally drips with derision when talking about them. All of them.

Larry Kelley said...

Come on now, some of my best friends were UMass students.

Anonymous said...

just saying, umass isn't the only school known to be a "party school"

Punks, drunks and Ponzivillers said...

"He literally drips with derision when talking about them. All of them."


All of them???



1. Munch your fruit flavored Prozac chewable.

2. Get into the 4WD forest green Subaru wagon (biting dog with red bandana around neck and Frisbee optional).

3. Take a long cold highway ride with the windows down.

because

4. You're either asleep, insane


or slowwwwwwww.


(reeeeeeaaaalllll sloooowwwww...)

Anonymous said...

Do you know if the shelter was full that night, or is that information available?

Larry Kelley said...

I don't think it was. I heard APD do a routine check around midnight and they said "All's well" but did not mention it was full, which I have heard in the past.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:51am, what does that mean..."What about the poor homeless person in the picture. Shouldn't we be commenting on that?". If you want to comment on it, then feel free. Nothing more irksome than someone telling others what they should be concerned about. Maybe he's perfectly happy camping out and living that life. Richard Marsh.