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Any small town HN readers like me see articles like this and can't relate at all? I used to be envious and longed to be part of this type of community, but now

Any small town HN readers like me see articles like this and can't relate at all? I used to be envious and longed to be part of this type of community, but now I just feel indifferent to it. It's a very strange world you Silly Valley kids live in.

DougMerritt 11y ago
> Silly Valley That's not a thing. Don't believe everything that random comedians make up.
- Blackthorn 11y ago
  > That's not a thing. Sure is! Lived there for a year and a half. First saw Rachel (of rachelbythebay.com) use it and was like "holy crap, that's a perfect description!"
  - DougMerritt 11y ago
    I've lived here for 3 decades. No one here calls it that, and the google hits are (1) fairly few and (2) mostly google treating it as a synonym for "silicon valley" and (3) actual hits are for a not-well-known recent comedy news show. I certainly did not deserve downvotes for speaking the truth. It's not a thing, it's not widely used, it's a recent one-off joke -- and if you want to make fun of silicon valley (which of course has many faults), "silly" is simply not what this place is like.
    - oldmanjay 11y ago
      On top of that, it has the wrong number of syllables, so it's not a very good joke, even considering that "clever" renaming is one of the lowest forms of humor.
    - seiji 11y ago
      > It's not a thing The fact you've become so offended at an online message board comment word joke supports the entire point of your environment being ridiculous, out of touch, and, dare we say, silly. > "silly" is simply not what this place is like. what.
      - DougMerritt 11y ago
        A factual correction is not being offended. But now I'm offended that you are calling me offended because it's offensive to read fault into factual statements; is that offensive to you? > supports the entire point of your environment being ridiculous, "Ridiculous" is in fact a much better word for it. > > "silly" is simply not what this place is like. > what. Silly implies things like light-heartedness. Silicon Valley's faults are not light-hearted. At its worst it can feel like a dungeon, not something amusing.
    - thewillcole 11y ago
      OMG! You think we're doing "Comedy"?! Thank you sooo much. That's the nicest compliment we've received since my parents said: "We'll love you no matter what you do."
- cushychicken 11y ago
  Had never heard it until now, will definitely use it more now that I know it gets a reaction. ;)
  - DougMerritt 11y ago
    Be sure to call San Francisco "Frisco" and California "Cali" for maximum reaction.
    - rhc2104 11y ago
      No, the worst is calling SF "San Fran". :(
- thewillcole 11y ago
  Hi, I'm Will Cole, a random comedian and cohost of Silly Valley, which is definitely a thing. Believe it.
  - DougMerritt 11y ago
    Yes, you're trying to make your show's name enter the common lexicon and the dictionary, to ensure your place in history. Which is why I called bullshit in the first place. Now take your ego elsewhere.
    - thewillcole 11y ago
      Place in history! I like your vision, Doug.
amyjess 11y ago
Not from a small town (I'm from suburban North Texas), but I can't relate either. I had a fairly normal upbringing, and the lifestyle described in this article is just totally alien to me. I'm honestly glad I got to go to college. Those were the best years of my life, and I can't imagine voluntarily missing out on them, not even for a six-figure sum. I'm also introverted enough that the idea of having eight roommates just horrifies me...
- oldmanjay 11y ago
  I can't imagine having college be the best years of my life. That implies a downhill slope post-college that's just plain depressing on the face of it. Fortunately, I didn't bother going. Had all the fun, none of the responsibilities, and my life has only gotten better in the decades since that time.
  - freyr 11y ago
    Personally, I wouldn't say "the best years," but certainly it was a very unique time that stands out from everything before it, and everything after it. Perhaps this is partly from the excitement of being out on your own for the first time in life, so it's less about college than being "college aged." Then again, the real-life network effect of being surrounded by thousands of other exuberant young people can't be discredited entirely.
  - CocaKoala 11y ago
    College was definitely the best years of my life up to that point. The big reason that I'm glad I went to college is because I went through so many changes as a person in terms of my goals and interests, and so many of those changes were informed by the people around me (including the woman who would later become my wife). If I hadn't gone to college (or even if I had just gone to a different college), then I'd be a very different person than I am today. And obviously, that can't be generalized into anything meaningful; if I had gone to a different college, then I'd be a very different person but that different person might be perfectly happy doing whatever they do, possibly even happier than I am. But if I hadn't gone to college at all, I wouldn't have had that exposure to different people and I wouldn't have decided to explore a number of hobbies that ended up defining who I would become. I wasn't happy with I was out of high school, and the idea of never being shaken out of that is terrifying. If you have a way to change up your environment and expose yourself to new things outside the structure of college, then I can easily believe you can get all the benefits that I got without the responsibilities or the cost. College just happens to provide an easy framework for that happen. I agree that anybody who says "college was the best years of my life", similar to people who say "high school was the best years of my life" to be profoundly sad; I had a total blast in college and while there were some low points immediately after graduation, I'm very excited about where my life has gone and where I can see it going in the future.
realbarack 11y ago
Agreed. I loved high school and college. I think what these kids are doing is really cool in some ways, but I never would've wanted to.
ambrood 11y ago
I live in the Mission, not more than 2 blocks from the place they mention and yet I can't relate to this either.
imperialdrive 11y ago
If you live in a small town and are thinking of coming here, still do it! As crazy as it sounds, if you possess a respectful, honest, candid/cool attitude and can speak at a regular tempo and look people in the eye etc. etc., (things I thank a small town upbringing for), then you will do well here. I always thought the competition would be overwhelming, but if you know what's up, it is actually easier to find a job here since SF is drowning in this 'fresh talent' that is so dangerous to companies not looking for a quick buck, but rather to establish a viable business model.

DougMerritt 11y ago

> Silly Valley That's not a thing. Don't believe everything that random comedians make up.

Blackthorn 11y ago
> That's not a thing. Sure is! Lived there for a year and a half. First saw Rachel (of rachelbythebay.com) use it and was like "holy crap, that's a perfect description!"
- DougMerritt 11y ago
  I've lived here for 3 decades. No one here calls it that, and the google hits are (1) fairly few and (2) mostly google treating it as a synonym for "silicon valley" and (3) actual hits are for a not-well-known recent comedy news show. I certainly did not deserve downvotes for speaking the truth. It's not a thing, it's not widely used, it's a recent one-off joke -- and if you want to make fun of silicon valley (which of course has many faults), "silly" is simply not what this place is like.
  - oldmanjay 11y ago
    On top of that, it has the wrong number of syllables, so it's not a very good joke, even considering that "clever" renaming is one of the lowest forms of humor.
  - seiji 11y ago
    > It's not a thing The fact you've become so offended at an online message board comment word joke supports the entire point of your environment being ridiculous, out of touch, and, dare we say, silly. > "silly" is simply not what this place is like. what.
    - DougMerritt 11y ago
      A factual correction is not being offended. But now I'm offended that you are calling me offended because it's offensive to read fault into factual statements; is that offensive to you? > supports the entire point of your environment being ridiculous, "Ridiculous" is in fact a much better word for it. > > "silly" is simply not what this place is like. > what. Silly implies things like light-heartedness. Silicon Valley's faults are not light-hearted. At its worst it can feel like a dungeon, not something amusing.
  - thewillcole 11y ago
    OMG! You think we're doing "Comedy"?! Thank you sooo much. That's the nicest compliment we've received since my parents said: "We'll love you no matter what you do."
cushychicken 11y ago
Had never heard it until now, will definitely use it more now that I know it gets a reaction. ;)
- DougMerritt 11y ago
  Be sure to call San Francisco "Frisco" and California "Cali" for maximum reaction.
  - rhc2104 11y ago
    No, the worst is calling SF "San Fran". :(
thewillcole 11y ago
Hi, I'm Will Cole, a random comedian and cohost of Silly Valley, which is definitely a thing. Believe it.
- DougMerritt 11y ago
  Yes, you're trying to make your show's name enter the common lexicon and the dictionary, to ensure your place in history. Which is why I called bullshit in the first place. Now take your ego elsewhere.
  - thewillcole 11y ago
    Place in history! I like your vision, Doug.

amyjess 11y ago

Not from a small town (I'm from suburban North Texas), but I can't relate either. I had a fairly normal upbringing, and the lifestyle described in this article is just totally alien to me. I'm honestly glad I got to go to college. Those were the best years of my life, and I can't imagine voluntarily missing out on them, not even for a six-figure sum. I'm also introverted enough that the idea of having eight roommates just horrifies me...

oldmanjay 11y ago
I can't imagine having college be the best years of my life. That implies a downhill slope post-college that's just plain depressing on the face of it. Fortunately, I didn't bother going. Had all the fun, none of the responsibilities, and my life has only gotten better in the decades since that time.
- freyr 11y ago
  Personally, I wouldn't say "the best years," but certainly it was a very unique time that stands out from everything before it, and everything after it. Perhaps this is partly from the excitement of being out on your own for the first time in life, so it's less about college than being "college aged." Then again, the real-life network effect of being surrounded by thousands of other exuberant young people can't be discredited entirely.
- CocaKoala 11y ago
  College was definitely the best years of my life up to that point. The big reason that I'm glad I went to college is because I went through so many changes as a person in terms of my goals and interests, and so many of those changes were informed by the people around me (including the woman who would later become my wife). If I hadn't gone to college (or even if I had just gone to a different college), then I'd be a very different person than I am today. And obviously, that can't be generalized into anything meaningful; if I had gone to a different college, then I'd be a very different person but that different person might be perfectly happy doing whatever they do, possibly even happier than I am. But if I hadn't gone to college at all, I wouldn't have had that exposure to different people and I wouldn't have decided to explore a number of hobbies that ended up defining who I would become. I wasn't happy with I was out of high school, and the idea of never being shaken out of that is terrifying. If you have a way to change up your environment and expose yourself to new things outside the structure of college, then I can easily believe you can get all the benefits that I got without the responsibilities or the cost. College just happens to provide an easy framework for that happen. I agree that anybody who says "college was the best years of my life", similar to people who say "high school was the best years of my life" to be profoundly sad; I had a total blast in college and while there were some low points immediately after graduation, I'm very excited about where my life has gone and where I can see it going in the future.

realbarack 11y ago

Agreed. I loved high school and college. I think what these kids are doing is really cool in some ways, but I never would've wanted to.

ambrood 11y ago

I live in the Mission, not more than 2 blocks from the place they mention and yet I can't relate to this either.

imperialdrive 11y ago

If you live in a small town and are thinking of coming here, still do it! As crazy as it sounds, if you possess a respectful, honest, candid/cool attitude and can speak at a regular tempo and look people in the eye etc. etc., (things I thank a small town upbringing for), then you will do well here. I always thought the competition would be overwhelming, but if you know what's up, it is actually easier to find a job here since SF is drowning in this 'fresh talent' that is so dangerous to companies not looking for a quick buck, but rather to establish a viable business model.