Cartoon: Saying farewell to Island visitors

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As the summer comes to an end, Charles Pinck offers his view.

12 COMMENTS

  1. Yeah, here’s the problem with this cartoon. It doesn’t end at Labor Day anymore. It goes right till the new year and starts up again in March. The only peace year rounders get nowadays is January and February

    • So, if you want peace, you should move somewhere else? Are you complaining about living on Martha’s Vineyard, and also that other people enjoy visiting?

      • After 40 years here, I’m actually in the process of moving. I don’t know how long you’ve been here, but this place has gone downhill fast over the past few years? The island isn’t driven by a sense of community anymore. It’s driven by money and greed. What used to be affordable year round housing, now sits empty 6 months out of the year and is rented as an overpriced air b&b the other 6 months. Affordable housing no longer exist out here. And the affordable housing push? That’s a pipe dream. A mortgage on one of those units is, what, $2500- $3000 a month? How is that affordable? Especially if you’re trying to raise a family? The negitivity of people on the island is unbelievable. Look at the comments on any article in either island papers. Or look at the comments on islanders talk. Why does anyone want to live in that toxic environment? You want to see the direction this island is heading? Talk a look at all the long term islanders who have moved off island over the past few years. Or go watch the 6 or 7am boats unload in Vineyard Haven. Try and count how many people walk off the boat to work here for 8 hours, than head back to live in a community where you can actually live. Instead of just survive…

  2. And without this “migration” the folks of the middle class year rounders would not have the visitors dollars supporting their businesses. I am sure it is difficult to maintain a friendly attitude with folks pouring into your sanctuary, though.

      • Islanders are getting too much of a good thing?
        Too many tourist dollars?
        Why don’t they just shut their businesses down from Labor Day to Memorial Day?

    • Like Jessica stated, someone always feels the need to remind us that we need them. I am a 3rd generation native Islander and my family has been here for 5 generations. I have friends who families have been here since the 1600’s. Before the Clinton’s came and made the Island national news, we all did just fine here. We all managed on what we made and everyone helped each other out. If you had extra fish, crabs, lobsters you dropped them off to a family who could use them. Yes, there was a tourist industry, nothing like today. The same families came back every year and we all knew most of them. This is the type of attitude of the new folks (wash ashore) who are moving and visiting here. Please leave that attitude in the tri state area and be respectful of the island people who live here all year round and support the community.

  3. If you don’t think we have a great community here, you might need new friends. or a new occupation. I have lived here for close to 45 years and I love the community here. Don’t think I would have survived the last year without this community! We have problems, and the housing problem is huge. But where is this magical place without problems? Young people in my family struggle for affordable housing or to pay their mortgage on the mainland too.

  4. Living here, you take the good with the bad. Affordable housing is a HUGE problem and summer traffic is especially tiresome and stressful.
    I have lived here over 30 years and yes it is definitely a different place than it was back then.
    Living on the mainland is something I don’t want to do anymore, other than dealing with the SSA I’m quite happy here. I love the ocean and beaches (now I can enjoy it more since the crowds have diminished)
    Housing off island is cheaper but you also make less money, that’s why all these people come here and work.
    If you don’t enjoy living here year round, then by all means move, sell your house while the market is hot! If you don’t own, it’s even easier to move.
    I am an everyday worker like the majority of the people that live here, I’m not rich and I have to watch what I spend….I love my little slice of heaven.

  5. Good to see the pandemic as well as the constant ideological and political infighting hasn’t diminished our sense of humor here on
    Martha’s Vineyard.

    It’s a cartoon people, and a rather harmless one at that. Please everybody … lighten the *#% up.

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