5 ms·

Not sure why anyone would choose to live in SF except for geographic-specific opportunities. It's a dirty, overcrowded and high tax pit, and everyone living the

Not sure why anyone would choose to live in SF except for geographic-specific opportunities. It's a dirty, overcrowded and high tax pit, and everyone living there that isn't in tech or finance hates you for your success.

paul7986 6y ago
Now with remote work there's no need to be in such an environment! My memories from each visit is the smell of urine and people who need help using bullhorns to scream their thoughts. I thought to myself this is the charm of San Francisco (circa 2008) I use to hear about in song?
- draw_down 6y ago
  Things change, friend
tmpz22 6y ago
It's still got pockets of extreme beauty where you can for the most part ignore the problems, there's also a strong contingent of "lifers" who would go down with the ship if a small comet was headed to destroy the city. Also a lot of people hanging on to their property values as their entire nest egg.
- pyrrhotech 6y ago
  Oh yea, I agree the natural beauty is astounding. It's the extreme left wing, near Bolshevik culture and attitude that has destroyed it for me. I say this as a lifelong democrat.
  - 98Windows 6y ago
    lol wtf, how is SF in anyway extreme left wing or Bolshevik?
    - lotsofpulp 6y ago
      I don’t know about SF specific policies, but I’ve met some people that consider parental leave, non compete bans, sick leave, environmental laws, and basically anything else to help the general public to be “extreme left”.
    - pyrrhotech 6y ago
      I guess you've never had protesters try to block you from getting to work because you're an evil capitalist actually trying to provide value for society?
      - rsynnott 6y ago
        Public protest is not a sign of ‘Bolshievism’. You get that basically everywhere.
        pyrrhotech 6y ago
        Of course not, and I've attended public protests. But a public protest of the core tenets of capitalism--not just its excesses--is as close to Bolshevism as you can get. Bolsheviks started as a fringe group like Antifa, but look where they ended up. Reasonable moderates need to stand up for a form of regulated capitalism, one that protects workers and the environment, and reasonable tax policies that redistribute some of the elites' wealth to form social safety nets, but we also need to be wary of and even fight against any potential rise of radical, wealth-destroying and authoritarian socialism.
    - typon 6y ago
      It's only Bolshevik to Americans who don't actually understand the meaning of that word, or any related concept for that matter because of the incessant propaganda they're subjected to
  - jeffdn 6y ago
    I'd hazard a guess to say that actual Bolsheviks would be appalled by American liberals, many of whom engage in conspicuous consumption and are vastly more interested in the appearance of affecting change than in the actual work required to make it happen. There is a vast difference between American liberals and left-wing politics.
    - Nasrudith 6y ago
      The Bolsheviks still had the complete case of "missing the goddamned point" and beligerence such that they put totaltiarians in power. I am afraid that "more interested in the appearance of change" applied to them as well. Hell they fit the exact same framework of "fanatical hatred for those with more minute policy distinctions". Their most damning flaw was that they were in the end more interested in killing anyone better off as a scapegoat and dogma policing than them than doing anything to make life better. They aren't the same (thank god - the original Bolsheviks were psychotics!) but plenty of resemblences. There is still the absurd supply-and-demand denialism common to both the area and the self-proclaimed left-wing. Then there is the whole "fight new higher density housing as gentrification" making everyone worse off as the supply doesn't rise but rents do anyway.
  - fermienrico 6y ago
    I agree, SF/Oakland/Berkeley do not resonate with me as a life-long democrat as well. Extreme-left wingers in my view stand head to head with extreme-right wingers. These people are the cancer of the society IMO.
    - crooked-v 6y ago
      One bit of broader context to keep in mind is that "extreme" left-wingers in the US are merely 'the left' by, say, European standards, where the US as a whole is seen as a right-leaning country.
      - natechols 6y ago
        We have actual Maoists in the bay area - they're a tiny faction and utterly irrelevant, but they're very good at getting attention and they like to poison the atmosphere for everyone. There are no Maoist governing parties in Europe that I'm aware of, and hardly any Marxists either.
        peacefulhat 6y ago
        Communist parties in America are nothing but there are communist parties with seats in national legislatures throughout Europe. They’re not specifically Maoist because that doesn’t make any sense for developed countries.
        dragonwriter 6y ago
        > There are no Maoist governing parties in Europe that I'm aware of There aren't any Maoist (or any of the other descendants of Leninism) governing parties in the Bay Area, either.
      - throwaway13337 6y ago
        This is often repeated but, as an American who lived in Europe for some years, it doesn't appear to be true. There are right wings in Europe that carry very strong albeit slightly different conservative beliefs. In any society, there will be conservative views and liberal ones. It just seems like there is a difference in how those beliefs are exercised. Extremism in one side just brings extremism to the other side.
deepakhj 6y ago
The city is going off right now, especially with summer here. Ocean beach, golden gate park, etc are all packed. Many streets have put in park let’s and embracing outdoor dining. If bars serve food, you can get drinks outside. I would agree soma/downtown is a ghost town, but it’s easy to visit other areas. Most high end restaurants are doing pickup and delivery via tock, giving you access to high end food without the 3 hour meal.
zebnyc 6y ago
For me, it is inertia mostly. That and the fact that the wife's work don't appear to embrace remote work long term. If the above were to change, I would definitely move. Not sure where but my top considerations are: - great school district - lower taxes and cost of living - Great outdoors / scenery around

paul7986 6y ago

Now with remote work there's no need to be in such an environment! My memories from each visit is the smell of urine and people who need help using bullhorns to scream their thoughts. I thought to myself this is the charm of San Francisco (circa 2008) I use to hear about in song?

draw_down 6y ago
Things change, friend

tmpz22 6y ago

It's still got pockets of extreme beauty where you can for the most part ignore the problems, there's also a strong contingent of "lifers" who would go down with the ship if a small comet was headed to destroy the city. Also a lot of people hanging on to their property values as their entire nest egg.

pyrrhotech 6y ago
Oh yea, I agree the natural beauty is astounding. It's the extreme left wing, near Bolshevik culture and attitude that has destroyed it for me. I say this as a lifelong democrat.
- 98Windows 6y ago
  lol wtf, how is SF in anyway extreme left wing or Bolshevik?
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    I don’t know about SF specific policies, but I’ve met some people that consider parental leave, non compete bans, sick leave, environmental laws, and basically anything else to help the general public to be “extreme left”.
  - pyrrhotech 6y ago
    I guess you've never had protesters try to block you from getting to work because you're an evil capitalist actually trying to provide value for society?
    - rsynnott 6y ago
      Public protest is not a sign of ‘Bolshievism’. You get that basically everywhere.
      - pyrrhotech 6y ago
        Of course not, and I've attended public protests. But a public protest of the core tenets of capitalism--not just its excesses--is as close to Bolshevism as you can get. Bolsheviks started as a fringe group like Antifa, but look where they ended up. Reasonable moderates need to stand up for a form of regulated capitalism, one that protects workers and the environment, and reasonable tax policies that redistribute some of the elites' wealth to form social safety nets, but we also need to be wary of and even fight against any potential rise of radical, wealth-destroying and authoritarian socialism.
  - typon 6y ago
    It's only Bolshevik to Americans who don't actually understand the meaning of that word, or any related concept for that matter because of the incessant propaganda they're subjected to
- jeffdn 6y ago
  I'd hazard a guess to say that actual Bolsheviks would be appalled by American liberals, many of whom engage in conspicuous consumption and are vastly more interested in the appearance of affecting change than in the actual work required to make it happen. There is a vast difference between American liberals and left-wing politics.
  - Nasrudith 6y ago
    The Bolsheviks still had the complete case of "missing the goddamned point" and beligerence such that they put totaltiarians in power. I am afraid that "more interested in the appearance of change" applied to them as well. Hell they fit the exact same framework of "fanatical hatred for those with more minute policy distinctions". Their most damning flaw was that they were in the end more interested in killing anyone better off as a scapegoat and dogma policing than them than doing anything to make life better. They aren't the same (thank god - the original Bolsheviks were psychotics!) but plenty of resemblences. There is still the absurd supply-and-demand denialism common to both the area and the self-proclaimed left-wing. Then there is the whole "fight new higher density housing as gentrification" making everyone worse off as the supply doesn't rise but rents do anyway.
- fermienrico 6y ago
  I agree, SF/Oakland/Berkeley do not resonate with me as a life-long democrat as well. Extreme-left wingers in my view stand head to head with extreme-right wingers. These people are the cancer of the society IMO.
  - crooked-v 6y ago
    One bit of broader context to keep in mind is that "extreme" left-wingers in the US are merely 'the left' by, say, European standards, where the US as a whole is seen as a right-leaning country.
    - natechols 6y ago
      We have actual Maoists in the bay area - they're a tiny faction and utterly irrelevant, but they're very good at getting attention and they like to poison the atmosphere for everyone. There are no Maoist governing parties in Europe that I'm aware of, and hardly any Marxists either.
      - peacefulhat 6y ago
        Communist parties in America are nothing but there are communist parties with seats in national legislatures throughout Europe. They’re not specifically Maoist because that doesn’t make any sense for developed countries.
      - dragonwriter 6y ago
        > There are no Maoist governing parties in Europe that I'm aware of There aren't any Maoist (or any of the other descendants of Leninism) governing parties in the Bay Area, either.
    - throwaway13337 6y ago
      This is often repeated but, as an American who lived in Europe for some years, it doesn't appear to be true. There are right wings in Europe that carry very strong albeit slightly different conservative beliefs. In any society, there will be conservative views and liberal ones. It just seems like there is a difference in how those beliefs are exercised. Extremism in one side just brings extremism to the other side.

deepakhj 6y ago

The city is going off right now, especially with summer here. Ocean beach, golden gate park, etc are all packed. Many streets have put in park let’s and embracing outdoor dining. If bars serve food, you can get drinks outside. I would agree soma/downtown is a ghost town, but it’s easy to visit other areas. Most high end restaurants are doing pickup and delivery via tock, giving you access to high end food without the 3 hour meal.

zebnyc 6y ago

For me, it is inertia mostly. That and the fact that the wife's work don't appear to embrace remote work long term. If the above were to change, I would definitely move. Not sure where but my top considerations are: - great school district - lower taxes and cost of living - Great outdoors / scenery around