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I moved to the bay from D.C. and while the exterior packaging was different, the commonality of positioning amongst the two cities was actually quite similar. I

I moved to the bay from D.C. and while the exterior packaging was different, the commonality of positioning amongst the two cities was actually quite similar. In fact, I found more tolerance to alternative viewpoints in D.C. than I ever did in SV. This notion that SV is an easy going place of acceptance is a bit of a facade. You're accepted, if you accept their viewpoints on topics. If you don't, you either keep your mouth shut, or leave.

deleted 9y ago
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formerdcthrwy 9y ago
Damn, SV must be hell then. I fled DC this spring because the political group-think was so oppressive. If you didn't walk around and make a point of being depressed about Trump winning, you were an asshole. The suggestion that Trump is anything but an orange-haired Hitler would make you enemies, even if paired with solid criticism of Trump and his bunch. A lack of fanatical opposition to Trump made me enemies at work, not exaggerating. All Hands Slack chats were filled with anti-Trump news, jokes, and thoughts on a daily basis. It would be no understatement to say that this dominated the office culture. Our CEO (at a tech startup, not a Democrat-aligned non-profit) sent out a pouting email the morning after the election. Every morning I was bombarded with strident political opinions from my deskmates, and you can bet that had I complained to HR, I'd be seen as the problem. I am so, so happy to be out of that place. I am in another city now that is renowned for its liberal politics, and there's none of the stuff I just mentioned. DC is a whole 'nother beast these days.
SllX 9y ago
Speaking as someone that grew up in San Francisco, I wouldn't call it particularly tolerant anymore. At one time when the current political climate wasn't the default, maybe yeah. So what I would say is the default cultural assumptions have changed from what they used to be and are now diametrically opposed to much of the country in such a way that if you are on the outside looking in, it appears "tolerant" because it is a better place for some groups of people that would be ostracized elsewhere. Meanwhile if you are from the inside looking out, you probably don't see that what you call tolerance and liberalism is in fact just a different kind of intolerance and conservatism because it is not human nature that is different in the Bay, just the goal posts. Or to put it another way, what seems liberal and/or progressive to others is simply "normal", the "default", sometimes even "traditional" or "conservative" here. Especially in San Francisco, Alameda County and some of the more populous counties (quarter of the pop in LA County alone yo!), if not quite all of the State. The scale is just different. Spend 25 years living here and visiting certain parts of the country really will make you feel like you're in a foreign country because you (hypothetically) and I (actually) grew up in a bubble.

deleted 9y ago

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formerdcthrwy 9y ago

Damn, SV must be hell then. I fled DC this spring because the political group-think was so oppressive. If you didn't walk around and make a point of being depressed about Trump winning, you were an asshole. The suggestion that Trump is anything but an orange-haired Hitler would make you enemies, even if paired with solid criticism of Trump and his bunch. A lack of fanatical opposition to Trump made me enemies at work, not exaggerating. All Hands Slack chats were filled with anti-Trump news, jokes, and thoughts on a daily basis. It would be no understatement to say that this dominated the office culture. Our CEO (at a tech startup, not a Democrat-aligned non-profit) sent out a pouting email the morning after the election. Every morning I was bombarded with strident political opinions from my deskmates, and you can bet that had I complained to HR, I'd be seen as the problem. I am so, so happy to be out of that place. I am in another city now that is renowned for its liberal politics, and there's none of the stuff I just mentioned. DC is a whole 'nother beast these days.

SllX 9y ago

Speaking as someone that grew up in San Francisco, I wouldn't call it particularly tolerant anymore. At one time when the current political climate wasn't the default, maybe yeah. So what I would say is the default cultural assumptions have changed from what they used to be and are now diametrically opposed to much of the country in such a way that if you are on the outside looking in, it appears "tolerant" because it is a better place for some groups of people that would be ostracized elsewhere. Meanwhile if you are from the inside looking out, you probably don't see that what you call tolerance and liberalism is in fact just a different kind of intolerance and conservatism because it is not human nature that is different in the Bay, just the goal posts. Or to put it another way, what seems liberal and/or progressive to others is simply "normal", the "default", sometimes even "traditional" or "conservative" here. Especially in San Francisco, Alameda County and some of the more populous counties (quarter of the pop in LA County alone yo!), if not quite all of the State. The scale is just different. Spend 25 years living here and visiting certain parts of the country really will make you feel like you're in a foreign country because you (hypothetically) and I (actually) grew up in a bubble.