Have any of you heard of the Mole People in New York City? It has been hotly debated and studied and has spawned a famous book and an award-winning documentary. The reports are that homeless people live in abandoned subway stations far underground in modern day New York City. A woman claims she went underground, found these people and lived with them. She wrote a book called "The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath NYC" where she claims there are about 5000 homeless people living in the tunnels and that they have created their own sub-society and communities.

Here are some links if you want to read more about this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_People
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040109.html
http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id350/pg1/
http://leblog.exuberance.com/2005/03/mole_people_liv.html
http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/mole-people.html

Marc Singer made a documentary called Dark Days recounting his experience living with the people under the city.
Here is a link about that too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Days_(documentary)

Of course these accounts have been scrutinized and I think it is pretty apparent that the author of the book took liberties in her accounts of the people and their 'communities'. One thing did become clear in the 90's and that was the fact there was(still is) a big homeless population in NYC and not a whole lot was being done. I don't think anyone argues that there are homeless people living under the city, the contention lies in the assertions that they have created communities and a sub-culture. Either way it is interesting to think about.

I've seen some wierd people living in NY, but hell, never seen a mole person.

Its New York City

I wouldnt be suprised..

I don't know. This one is new on me. I'll check the links later.

Saw something like this on Futurama.....LOL

I was gonna say. . . Arent they the mutants that live under new new york? That would be cool if that was Matt Groening was going for though. .. Sounds like Ninja Turtles too. Jk. lol

LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought (like) that!

Does sound like ninja turtles

And the master mole rat thingy

If they are, they aren't hurting anyone, and that would mean they're getting along downt here okay, so more power to them.

If they aren't, they probably should.

Oh. You mean the mutants living under New New York?

Why wouldn't they form communities underground, if that is where they live?

I happen to know several homeless people (not in NYC however), and they do live in a sort of community. I would imagine that the more homeless people in one place, the higher chance of communities forming.

I've read Jennifer Toth's book and really don't see anything that outlandish with her findings.

yea there are mole ppl in nyc, we call them bums

Just when I thought I'd heard everything, literal underground societies! According to a couple of those links, there could be a grain of truth to all of this. Now I'm going have to have weird dreams tonight, thanks a lot.

looks like i didnt read the first post...

remind me of hans moleman

I know I had a problem with a "Power Mole" some year ago or something. Little suckers blamed it for stuffing 200+ pounds of some type of play-do type material. Hard as heck to stamp into the ground with my feet, but I did.
Got real angry when all these things that looked like springs sticking out everywhere showed up. Got mad, a lot, did.

Hmmm maybe if we poured some radioactive waste into the sewers, the Mole People would mutate and we can get a new toy line going and call it The Over the Hill Mutant Urban Mole People. They have have their own accessories like a garbage bag, a shopping cart, and recycling bottles?

Unfortunately I have gotten a rather bitter vibe towards homeless people though this post. Keep in mind that an overwhelming majority of homeless are mentally ill. I was talking to a homeless guy the other day who is mentally ill and he lived with his mother and she took care of him, she died and he was evicted from the apartment. He is sick, cannot work, has no family and spends most of his time trying to get money saved so he can sleep in the shelters through the winter. This is a very common and sad story and unfortunately not a whole lot is being done to help.
People tend to treat the homeless like they are sub-humans. I spend a lot of time talking to the homeless, volunteering, etc and they are, for the most part, very interesting, kind people who are down on their luck, they are sick with a terminal illness, and/or most-likely they are mentally ill. If anyone could benefit from some kind words, respect and support it is them.

I'm at work and can't watch thesevideo clips but will later. I hope they shed some light hehe.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Dark+Days

hahaha

New, on Cartoon Network! Teenage Mutant Ninja Homeless!

Seriously...thats kinda scary! Homeless living in the Subway tunnels? Thats just weird... Law & Order: SVU had an episode like that...

Well good for you gaia...

Yes, there are alot of homeless people in NY, but I have never heard of mole people...Before they cleaned up Times Square, you couldn't walk without having to step over some poor person lying on the floor of the Port of Authority or on the streets...It upset me to see them, and I always gave my self an excuse as to why they were living like that...I'm from a small town in So. Jersey, and we have homeless people living in the woods...We have 3 high schools in the next town and three seniors from the best high school decided to do a bum raid...They found a homeless man and beat him, sending him to the hospital...Fortunately he lived, and fortunately these three a******s got sentenced to jail...Whatever has happened to these people is sad, whether it be loss of job, loss of loved one, mental illness, etc...

Never heard of this legend, I can imagine it wouldn't be very sanitary though.

I believe over a certain amout of years they could have built a underground economy you never know.

yeah I heard about this before I've seen a documentary about it as well and they talked about it on the Weird U.S show the history channel used to air a few years back

What do these mole people do for food? And what about sanitation? I don't think they would survive for long living in an environment of poor hygiene and poor nutrition.

i herd of them everbody knose about them but do you now about the monitour

If they actually formed communities I would think the Government would be ALL over that for their tax money.

Also, I would assume that NY would have knowledge of these peoples existance.. They would probably be considered a massive 'gang' of sorts, and be blammed for unsolved theft/robberies.

I mean I guess it could be possible, but I just don't think that it is likely..

The only ==out"sing" is Bush and his cohorts of formal: Pay for my new house and duds. After fleeing the desert, as they did.

When the Green Zone was displayed by a rather fattened newscaster looking for the better smelling, freshly "exploded" taters: They indeed showed their ~cowardice.

This is the newly accepted form of Governmental Vandalism. Showing that you did, indeed, leave behind much equipment. From 'dirty bomb' anti-tank depleted Uranium shells, to equipment which even now haunts the US.

The catastrophic failures of the Power Grid due to influx from this, which is cause for instability in the housing "arena". The failures which even now, 12/22/07, plague beyond the given chuckle by media, is very, very serious.


I'd say, beyond the 'scope' of changing angles of viewing; they, that is, the gov't. Should, in fact, stabilize. And, brace for """"Impending Doom!"" Which is to surely follow. Upon their scattered remnants.

No tellin's how many were left to cope, as best they could, in the enemies' grasp. When they most certainly fled. As is well Documented.

How know's this, this individual keying. Where's Paula Zhan, who surely lost her prime time Spot, when trying to cover as best she could... With defining the destructed Green Zone, as best she could, with too much ink. I have never believed HQ aka. The Green Zone, to be expanded beyond its own borders. To the expanse she once did. A full third the size of the country.

Lord rest her stigma. And, 'Let's roll in the next...' Pretty Face... We are in much need of a 'Proper' distraction...


"God Bless the USA", and help us all from the invaders. As our military now seeks deployment via fashion craze...!!!!!!!

Oh.....

Does this have something to do with mole people? And moreover....WTF?

It was a comment on an above post. When cycling through looking to throw a quip, as you have: Be sure and read earlier post.

I appreciate your effort at adding the Ultimate in change the time-frame, and getting in a good last word effort. But, of effort, a little on your part will show it was a successive prod towards another's flare at the State of War we're currently engaged in.

Perhaps, though, you're of the type that likes the "Magic Numbers". If so, yeah, we're the lucky 77% in all involvements. There's no financial turmoil. Gas is given freely, you just have to look in the right places...