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Comment by douche | Hacker News Reader

Hmm. The high school dropouts I knew always said that they'd go down and live next to the river in a van. Now it's the new hipster cool thing. Reminds me of people glorifying living in "tiny houses" that are upscale versions of the wickiup tow-behind logging camps my father lived in. Minus the mice and weasels skittering across your sleeping bag in the night, or the bear that smashes your kitchen to pieces while you're out chopping.

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There's some interesting theories that the popularity of vans and tiny houses aren't just a hipster trend, but an actual reaction to diminishing opportunities. I don't know if they are true.

When life gives you lemons and you can't afford a home, you make lemonade out of the fact that you're living in your car or in an illegal shed.

When the bid you put in on a one bedroom house was a year's salary over asking price and you still lose "Fuck It" starts to seem a lot more sensible.

I definitely think that's the case, same for food trucks as well.

just an anecdote from the people i know doing this.. there isn't a necessity component for them. It is reactionary though, i think it's a reaction to the "Ok, i just finished 20 years of this school system of control.. and now I get to.. sign up for a 30 year system of control? (mortgage)"

Exactly. Combined with utilities, insurance, property taxes, zoning, maintenance, etc...

A house is literally a systemic bureaucratic yoke around your neck.

That's the whole point, though, isn't it? It's a vehicle for people's fantasies. Like that genre of porn that's shot as though from the viewpoint of one of the participants, except that the illusory fulfillment on offer here is of a different and more socially acceptable urge.

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