How everyone else sees vans

[Waywest]

Sorry but true....
But some of us are wiser. :dodgy:

 

[MrNoodly]

That's because they're Fords.

 

[Plant]

To me driving an Econoline means free man.

 

[willingtorelocate]

I don't really know if I've put any thought into it. The great thing about vans is that they're almost totally invisible. Although, you're probably right about the balloons.

 

[johnny b]

Reminds me of this mis-perception:

 

[lenny flank]

Alas, one of the requirements for being a successful urban vandweller is being invisible and unnoticed.

Unfortunately, that means the only vandwellers that the public actually notices are the morons who dump their shit on the street, park in the same place for a year, and panhandle everybody in sight.

 

[Dingfelder]

That gun one is pretty funny! Looks like it's ready to go straight to the newsroom!

 

[Plant]

Yeah, if any journalist needs flash cards to learn to identify guns and rifles, they should probably not be covering the subject. But that doesn't seem to stop them.

 

[Dingfelder]

Nope, virtually never does on even the simplest level.

 

[ckelly78z]

The prevailing attitude towards "vans" is the stereotypical one down by the river with fogged up windows. This may be the correct model for urban, stealth units, but not representative of most of the travelers who want a simple life with minimal "stuff".

 

[owl]

The way the general public reacts towards vandwellers is probably the same way they react to any other member of society. Some positive, some negative. A lot of the negative I think is self imposed. There seems to be a common notion that the average person looks down on this community. I don't believe that and think that their view is most likely prompted by the type of interaction they experience with our community.

 

[Cammalu]

I always thought of vans in the soccer mom sense.

 

[Dingfelder]

The way the general public reacts towards vandwellers is probably the same way they react to any other member of society. Some positive, some negative. A lot of the negative I think is self imposed. There seems to be a common notion that the average person looks down on this community. I don't believe that and think that their view is most likely prompted by the type of interaction they experience with our community.

I think the average person looks down on those with less money.  At least they do, to listen to them tell it. If they identify with any other people, it is people at least one economic level above themselves, and definitely never below.

Then again, I've lived most of my life in very big cities, where it's very competitive, socially and otherwise.  A solid proportion of people actually think a lot about what car you drive, your shoes, your belt, your purse, your sunglasses, and think about you first, if not entirely, in terms of how much you make.  Maybe people who have lived in less competitive environments might feel and speak differently.

 

[owl]

Ding, I agree with your observations. Those people don't figure in my life as I'm sure they no longer figure in yours. I have no time for such shallow nonsense. I rather know what great secret camps you've found, where you have discovered hot springs. What great meals you have recipes to. Shower spots I may not have discovered.

 

[SLB_SA]

That gun one is pretty funny!  Looks like it's ready to go straight to the newsroom!

"In contemporary military and naval parlance the term gun has a very specific meaning and refers solely to any large-calibre, direct-fire, high-velocity, flat-trajectory artillery piece employing an explosive-filled hollowed metal shell or solid bolt as its primary projectile."
None of the images in the picture represented a "gun."  

 

[B and C]

This is my rifle, this is my gun. This one's for shooting, this one's for fun.

 

[Dingfelder]

I had no idea that gun laws and anti-gun organizations were trying to restrict me from acquiring artillery.

I'm actually okay with people not having artillery. Though I'm no longer sure how concealed carry works anymore.

 

[lenny flank]

As always, I prefer a W-88 warhead with a 200kt yield. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[xunil76]

As always, I prefer a W-88 warhead with a 200kt yield. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Gevalia174a]

I'm brand spanking new to van life as of Feb 6. I have not hit the stereotypes yet but coming from the NY area, I too am glad to get away from those attitudes. Im in a BLM area in AZ and have only met a few people so far but those I've met all seem to be genuinely nice people.