3 ms·

Good point about the multi story garages. And I apologize if my comment came off as too dismissive. As you said, we're all dealing in anecdata here and your ane

by Inconel 10y ago

Good point about the multi story garages. And I apologize if my comment came off as too dismissive. As you said, we're all dealing in anecdata here and your anecdotes are just as valid as mine. Although, I will reiterate that in my experience both as a normal resident and a homeless resident of SF, I found the homeless population particularly aggressive and at times unstable and violent. Regarding the narrowly escaping pooping incident, yes, I was waiting for the lights to change and not paying much attention when an older woman crouched down on the curb 3-4 feet to my side and relived herself. Without getting into too much detail, what came out was rather liquified and I only noticed her as I saw it hit the pavement in front of me.

manarth 10y ago
Good grief, I can see why a bizarre incident like that would stick in your mind. That said, I can relate a story where I was ordering takeaway on a Friday evening in (the UK city) Bristol, when one of the customers started weeing where they were sat, on a bar stool at the counter. I think some of these incidents are a reflection of cities in general, but also - like shark attacks and plane crashes - they're talked about because they are so unusual and rare. The consequent discussions aren't necessarily proportionate to the number of incidents. I also wonder whether the "must relocate to San Francisco" phenomenon has brought in people who have previously lived in more suburban or rural surroundings, and are attributing their changed experiences specifically to SF, rather than to cities in general. Or it could simply be that SF does have a significantly different homeless population to most cities, which would make for a fascinating study in behavioural science. It sounds like your experiences support that, and I'll keep an open mind to the question.
- Inconel 10y ago
  You make an excellent point again on the risk of letting personal experiences unduly influence perspective. And I've embarrassingly never considered your point about the transient nature of tech employment in SF possibly bringing people into contact with the homeless that don't have any prior experience dealing with them. Great point and I can definitely see how this could color their experience.

by Inconel 10y ago

manarth 10y ago

Good grief, I can see why a bizarre incident like that would stick in your mind. That said, I can relate a story where I was ordering takeaway on a Friday evening in (the UK city) Bristol, when one of the customers started weeing where they were sat, on a bar stool at the counter. I think some of these incidents are a reflection of cities in general, but also - like shark attacks and plane crashes - they're talked about because they are so unusual and rare. The consequent discussions aren't necessarily proportionate to the number of incidents. I also wonder whether the "must relocate to San Francisco" phenomenon has brought in people who have previously lived in more suburban or rural surroundings, and are attributing their changed experiences specifically to SF, rather than to cities in general. Or it could simply be that SF does have a significantly different homeless population to most cities, which would make for a fascinating study in behavioural science. It sounds like your experiences support that, and I'll keep an open mind to the question.

Inconel 10y ago
You make an excellent point again on the risk of letting personal experiences unduly influence perspective. And I've embarrassingly never considered your point about the transient nature of tech employment in SF possibly bringing people into contact with the homeless that don't have any prior experience dealing with them. Great point and I can definitely see how this could color their experience.