#91 San Francisco
March 23, 2008 by clander
San Francisco is one of the top US destinations for white people in terms of both travel and living. It is universally agreeable and is a safe discussion topic for any situation.
The city is considered one of the world’s premiere locations for white person research.
White people like to vacation in San Francisco because it has beautiful architecture, fantastic food, and it is near the water. They like to live in San Francisco because of its abundance of Non Profit Organizations, Expensive Sandwiches, Wine, political outlook, and most importantly its diversity.
Since many white people either live in, plan to move to, or closely identify with San Francisco it is imperative that you know how best to deal with them.
The City of San Francisco has a very multicultural population that ranges from white to gay to Asian. Within white culture this known as “ideal diversity” for its provision of exotic restaurants while simultaneously preserving property values. The presence of gays and Asians is imperative as it two provides two of the key resources most necessary for white success and happiness.
However, it is important to be aware of the fact that regions outside of San Francisco feature many people who are not white, gay or Asian. They are greatly appreciated during the census, but white people are generally very happy that they stay in places like Oakland and Richmond. This enables white people to feel good about living near people of diverse backgrounds without having to directly deal with troublesome issues like income gaps or schooling.
Still, the presence of other minorities are welcomed by white people for so many more reasons than just statistics! Much in the way that white people in Brooklyn feel a strong and unfounded connection with The Notorious BIG, white people in San Francisco feel the need to identify with rappers from the East Bay. Interestingly enough, the further they venture from San Francisco, the stronger their need to represent their region.
“Oh man, I went to the Too Short show last night. So hyphy man, so hyphy. You should come by some time and we’ll ghost ride the Prius.”
When you are presented with statements like this, the best response is to say “Berkeley is close to Oakland,” and the white person will likely nod and throw up some sort of west side hand sign.
Though it is exceptionally easy to put someone from San Francisco in a good mood, there are some caveats. When talking to a white person who lives in San Francisco, it is best not to bring up New York City. Though they live in a world class city, San Franciscans have a crippling inferiority complex about New York and even hinting at that will make them very sad or very defensive.
Fortunately, there is a fool-proof method for quickly returning the conversation to a positive, trust-building tone. No matter how much you have offended someone from San Francisco, you can always make them feel better by asking them how they feel about Southern California. They will instantly talk of how it is filled with crime, pollution, hegemonic culture, and the wrong kind of white people: “I swear California is like two separate countries, and I am so thankful that I live in the cultural center of the West Coast.” This will allow them to reassert their superiority and leave the conversation with a positive feeling about themselves and about you.
Castro Photo by bkusler who has done an excellent photo essay on Stuff White People Like. Dancing Photo by amynugget.
Volvos are also acceptable for ghost riding.
Yeah man, San Fran is a trip. You should do a post on the DMB or Charlottesville, VA, which is almost completely populated by “White People”
Fuck charlottesville. this is stuffsmalltownassholeslike.com
http://www.tucc.org
I couldn’t find any where else to post this but in this thread.
Burning Man?!?!?! It has to be one of the most obnoxious thing that white people constantly obsess over year round. They use it as a way to have a one up on say, someone who has not gone or has not gone as many times. They spend all year figuring out new ways to bring attention to themselves by wearing some silly outfit or some stupid art installation…just for bragging rights. Tons of SF people go to BM, so I posted it here.
Please include it on your list.
Thanks!!
I have nothing witty to say about that, so therefore I must bring up an irrelevant tangent, just to bring attention to my own neuroses!
I might look like a tangent, but I’m just a tourist that knows how to live on $5 a day. I still always carries $200 in my wallet just in case when the police are out rounding up tangents.
But that’s besides my point. I just wanted to ask somebody if a Jew is considered white here in Frisco? I don’t hardly see a Jew where I come from, much less know any as a friends.
Forgot tosay I mean I could probly make friend with a Jew, but since I dont right yet then I cannot ask one if their white or not.
Sorry for the double post.
This is really funny I’m really enjoying myself even with a triple post. I guess you can go ahead and enjoy a lot more self indulgence when you are here in Frisco, and white. LOL! OH that felt good, but don’t ask me what it was!
One more thing though if anyone has any questions about black people I can probably help you because I have a mess of black friends back home LOL
White people from San Fran never say “Frisco”. We can always spot the out of towners.
Then again you may just be spotting the people from the area who like tweaking the nose of all the white people who get all haughty about being from “The City.”
Oakland should be called the City and SF called West Bay
We also NEVER say San Fran.
White people don’t like Calling It Frisco, but we’re changing that. Callitfrisco dot com!
Every time I hear Frisco I think of the city in Texas. :[
it be b callin called the like sick frazzle or the ese effe or the you dont! thats the slang
You are wrong.
It’s fun to say Frisco when you move away from it, though.
OK, here’s how it works.
White people think Jews are white. Black people think Jews are bastard whites. Assimilated Jews get fooled into thinking they’re white, but real Jews *KNOW* we’re not white and only pretend to act a little white so you white folks will tolerate us instead of thinking of us as “Arabs who don’t bomb things”.
I think you are white till proven Jewish… not usre how it works LOL
isn’t judaism a religion (not race)
Judaism is a race and a religion. You can convert to Judaism, but there is a long cultural heritage that is attributed to the Jewish ethnicity. You can be of Jewish descent, but not practice Judaism. The Jewish ethnicity is considered a middle eastern race, (I think, not 100% though) and a more interesting question is are Jews white? They may have white skin, or may not, but are they part of white culture? Is there even a white culture? Or is it jsut an amalgamation of other cultures that white people have conquered, forced to assimilate or extinguished entirely?
White people do in fact have a culture. One you can thank for the things like the Magna Carter, the Constitution, Democracy, Communism, Socialism, impressionism, harnessed nuclear fission, flight, gothic architecture, classical music, country music, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, American Idol (sadly), Dry humor, Superman, MTV, Fiddle/Violin, Bag pipes, champagne, the sandwich, mashed potatoes. As with all cultures, there are pros and cons of equal magnitude. Don’t be mad that historically Europeans where better at government…
Wow…so many people on this site display not just the reason why both white people and America are viewed so dismally at times. First of, it is the “Magna Carta”…lets repeat that…Magna Carta. I wonder how many people on here even know what that piece of parchment actually describes.
Also, lets get our semantics and grammar correct as well (I mean, if you’re white, isn’t that the point anyways, aren’t you supposed to prove your superiority to the “uneducated, inarticulate minorities”). Yes, Europeans “were” better at “creating government” or “governing” – government is not a verb. (One could argue that Europeans still ARE better at governing; however, that is an entirely separate topic.)
Then we agree on the list, excellent. I’ll get my bi-lingual secretary to proof my posts next time.
Why can’t government be a verb?
I will government you if you continue the behavior. or When I government I fell amazing, like a fresh nicely smelling breeze!
that is really all I have.
Magna Carter? Is she related to Jimmy?
Yes – younger sister. The family doesn’t talk about her much – she moved to Minnesota and works in a mall.
Wow. Did human history begin when Europeans became dominant? Did great civilizations with great cultures, multilingual people, music, literature, art, science, mathematics, medicine, law and good government not exist while much of Europe was, by comparison, barbarous and primitive, that is, before it learned to wage war, destroy other cultures, commit genocide and enslave the world for its resources?
If you’ll look up the definition of rock and roll you’ll find that it is a music form derived directly from blues, gospel, jazz, country music and rhythm and blues. You can hear all of these in the music of Elvis, the Stones and the Beatles. John Lennon learned to sing rock and roll from Little Richard, who tutored him. Elvis seems to have picked up a lot of great moves from Sam Cook. News while it’s news: Eric Clapton didn’t write “Crossroads.” Look up Robert Johnson and listen to where Clapton’s blues licks came from. He’ll be the first one to tell you. American rock music–and our culture== is not white people’s music. It’s American. That’s all of us, big guy.
Uh, and this blog is probably written by a person who understands irony and can laugh at him or herself. I don’t know what color they are. chill out, Eric, it’s irony. Do some reading, or something.
Judism is not a race, never have and never will be. Just because the Jews wish it was a race, it is not. Check the REAL facts, not a wiki. Just because they have one of the highest incidents of Autism, and other diseases specific to them, it is still not a race. I have never seen it listed as a race on any of the food stamp applications, job application, or hand gun application. (damn thats a dangerous combination of forms to fill out).
Get real, next you gonna want special treatment at the Special Olympics. Two finger booger dig competition.
The real facts are that Jews are a race, they’re part of the Semitic family. Hence the word for hating Jews is “anti-Semitic”, rather than “anti-Jewish”. Also in the Semitic family are Arabs and Druze, amongst others. Most American and European Jews have long dilated bloodlines however, and are pretty much white (except by Nazi standards). Jewish bloodlines follow matrilineal heritage. If you’re mom’s a Jew, then so are you.
i’m a jew. if jews are middle eastern and non-white, then i guess i’m not white, and therefore all jews are non-white. but — who says all jews are middle eastern or that all middle eastern people are non-white?
I have too much spare time like other white people so I looked up the demographic category for Middle Eastern people. According to US Census standards, they are categorized as “white”, therefore Jews are “white” too even if they are considered Middle Eastern.
whoa whoa whoa. i think you are forgetting the vast populations of jews of color. jews in india and jews in africa that have existed for hundreds and hundreds of generations. in fact, these jewish communities are some of the oldest jewish communities in the world. they were never affected by the holocaust because they are seen by their RACE and skin color first before the fact that they are jewish.
so yes, american, european and middle eastern jews are white, because they’re certainly not brown and they’re certainly not black. and they have not been treated, or forgotten, in the same way that the brown and black jews have been.
and what’s the point of american or middle eastern jews trying to claim that they’re not white?? are they trying to shed their white privilege and morph their identity..? because that’s something only a white person could do anyway….
They may not be W.A.S.P. (White Anglo Saxton Protestants) but they are still “white”. White skin is white skin – which is WHITE. the U.S. Census Bureau considers you white as well as certain people of Middle Eastern descent due to your physical features and mostly white or almond skin tone. Pasty pale blondes and redheads aren’t the only “white people” Get over it, you’re white!
P.S. I’m half a Jew and have several Jewish friends and have never considered ourselves “non-white”
Thanks for reading…
Only if you have blue eyes and look the Jesus pictures we have hanging in our white living rooms, will you be able to qualify as “white”. Otherwise, you probably look like Judas or Barrabas and are therefore black. White people really like pointing out racial tension issues in the Bible.
I don’t have blonde hair or blue eyes, I’m Jewish, and you’d probably call me whitie if you saw me on the street. Jews aren’t black, we’re Semitic. The world ain’t that simple, banshee.
Yes, a jew is considered white provided he is from a etnic group that would be consodered white: Russian/German/Spanish etc. However, of he was a black Moroccan jew then he would be black.
Jews are a “nationality”. Look it up and ruminate.
To this poster who asked:
trailer dogg on March 29, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I might look like a tangent, but I’m just a tourist that knows how to live on $5 a day. I still always carries $200 in my wallet just in case when the police are out rounding up tangents.
But that’s besides my point. I just wanted to ask somebody if a Jew is considered white here in Frisco? I don’t hardly see a Jew where I come from, much less know any as a friends.
Yes Jews are considered white.. what else could they be? They look lilly white to me.
holy crap. all these people posting all these comments, and not a single person points out that the idea of “race” is not a scientific fact but rather a cultural/social construct!? didn’t all y’all white people get your freakin’ liberal arts educations like this website says you do?
ok peeps. so basically the whitefolk that this website talks about is mostly WASPy white. y’all know what that means? WASP = white anglo saxon protestant. that encompasses not just “race” (white) but also religion (protestant) and region (anglo and saxon… from anglia and saxony… etc.). the folks who came over from england, mostly.
it’s WASPy white culture that is the dominant culture here in the US. so just to say “jews are white! therefore they’re a part of the dominant culture!” is so facile, simplistic, superficial etc etc…
!!!
“They use it as a way to have a one up on say, someone who has not gone or has not gone as many times.”
I disagree with this part of your assessment. Like evangelical Christians, “burners” (as they are commonly known) do not try and one-up “non-burners” so much as they are attempting to evangelize the event to anyone who has not attended.
Bragging rights are usually centered around the number of, and earliest, Burning Man attended, not around costumes, art installations, “mutant vehicles” (an art car meeting the event’s strict safety and artistic requirements) or theme camp.
Burners typically consider the “last good Burn” to be the year they first attended. Within the hierarchy of burners’ sense of superiority, the earliest year of attendance seems to trump the total number of events attended. So a burner who first attended the event in 1994 tends to think themselves superior to someone who has attended continuously since 2000.
It is important to note that this type of one-upsmanship is usually reserved only for discussions between burners. Discussing how the quality of the event has declined over years could discourage the non-burner from attending.
The moment a first time attendee arrives, it becomes perfectly acceptable to inform them of how much the event has declined from years prior. This criticism will often be directed at a particular costume, theme camp, art installation, mutant vehicle, sexual experience or drug the first time burner is experiencing at that moment without regard for the effect it will have on their enjoyment of the experience.
WTF is a burner..this must be a west coast thing…
As I described at the start, “burner” is the term Burning Man attendees use to describe themselves.
The term ‘burner’ also applies to individuals who participate in regional burns (events that are more like the original burning man – smaller, more intimate, more community-centered). Regional burns give the feel of community, sparticipation and radical self-reliance that burning man embodied, without so many frat boy gawkers that ravage the original event. Texas held the first regional burn, Burning Flipside.
“the feel of community, sparticipation and radical self-reliance that burning man embodied”
this would exactly encapsulate why it’s such a whitefolk-thing. because the rest of us colored people generally already HAVE that feeling of community (because of racism from white people in this country – we have to stick together) AND of participation/radical self-reliance (uh, we have no choice but to do the above to or else our people would get stomped out by your people).
this, would then, encapsulate why i find white culture so irritating. they’re taking something that’s standard for others to survive, co-opting it cos they “miss” it in their own lives, since instead they get to benefit from white privilege, and then staring at their bellybuttons, getting all self-congratulatory about it, writing articles about themselves, and deciding that they’re brilliant.
that’s awesome… you should write the entry FOR burning man. because it should definitely be on here.
bummer. i love burning man, live in oakland, have installed art out at the festival, and love to dress up in costumes. obsess all year long? no. like getting away from my cell phone with all my friends for a week of doing almost nothing productive? yes. don’t hate the player, man
That should have been “don’t hate the playa”…then you would have had a nice little pun
You don’t even have to leave town or bother to go to Burning Man to wear a silly outfit or do a stupid art installation. Keep it local!
yeah. skip the burn. its way over crowded.
totally sucks anyway. just a bunch of old naked hippies running around worshipping satan.
Haha!
The green, blue, red, yellow and orange people that I usually see at burning man also think that there are too many white people… oh well what can you do…?
Just a note I’m mixed and at burning man color really doesn’t matter.
Good idea… seems like everybody I know, (which is mostly white people) has either gone to Burning Man and won’t shut up about how transcendent an experience it is or is planning on going “this year”.
__________
White people love: http://whatiwatchedlastnight.blogspot.com
This whole list is racist and wrong. First of all most of the stuff on here wouldn’t be liked by most right-wing, conservative whites living in the Bible Belt of this country. Second of all, most of these things are liked by middle-class people all over the world. In fact, the middle-class is the only universal class on the planet. And again, were talking about a liberal middle-class here.
Yeah, but there are already a half a million outlets to make fun of the Bible Belt crowd.
The fact that people like you are evidently unable to laugh at themselves once in a while is proof enough for me that this website has some redeeming value.
roberto,
it is people like you that give me migraines.
He’s right though, for the most part—it’s not “white” people, it’s upper-middle class American liberals with general ethnically Anglo and religiously Protestant (though usually secularized) backgrounds.
aka White People.
Actually, this definitely more upper class and very much American. If you go to other parts of the world you will see it is hard to find people who are so ridiculous.
I agree
Very true
Yah, Americans are so funny people
I love this website
Gays and Asians are great minorities for white people because they don’t threaten them.
very true, white men feel inferior to black men because they’re bigger and they feel inferior to hispanic men because they can
dance
are you on crack? white men don’t feel inferior to Black or Hispanic men. we employ them…. of course, I would like a set of 22’s, but my whiteness won’t let me, plus the ridicule from my fellow whiteys would be too much.
Ah….Racism……it always rears its ugly head.
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while some white men do have comfort issues around men of the “darker” – if you will – races (indeed, racial comfort is not something commonly found anywhere in the US where there is also diversity, though its scores better than it was), i dont think it’s so much that they “feel inferior to” these men as much as they are “scared” of them.
The truth hurts. Anger scares people, especially when that anger is felt to be directed at the self; whether or not it is truly directed at one’s self at that point is immaterial really, since the emotion is felt and the fright awakened. And that history of anger is a long one. An interesting example of white anger stemming from fear: the vast majority of black men who were lynched or killed in a similar fashion in the US had violent injury done to his genitals; castration, mutilation, what have you. Strange fruit indeed.
Maybe these old white bastards feared the black men would steal their white women. Maybe they envied them for some other power, imagined or not. But the psychological implications of such acts are very clear. They wanted to attack the very center of the black man’s power, and rip it from him. And they did it, for hundreds of years.
How much damage done to the American black community.
How much anger created in that community psyche, by these unspeakable acts? No wonder people are pissed!
And then things changed. We have some measure of equality.
And NOW, we wonder why some white men fear when walking through a predominately black neighborhood? (Ironic, of course, since 50, 100 years ago it would have been the black man who feared in the same situation). Pent up anger. Fear. On both sides now. Fear of retribution taken for acts they and their ancestors never committed, but that they still feel guilty for? Anger for being blamed for it? Fear of a race which has systematically enslaved and disempowered you for 400+ years? Anger about that? Doesn’t make for the most comfortable situation.
But it doesn’t mean that the plan has all gone wrong. It’s not terrible to be afraid, feel threatened in a given situation; it doesn’t make you a horrible racist. Its not wrong to feel anger towards someone whose people have fucked your people up for centuries while you built this country. this unchartered path through the morass that is race in America – I believe it IS going in the right direction. These are our growing pains. And its understandable. BUT.
We desperately, as a country, as a people, need to
a) recognize this anger and fear for what it is, and
b) learn to grow through and past it
what obama said in his already famous speech, so heartbreakingly eloquently, is true. There is still significant racial-injustice based anger in this country, in our culture. And it’s real. Really real.
but there’s this
“For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years… the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.” – Obama, 3/18/08
we cannot just wash it away. its here and we have to engage, scary as it is… for everyone.
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Ain’t got no time to read this post. Can one a y’all summarize it please?
lya. I bet you wear ugg boot and sweat pants with big glasses. nothing quite like a preachy white girls opinion on male racism, oh and thanks for the obama quote, you are so “down”
Lya,
I really liked your comment. I think that Corey’s comment was unnecessarily snarky. I’m Black, and I respect anyone who at least tries to understand both sides of the coin.
Something people don’t often consider is that, despite our countries civil rights movements and laws, racial inequality is still rampant. Most notably in the economic and legal structures of America. Statistically, the majority of people imprisoned are black and hispanic males. Racial profiling is something they teach you in the police academy. Blacks and hispanics do not have the same opportunities, despite the whole “you-can-acheive-anything-you-put-your-mind-to-american-dream” bullshit. I know that I am lucky to live a lower-middle class lifestyle, and that it is most likely attributed to the fact I am white. The truth is, America is a country built upon the ideals of bourgoise white males. Women are still a power minority, blacks are still a minority, hispanics are still a minority, etc. Change is slowly occuring, but it is taking a long time and it will definitely be a while before true egalitarianism is reached.
the more you talk about something the worse you make it. i red heads are the real minority, lets talk about that. we make up 2% of the WORLDS population. i just want everyone to shut up.
gingers are the worst! lets not even talk about them
Hispanic men can dance?
I was thinking the same thing.
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Not true. Kids growing up in San Francisco have to watch out for Asian gangs.
I’m not afraid of Asians in San Francisco, except when they’re driving.
Bullshit. Speaking as a British person who has spent a lot of time in the US, another thing the particular brand of white people discussed here LOVE is dissing America in a way that is almost as parochial and small-minded as the unquestioning self-adoration of Bible-thumping, confederate flag-wavers. There are whole social chunks of Germans and Brits who are every bit as ridiculous (usually in VERY similar ways) – if you travelled with your eyes open and let your own self satire take a back seat for a while then you’d notice that.
Another thing white people love is smug preaching from our white brethren on the other side of the pond on how provincial we are. Thanks, Furgus!
Damn, Great Britian still a country, I thought Bush bought them back in 2001. My Bad.
Fergus:
What a great name– are you from Scotland? Yes, I have lived in London, Paris and in Italy and the racism there is more concealed but actually more acute. Thanks for an International pespective.
Don’t get so defensive. It’s too easy to point the finger at the right, when its the liberal left that reproduces whiteness the most. Dude, San Francisco is the WHITEST place on the planet.
youv’ve clearly never been to santa cruz.
Yup…as soon as we get our own Whole Foods it’ll be a white paradise!
Or Walnut Creek.
hahahaha. or humboldt. or the sierra nevadas. i hate to break it to ya’ll but theres plenty of black and latino people in SF.
Really? I’d like to know where. Seriously. I’m black and visited San Francisco last month and wondered to myself the entire time, “Where are all the black people?”
Market Street. Just farther away from the water. They don’t like all the whites that congregate near the water.
There most of the blacks are in jail not in neighborhoods
thank you hooker.. I see them EVERYWHERE and I’ve been mugged by them.
Ok – here’s the deal on San Francisco. I can see how it’s very true that “Frisco”, to the outsider, looks almost 100% honky. That’s probably because most of the neighborhoods that are heavily touristed here are totally white – with the exception of Chinatown, obviously. But, if you head south, you’ll find a different city altogether – in Bayview/Hunters Point, Portola, Visitacion Valley, The Excelsior, Ingleside, Crocker Amazon, Ocean View, and the Outer Mission it will be harder to spot whitey. In fact, in these neighborhoods, which actually make up a very sizable portion of San Francisco, whitey is definitely in the minority. And the honky’s that you do see are often old-school SF natives or working class (definitely NOT the strain of whites that this site is so focused on). Some of these neighborhoods have been going through a small degree of gentrification in the recent past, but still remain largely white free.
The white population in the more northern parts of the city remain largely ignorant of these “outlying” areas – even the more “down” of the Mission hipster set has probably never ventured out on Mission Street south of the 280 freeway overpass (only about a mile from where they congregate en masse). In fact, to many of these whites, the southern side of the city isn’t even thought of as San Francisco at all.
Full disclosure – I’m a honky living in one of these “no-go” areas (Crocker Amazon), so I can tell you all of this from my everyday experience. My ‘hood is mostly Chinese\Latino\Philippino with a smattering of black, and a few working class whites – not to mention the odd honky gentrifier here and there (the group with which I’d probably be lumped). I’ve actually had white acquaintances ask me how often I get back into “The City” – you see, the “white” mind just can’t get it’s head around a part of “The City” were they are a minority. In fact, they just erase all ideas completely.
So, hallelujah – in fact, yes – there actually are still non-white, non-gentrified parts of San Francisco. They are defiantly off of the white SFer’s radar, but they do exist. Now, if we could just get a Peet’s put in on the Mission\Geneva intersection I wouldn’t feel so isolated down here…
San Francisco hopes to reverse black flight
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-26-urban-blacks_N.htm
There used to be two predominantly black neighborhoods in the city, Bayview and Fillmore. The Fillmore became mostly gentrifed, but the Bayview has a very large black population, and do parts of Visitation Valley. Many blacks moved out to the suburbs or to other parts of SF. San Francisco is getting so expensive to live in that it is in danger to becoming “Manhattanized” where only the uber-rich can afford to live. The other danger is San Francisco becoming an adult Disneyland with only tourism as its main business. Still it is one of the five real cities in the United States besides New York, Boston, Chicago, and New Orleans.
lmfao the fact that you didn’t mention LA proves that you a SF native. but i agree with your list that those 5 cities are definations of what an ideal US city is.
Nice piece but being from SF, I have to say this post is incorrect because the areas surrounding San Francisco are filled with white people. Come on now MARIN! Hello, have you ever been to the Bay Area? Not to mention south of SF. SSF, any city in Silicon Valley, Half Moon Bay, and even East bay you got Alameda, Berkeley, Piedmont. Get your facts straight.
Yeah white folks be liking the SF. ha ha
Dude, you’re wrong. Have you been to the peninsula lately? Redwood City? EPA? Where do you think all the working class latino families that are being pushed out of the mission by white people are GOING? San Francisco didn’t use to be so white, but it is getting whiter by the minute.
Live in Northern Califoria once – but leave before you get soft.
l love this blog. it is so on point. And guess what, l am Black! and live in san francisco. this place is filled with exactly the kind of white folks represented by this very blog.
@kevstar… I’m Black as well and I just came back from vacationing in SF. hahaha I was lucky if I saw even one Black person each day while I was there. While I LOVED the scenery, architecture and the food (and would probably live there if I felt like moving to the West Coast)… it is definitely a segregated city, but then so are most -not all- cities across America.
I am a blue eyed, rosy cheeked white one, and I live here in SF. My neighborhood is ALL chinese and black. on any given day I hear more Cantonese than English.
Sorry 27thFloor that you missed the black folk, they’re all hiding out in my neighborhood. Y’know … Hunters point BayView district. and then the other neighborhood, the Western Addition.
So there are 3 huge neighborhoods right there which you never went to, in which you thankfully see very few of the accurately described white people.
EXCEPT !!!!
at the Club 1 gym right in the center of the Western Addition. This is the most amazing phenomenon. The above described white people drive into the Fillmore Center, and park their cars in the secured paid parking lot, scurry over to the gym, and hurry right back out in a mad rush as if they’re afraid they’ll get robbed if they walk slower. it’s the most hillarious thing to see! That is one floor of one building FILLED with white people in a truely black neighborhood and it cracks me up every day.
I don’t know where you went, but I see more Asian than white or black people in any and every neighborhood I ever venture into.
this blogger is Right on about white people though. Super accurate in describing how even I view the white experience in this city. Very unbefriendable lot these white folk
Every city I’ve ever lived in has predominately “white” neighborhoods, “Hispanic” neighborhoods, “Asian” neighborhoods, “black” neighborhoods, and so on. This includes Charleston, S.C., Miami, Seattle, S.F., Chicago, Cleveland, and New York. Was this because of discrimination and segregation or because of a natural affinity and comfort that people derive from being around others most like themselves? I don’t have any kids, for instance. I would never consider a move into a neighborhood that was made up of house after house full of kids. Not that I don’t like the little darlings. It’s the colorful plastic toys in the yard I can’t stand. I also wouldn’t move to the Upper Fillmore or Pacific Heights, either. I wouldn’t like the demographics. It’s my choice where to live and what kinds of people I want to surround myself with, and others have that same choice. I must admit that of all these places, S.F. has been my favorite, because of many factors that I don’t want to bore you with here. The main reason is the tangible sense of freedom that I felt to be myself. I felt no pressure to be like anyone else, and I felt accepted and loved by blacks, Asians, Hispanics, men, women, and, yes, even the British.
Hmmm – “the other neighborhood” AKA The Western Addition is smack dab in the land of whitey, actually. It does have a sizable low income housing development (mostly non-white, yes), but The Western Addition, Lower Haight and Fillmore areas have all been pretty much white-washed by now. Just look at the property prices in the area and you’ll know that whitey is there to stay. A housing project or two does not equal a non-honky neighborhood, per se. Just look at Potrero Hill for another example of this – 7 figure “cottages” on one side of the hill (whitey), and public housing on the other side (non-whitey).
Since you are a blue eyed a rosy cheeked SF resident I can understand your lack of knowledge of the many other (mostly) non-whitey areas of “The City”, and at least you got BayView/Hunters Point right, but there’s also Visitacion Valley, Excelsior, Outer Mission, Ingleside, Ocean View, Crocker Amazon, and chunks of the southern Sunset as well. These areas are mostly Latino\Philippino\Chinese\Pacific Islander (AKA non-whitey). Remember – black ain’t the only non-whitey.
It’s interesting to me that people constantly bash white people on this blog. I love this site for what it says, but when reading the comments it gets a bit disturbing. If somebody ever said ‘thankfully you see very few’ of any race other than white, they are a bigot and considered ignorant, which is exactly what I consider tandula. Why is it so bad to see a lot of white people? If I saw a lot of Asians it wouldn’t bother me one bit, Blacks, Latin Americans, fill in the blank, still shouldn’t be much of a factor. We all have stereotypes and they’re very funny to point out but people need to stop taking what is funny and turning it into a way to bash a race and, effectively, be racist.
AHHHH i got to school in Charlottesville, and when i first started reading the entries, the first thing that popped into my mind was how it’s the epitome of not only Charlottesville, but U.Va. Walking to class daily i slowly drown in a sea of northface ‘leisure wear’ and overpriced cups of starbucks coffee. someone please take pity on me, my life is sad, as i don’t fit in with this norm.
that’s for damn sure. i go to u.va and northface ‘leisure wear’ makes me nauseous.
This is spot on for the most part. Well done.
Don’t call it San Fran.
San Francisco is where alot of my family was born.. it’s changed alot in the last 10 years and we do have all kinds of white people from back east and the midwest that just need to live in the city.
I don’t agree that San Franciscans have an inferiority complex about NY city.. i’ve been to NYC and it definitely has it’s own character and charm, but I wouldn’t want to live there, but would go visit as much as I could. It’s fun, but then San Francisco like NY always has something going on… theatre, sports, beaches, sailing, shopping, street fairs.
I like Richmond btw, I lived there for alot of years, but there is alot of violence there and Oakland and in the city too.. who would want to live in that unless they had to?
not the strongest but your blog is unreal. Way to expose a subculture of white people who see themselves as more open liberal and unique then others as actually being total cliche yuppies.
Isn’t this just an attempt to prove he’s more open liberal and unique than those others who are already themselves total cliche yuppies? Like, the humour ran out ages ago, along with the close observation.
I think with that comment you’re just trying to prove that you’re more open, liberal and unique than the author of Sutffwhitepeoplelike is trying to prove he is.
In reality, we’re all just fucking yuppies.
paradoxically your point is true and untrue…true in the sense
that the writer of this blog is setting himself a part as you suggest. i think that’s a given and is to be somewhat expected. in other words it’s redundant to mention it as though this was unintentional. your observation is false in the sense that he is serving as the sacrificial lamb to expose truths known but about which are unspoken.
the question of humour is also irrelevant because this, contrary to popular belief is not at all humourous. yes the quips and puns etc. are hillarious at times, but presented
with subdued gravity that eclipses the quick laughter easily.
you don’t get this “humour”, but and like many who will read this, it has nothing to do with if you can or cannot.
This discussion presents an excellent case study for Post 81: Graduate School…
“Being white means to engage in a day in, day out struggle to prove that you are smarter than other white people.”
The author of this blog IS white.
i’m black with nothing to prove, except that i’ve got nothing to prove.
ur awesome
RayRay I know somebody named RayBob and he’s known to his best friends by the name of GayBob because they still like him and he doesn’t pinch guys in the butt at parties or anything but would like to visit SF someday to see what it’s like. I’m just mentioning that in case you might want to meet him He’s a really, really, really NICE guy.
The author should obviously do an article about how white people like to post comments, because this stream of comments is one of the the whitest things I have ever experienced.
“Satire (n.) – An obsolete kind of literary composition in which the vices and follies of the author’s enemies were expounded with imperfect tenderness. In this country satire never had more than a sickly and uncertain existence, for the soul of it is wit, wherein we are dolefully deficient, the humor that we mistake for it, like all humor, being tolerant and sympathetic. Moreover, although Americans are ‘endowed by their Creator’ with abundant vice and folly, it is not generally known that these are reprehensible qualities, wherefore the satirist is popularly regarded as a sour-spirited knave, and his every victim’s outcry for codefendants evokes a national assent.” [Ambrose Bierce]
ambrose bierce was a san-fran-er! a san-francisconian! a friscoite! an SFer! a san-francisciano!
(no, i’m not white, although i realize this makes me seem like one. heh.)
Stop being such a pissy douche. Just enjoy the website for the comedy it provides. it’s idiots like you that take offence to headlines on “the onion”
The only good thing SF has going for it is Michael Savage.
Just a West Coast version of New York.
I absolutely agree. Savage is all they have going for them. And he is originally from New York! First time I have disagreed with this blog. Well 1 for 92 isn’t bad. Keep up the good work.
Amen. In a way this site is really, “Stuff Liberals Like”.
I would probably call it ’stuff liberals with money like’ cause none of this lifestyle is affordable unless you make a buck.
couldn’t have said it better myself.
Liberalism = Whiteness… You don’t have to be white to practice whiteness… but most whites do.
whoa!!!! since theres no such thing as a minority conservatist that also must mean
conservatism= white
but if
liberalism = white
then where the hell do the blacks, asians, and hispanics fit in????
savage is a joke.
Michael Savage is our guru. He understands that Liberalism is a mental disorder. Frisco is full of it. It is really a gay town and anti-Christ and anti-Christian to boot. I avoid the town by going on the east bay. I will never sit foot in that Sodom.
Don’t ever say “Frisco”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unless you are affiliated with the Hell’s Angels
You are right, SF is gay and anti-stupid and anti-right wing, which is why we love it. Please do stay away, as we need the parking spaces.
>Please do stay away, as we need the parking spaces.
Except that San Francisco is too hip to have parking spaces. The City won’t even let new construction create parking spots. You really should be riding the Muni since it’s so much better for the environment..
yes, and please dont try to rent or buy any of our houses, they are gay asian houses that will fall apart after 6 months… you should definitely look elsewhere, sf like totally sucks.
Say what you will about SF being anti-Christian … but “Frisco”??!?
It should be said that the super yuppie, liberal, anti-Christian people in SF are not natives. The San Franciscans born and raised here are nothing like how the city is portrayed. Outside of the trendy spots like Soma or the Mission, the city actually has a large population of Catholics and Moderates/ Conservatives. This is the real San Francisco that few tourists will ever see. Although the “white” people in this article are very present in the city, the real “white” native San Franciscans consider themselves Irish, Italian, etc. We aren’t the bleeding liberals seen protesting on the news.
Ain’t it the truth. The Castro District, for instance, was almost 100% working-class Irish before 1975.
any place with a high concentration of intelligent people is going to be Anti-Christian / Anti-any religion.
Is that a headline in the “Onion”?
I am from neither san fran or NY. But San Fran is no NY. At least in NY their is yet some belief in capitalism. San Fran is in its own league, its own ball park, and that is not positive. NY does contain many righteous people. You cannot compare San Fran Lib Whack Jobs to NY’ers. Just not fair.
Whack jobs? Name calling is wrong. SF is a wonderful city with great people.
I heard Michael Savage say once he likes to live in a place full of nice people because he gets noticed more that way. He even carries a baseball bat with him when he’s in a good mood and it says something like “Homo Run!” on one side and “USA Freedom to Hate” on the other side. My Daddy thinks it’s awesome!
Savage is a douche. He filed a bogus lawsuit against a muslim organization that, if it were to succeed, would curtail someone’s freedom to use copyrighted material (free of permission) for the purpose of comment or criticism.
i’m white, i live in san francisco, and i read (and can’t argue with) this blog.
damn you, stereotypes!
I am right there with you. I’m white, live in San Francisco, and am Irish (with gay friends, to boot!).
I can’t argue with a single thing here except dinner parties. I abhor the damned things. BBQ is the way to go!
Never been to SF. Never been to CA. AZ is the closest I made it. What is a typical white person? (I know I’m reading Obama’s comments into the page, but it feels good right) My sister winters in Carmel, summers in NJ and she might fit the sterotype. I like the page and the information, but like all stereotypical statements it doesn’t come close to typical white people. After all some of my closest friends are white people. I’m with Jesse BBQ is the wtg.
<! I wonder if this will work
White People Activities
I’m black and live in San Francisco. Most of the white people here rock, except the ones from Boston and the ones that live in the Marina…I guess the disturbing thing I like all the things that white people like except…water skiing (i could tie myself to the back of a truck), camping(the underground railroad is closed and no need to sleep outside), soccer(okay, only posh and becks), ben harper(half black), and mayonaise
Hey, Zion; I hate mayonnaise, camping, water skiing and soccer, too! And I’m as white as you can be without being see-through. I also don’t like Sarah Silverman.
Please….there are clearly some things here which just don’t apply…
NOBODY likes Sarah Silverman.
OMG DAN AMEN
I freakin LOVE Sarah Silverman. HOTT and funny as hell in moderation.
San Diego is much better than San Fran…true LA is wack tho
Oh I HATE San Diego!
I think San Francisco hates L.A. more than L.A. hates San Francisco. The whole NoCal/SoCal phenomenon is on display at Dodgers/Giants games…
SF people hate LA with a passion.
LA people are vaguely aware that there’s another city up north.
Being from NY, I have an outsider perspective on the LA vs SF issue. Honestly, LA blows. It offers nothing to anyone with intellect. That is why I am moving to SF next month. But nowhere, not even SF, compares to NYC, the greatest city on earth!
I’m from SF and now live in NY (and white too, crazy). Its all a matter of opinion and people generally like what they grew up knowing. In my opinion, SF destroys LA (its laughable)and edges out NY. But its a matter of preference, and doesn’t mean other cities don’t have huge advantages and positives. No city is perfect, all have their flaws. And whether you agree/disagree with the blog its meant to be a little over the top and satiricle. It doesn’t all need to apply to be funny. Laugh at yourselves people.
S.F. has it over NY (and LA, too) in that it’s navigable. Just as an appetizer.
NYC is the greatest city on earth if you’re a privileged, white, myopian blind to ny’s filth, segregation, rampant gentrification, and increasing homogenation. I think you’ll long for ny’s swamp like summers of rotting garbage and bitterly cold winters of black slush in sf’s ideal climate. And you’re right about LA’s lack of intellect, it is only home to a handful of world class universities ( the best one being public-god forbid), and an arts scene that in it’s freshness and creativity eclipses NY’s tired gallery scene.
AMEN!
Now I’m going to visit LA after seeing SF. I thought you guys were talking about SF and Lousiana for a while LOL! It seems like the only people who want to visit Louisana are from a northern city like Arkansas or maybe even as far as Missouri LOL!
Eat a dick, dude! South Louisiana is freakin awesome. I currently live in San Francisco and when I’m done with my graduate degree, I’m moving back home to party 24/7 on the bayous.
We got drive-thru daiquiri shops and drive-thru boiled crawfish shops. What you got? Bring it!
LA just has CalTech, UCLA, Sci-arc, USC, Otis, LACMA, Getty, MOCA, LA Phil, LA Opera. Yup, definitely not a city for someone with intellect.
Your opinions are ill-informed and you reek of provincialism, so you should fit in in SF perfectly.
BTW, Sweetie, our President-Elect attended Occidental College, located in Los Angeles proper.
You’re a dope with a nope.
LA doesn’t hate San Francisco, they don’t care enough about San Frnacisco to hate it.
I always believed that if any one thing was truly superior to another, it wouldn’t have to waste its time and energy trying to prove it to the other all the time without first being provoked to do so…
I’m looking at you, SF.
we know how to make it rain in san fran…
http://makingitrain.blogspot.com
fkst
Number one way for this blog to tell the truth:
#92 “Stuff White People Like”.
Good entry!! I love this this blog!
http://stuffcollegepeoplelike.wordpress.com
quit promoting your blog. it blows. and try and get laid in college instead of writing crap.
it’s so retarded to promote another blog, especially
within this one. god damn. idiots.
yep… all the reasons i moved here…
BRILLIANT!
Good entry!! I love this blog!
http://stuffcollegepeoplelike.wordpress.com
good job dude. you did your research.
Love your blog.
One thing that bugs me, your use of “it’s”.
It’s = it is
Its = possessive pronoun
i think s/he knows this, but doesn’t care.
i frequently make those errors and
are completely aware of the differences.
moreover, look at the content! someone
who didn’t know the difference between
it’s and its could NOT write this stuff.
think people and stop being the grammar
police.
but rayray — and perhaps you don’t know this because you’re black — white people are the grammar police.
tru dat
“I…are completely aware of the differences.”
Yes, funny blog, but the grammatical errors are a tad annoying. Especially coming from someone who seems pretty intelligent and witty.
Also, to, too and two:
to = preposition
too = adverb meaning also
two = number
get a life
Since when does the desire to adhere to the basic rules of grammar = no life?
sloppy writing on my part, thanks for heads up
i wanna do a guest entry so bad i could piss. i have a title
ready and everything, but i bet you already
have it and are gonna use it for your last entry.
i,d bet anything.
I noticed another grammer typo up their two but I can’t remember what it is. Doesn’t bother me as long as I can understand what the speaker means too. Grammer snobbery was positively selected for back when we was just cave mens boosting like nuvo lingo because when we got bored with just the animal body language.
Of course my Daddy could explain it all better than I just did.
white people LOVE boston.
They sure do, prime example Ben Affleck. Also people from Cambridge swear there from Boston… you know, where Harvard and MIT are actually located… Cambridge! Haha I love Cambridge
I can assure….not all white people like Boston. Especially if they are born and raised in Detroit.
untrue
White people also like correcting grammar. And pronunciation.
Ha, your next post should be on the white person’s love of grammar and it’s proper usage.
Gah! Quit picking on me! Pick on the other white stereotypes that don’t actually apply to me! Like knitting!
http://mantivity.blogspot.com
ghostride the prius!!!!
Damn white people now like Hyphy.
White kids aren’t hyphy.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pqjo8dpDLXE
The surest test about who is on top in any country or city is to ask what the people in either country/city think about the other one. Ask an American what they think about Canada for example and you will get a mild response. It might be the first time they’ve actually thought about Canada. Ask a Canadian and you’ll get a rant about drugs and violence.
Ask a SF’er about LA and you’ll get the same. Ask someone in LA about San Francisco and you’ll get a mild response.
Sorry SF. LA actually has the diversity you think you’ve got.
Although I happily and proudly live in SF, thank you for putting it straight about the SF/LA thing. Angelinos couldn’t care less what we think about them and their city. Too many in SF are stuck with a sorry inferiority complex when we should just admit we live in a charming little amusement park of a place and it hasn’t been the Big Time for many, many years.
It’s the same reason White people are always trying to prove that they’re better than Black people. Jealousy!! SFers are Haters! Don’t hate, just come to Southern Cal where the weather is better.
thats quite true, i’m from frisco and you’re right, its just not poppin like you think it would
First, we should really argue about what “diversity” we are talking about here, but I will simply argue that both cities (SF and LA) are as segregated, there just isn’t a bay to highlight that segregation further in the sprawl of LA – I mean honestly do people from Inglewood ever go north of the 10?
firstly we should define segregation both in terms of
time period (segregation of the mid 20th century and before adn segregation after that period), and in terms keepin shit real, cuz if you ain’t white and got money you still need to be “in tha hood” keepin it real if you black or latino…ESPECIALLY out west and especially if, per chance, you happen to have made it.
Dude, I’ve lived in both places and you definitely don’t know what you’re talking about. The bay area is easily the most diverse place in the US, if by diversity you mean the general even distribution of many ethnic groups.
Also, LA is a shithole. The reason people in San Fran dislike LA is because they’ve been there. People in LA are too poor to travel to San Fran.
LA has toxically polluted air, hellishly bad traffic, massive ugly sprawling ghettos, no real downtown, no architecture, horrible violence and gang problems, and no culture and tradition other than hollywood. Seriously, I would rather live in San Juan (a ghetto border town) than that shithole of a city LA. That’s why people are vocal about it. It sucks so bad that there is alot to be vocal about.
You do the math: over half the population of San Francisco proper is WHITE, as is LA. If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty, SF is more white (53%) than LA (51%).
Los Angeles Ethnicity Statistics (Total=3,694.820)
White 1,891,358
African American 444,635
Hispanic or Latino 1,719,073
Asian 407,444
American Indian or Alaska Native 53,092
Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 13,144
Other 1,086,167
San Francisco Ethnicity Statistics (Total=776,733)
White 411,427
African American 67,076
Hispanic or Latino 109,504
Asian 253,477
American Indian or Alaska Native 8,971
Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 6,273
Other 65,757
anecdotes are like crack. forgive him, em.
P.S. Good stats!
And for all you LA haters, PLEASE, keep hating it and stay away!
We really don’t need more people here!
Real estate is expensive enough as it is. I like surfing by myself.
statistically, the difference between 53% and 51% is insignificant for such a large known population. moreover, attempting to define diversity through a racial/ethnic census is about very limiting in terms of cultural experience in any given city – it says nothing of individual neighborhoods and whether a diverse group of people are actually interacting, which is more likely to happen in a smaller area.
Yes, your stats look good, but the homeless in SF probably weren’t counted. They should add to the diversity arguments–ah, but many of them are white….the circular argument continues.
Jake,
I feel sorry for you and your LA experience! I truly do. It seems that you were incapable of building a satisfying, rich, diverse and multidimensional life experince in the enormous and all-offering behemot that LA is…
Obviously, a metropolitan area the size of LA that is host to over 300 distinct ethnic groups and roughly 7-14 millions people (depending what statistics you consult) must have more to offer (both good and bad) than a 7 square mile, wonderful and quaint city, expensive as hell and so self-aware…
I imagine that if one can’t find whatever one looks for in LA, it might not exist.
Does it have crime? You bet! Does it have traffic? It depends where you are going. Does it have polution? Not in the beach adjoining areas! Etc. etc…
So the shortcomings of this vast area might be – just maybe! – a reflection on the inability of the one making the evaluation to grasp LA’s potential and all that LA might have to offer.
I remember the first time I set foot in LA (I am from Europe) I said to myself: “gosh, this is one of the ugliest places I’ve been, but I would love to live here”. It’s a candy store! Not all candy tastes good (licorice anyone?), but nevertheless, there is something to be said for mirriad of choices.
Loved SF too by the way, but never entertained a thought of ever moving there…
Additionally LA does not have walkable neighborhoods like SF. Public transit is also an issue because while LA has made strides in recent years to rebuild their transit system, it remain an impractical alternative to car ownership.
As is evidenced by the comments on this post, San Franciscans’ hatred of Southern California is mainly directed towards Los Angeles and the surrounding area. San Diego will sometimes be cited in contrast to Los Angeles of how Southern California can actually be a nice place.
Jake,
To state that LA has “no culture and tradition other than Hollywood” reveals your ignorance about the cultural history of Los Angeles. I don’t have the time to go into a full lesson for you, but you might want to look into, oh lets say, the Central Avenue Jazz scene, which yielded great artists like Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy for instance. Or maybe look up the arts group ASCO, that came out of East LA in the seventies. Perhaps you can google Watts and take a look into the cultural and social significance of that area throughout the 60’s and 70’s. Maybe you might want to take a visit to Highland Park, or Echo Park on the eastside, or Leimurt Park even, and I think if you even began to do a lil’ research and open your eyes, you would quickly correct yourself and your very ignorant viewpoint. All in all, the sweeping generalizations that most of the posters have made here about whatever city reveal that relatively jack shit is known about the places in question, and it’s a shame that such ignorance is propagated so rampantly when there is such an abundance of information available. Holla.
I do feel for you Jake, but “no culture?” In LA? I’m was under the impression that the art scene, ethnic food scene, music scene and architecture scene was thriving in Los Angeles. No offense to San Francisco, but isn’t everything cultural in California coming out of LA?
I think if we base a culture on “American Idol” then I would agree with you. Actually I lied in LA longer than I lived in SF. Personally, for me, the dating scene was great-so many men! However, its challenging to find a intellectual core that you can find in San Francisco,NYC,Paris.
I could livein LA and NYC if my career called me. However, cities like ROme, Florence, Paris and even SF call me. That’s the differece.
Actually the first time I thought about Canada was as a kid when I was told those neon-pink wintergreen candies were called “Canadian mints.” Addicting. I’ve wanted to visit Hudson Bay ever since for a blanket outlet to do the place in Maine
Right on! So
LA = diversity
SF = divercity
LA state = diverticulosicity without the health care
Not only will you get a mild response, you might get an enthusiastic response. People in LA love San Francisco. It just isn’t reciprocated.
Will you ever do an Entry on Seattle? Its got nalgene bottles, outdoor wear, people who are waaaaaay into campng, recycling, all sorts of wacky cultural appropriation and paying lip service to diversity. Also, its a super-homogenous city (one of the most segregated in the country, which means you get a real, “authentic” experience when you go to the ID for dim sum), and it was the birthplace (ish) of grunge, which provided the soundtrack to many peoples unhappy memories of high school.
I thought this entire blog was about people from Seattle , ( i just moved to SF from there
)
seattle is implied in this blog as well as other cities… you can
pick one and apply a lot of what is written to seattle and elsewhere.
for those who don’t know the I.D. is what seattle calls its international district, which is equivalent to any other city’s chinatown. the difference is that the folks who named it the I.D. were white folk who are p.c. zealots who happen to be addicted to crack which makes their fervor for political correctness unbearable.
the C.A. (central area), was once called the central district. with C.D. to C.A. there is no inherent p.c. change except this “area” is in the process of undergoing INTENSE gentrification, and the moniker Central District is too reminiscent of the time when it was all black and “ghetto”…(again a paradox).
Speaking of P.C. wasn’t it Michael Savage that said he couldn’t “spank the monkey” after a show until he felt he had insulted every group he could think of?
I heart Rayray.
HIGH-larious! For a look at what black people DON’T like, see spadeproject.com
stop promoting yer blog. damn.
Make sure if you’re talking about San Francisco you talk about the “real” San Francisco like SOMA and the Mission. Never speak highly of the Marina, you’ll lose all credibility right there.
If by “real”, you mean perhaps the areas most affected by dot-com gentrification then yes, SOMA and the Mission are “real”. Sorry, anon, I know you’ve lost credibility well before you mentioned the Marina and I’ve only lived in the area for five years on the other side of the Bay.
The only good thing about the Marina are the slutty Marina chick’s.
watch the apostrophe there Johnny unless you didn’t finish the sentence
My bad – “chics”.
And the lack of bedrock.
omg, i luv san fran! i like adore it. i have so many friends there! it is like so cool! eniway, i’m susan!
Ghost ride the Prius is the funniest thing you’ve posted here yet!
As a white, I recently photoblogged on the topics of San Francisco and Napa Valley.
Also, this post is good, but the tech industry, the prevalence of bicycles, and the latino population all bear mentioning.
too too true about sf. i live in berkeley. it’s close to oakland.
berkeley is a satellite of sf. it is pre-sf if you will and contains some future residents of sf. it’s the off-site
sf-factory. where everything sf is spawned. god i could go on
for hours about that, but a nig’s got ta work!
oh my god! the off-site SF factory! hilarious!!
Narly.
White people love shitty public education > http://detentionslip.org
Coit Tower is the whitest part of San Francisco, if only because it’s a symbol of excessive opulence ostensibly put there for the good of the city, when it is unknowingly an awkward eyesore and not much else.
Very white.
http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/
coitus tower is one of me my girlfriend’s most favorite landmarks. its size alone makes up for what’s lacking nearby, and puts even black men to shame in Louisiana. some really white local politician must have especially felt the need to erect a falicy symbol the city?
omg i blew it. i meant to say “to the city”.
omg omg i meant to say i blew the “punchline”! language sure can be complicated for me sometimes.
You can’t ignore the groovy phallic nature of the place.
Find out why your gay friends are cooler than you:
Stuff Queer People Like
http://stuffqueerpeoplelike.wordpress.com
i’m not reading this and i’m gay.
HA, I was right! Thank God for stereotypes, RayRay! (I heard RayBob say that once.)
This one is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Ghostriding the prius was a nice touch I do agree.. :0)
Went to Berkeley…need I say more
This just reminds me that this entire blog was already done a couple of years ago in that one episode of South Park where Kyle and his family move to San Francisco.
i got home from san francisco two days ago!
http://thestuffihate.wordpress.com/
“Oh man, I went to the Too Short show last night. So hyphy man, so hyphy. You should come by some time and we’ll ghost ride the Prius.”
In 4 years in SF I have never heard anyone say anything that sounds anywhere like this anyways. SF is pretty sweet though – F.N.Y.C.!
White kids from SF love hyphy music. I go to school in Arizona and all the white kids from SF listen to hyphy music all day and talk about how Mac Dre is the greatest human being to ever grace this planet.
I love how stuff white people like all has to do with being upper middle class. Blacks, Asians, Latinos — you’re on notice! Live in a prosperous dense city? [26, 91 -- Don't worry, Boston and Seattle are coming.] Have a college education? [47. 72] Go to expensive restaurants? [45, 63] It’s just too obvious now! Why do you want to be white so badly? Stop betraying your race!
I am intentionally Black, live in Boston, am college educated and go to expensive restaurants…and I LOVE THIS BLOG.
Quite frankly, I found myself laughing at the fact that if it was not for my skin color, the perm in my hair, the curve in my rear, etc…I might be white b/c I identify with so many of the blog posts on this site, namely because of my exposure to, and experiences with, such things white as identified on this site.
Trust me, ain’t no aspirations of whiteness in this camp! Believe that!
Of course the best part about somebody getting bent out of shape if NYC or SoCal is mentioned is that 9 out of 10 times, they moved to San Francisco either from the Midwest or Suburban LA.
clander, heed anon 18’s message, whether or not you’re a white person.
guilty! great one, SF is my favorite city in the world. especially love the part about SF vs. LA. i grew up in the east bay and moved to LA for school. i hate, hate, hate it. i’m moving out of state because i hate LA so much. friends from out of state joke that i hate california, but i always clarify that i hate LA and love NorCal. just can’t afford it.
SF = Smug capital of the world! The city practically invented: car sharing, bicycles, tolerance of bums who have taken over the City, Critical Mass when two-wheeled terrorists hold the City hostage, gay marriage (can it get any whiter?), tons of mid-tier restaurants where you can drop $200 on dinner for two, and mass transit that stops at midnight on weekends.
Way to go ‘Frisco!
Signed,
Bitter Oaklander
but isn’t spying on two $200-dining people more lucrative than spying an them at KFC in Oakland? especially if they’re gay, as insecure as it might make an Oaklander feel about his own manhood? (don’t be angry at *them* for that!)
Hey! I love your blog. You are in NEWS.
Check this out-
http://www.newzity.com/2008/03/22/who-likes-stuffwhitepeoplelikecom/
“Within white culture this known as “ideal diversity” for its provision of exotic restaurants while simultaneously preserving property values.”
Yes, yes, I like what you have done here, as always.
San Francisco and Northern California are unusual in that it is the only White Person habitat I am aware of in which heterosexual White Men hug each other as a greeting, though there have been reports of hugging as far north as Bellingham.
There is a lull in the hug continuum around the Rogue River Vallley. Anyway, as an Average White Man I was totally unprepared for it when I first encountered a Northern California White Man.
The more you know.
Europe would totally shock you, dude. Most men who hug over there don’t even *think* about the sex.
hey, trailer dogg, you forgot to mention the “triple cheek kiss” so popular among Europeans.
you forgot a key reason white people live San Francisco: the weed!
I went to high school in SF. You’re completely right about the diversity part. San Francisco is predominantly white, Asian, and/or gay. (Although there is a notable Latino population in the Mission and a black population stuffed into a ghetto by the docks in Hunter’s Point.)
In any event, its reputation for diversity in not really deserved. Income diversity is especially non-existent. It’s easy to be liberal & progressive if everyone around you is rich.
yes anon 18,
I recently saw an article in the NYT fawning over a New York subway advertisement’s proper use of a semi-colon.
White people like Razrs. No, not the the items you shave with, but the cellphone you talk on. That’s right, white people love Motorola Razrs. I dare you to goto the mall or anyplace white people hang out and tell me that less than 9/10 white people there do not have a Razr. It’s been mentioned before that white people like the idea of being unique. However, thinking you’re unique is totally dfifferent than actually being unique. White people are experts at the former. These are the same people that think being “Indie” is unique even though a million other people have mastered the vintage tshirt and torn jean look. Don’t call a white person out on this though. You will immediately put a frown on their face and risk losing future favors/perks. One of those perks being the pleasure of telling your non-white friend “I have this dorky white friend who keeps telling me he’s different and I hate him”. White people approach their cellphones as they do their fashion. Even though every other white person out there has a Motorola Razr, they think they are unique because they have one too, but their’s is magenta or indigo blue. Or sometimes white people like to put stickers on their phone. It’s exactly like when they buy tight fitting vintage tshirts with random designs on it. If a million other people are wearing tight vintage t-shirts with random designs on it, how, pray tell, are you anymore unique. It’s an incredible phenomenon that white people are blind to. Non-white businesses are quite alright with this ignorance though as they can exploit it into enormous profits for their business ventures. Simply calling your product unique is many times enough to bring hordes of white people to spend riciculous sums on an item that in all actuality is not different or unique at all. Don’t tell white people that though.
anybody with 2 bucks likes a rzr. you’re so late.
razr=cellphone.
whites don’t even notice that a razr has such a pitiful subwoofer and no soul in its ringtones.
Oh, come now.
HAHAHAHA!!! GHOSTRIDE THE PRIUS!
amazing. absolutely amazing lol!
nice blog. love it. I just recently descovered it, and my faves are t-shirts and macs
I HATE YOU SAN FRANSICO
brought to you by God Hates Fags?
Ha ha, good one.
You people are spot on with the two separate countries observation. My mom was in the market for a West Coast home, and we looked in LA in Brentwood Heights, and the woman they sent to show us the house had pink hair and carried at ratty decrepit poodle that was the same color. The dog took a dump in the wine cellar. Later my mother got a fashionable duplex off California she shares with 3 gay guys who have the sense to keep cats. Maine coons are supposed to be musch more intelligent that LA poodles who can’t even us a litter box. Yes, SoCal is so declasse.
#3 Mark:
San Francisco is so not a West Coast New York City. True, they’re both hustling metropoli, but folks in San Francisco are not in a hurry to get anywhere, and this is by far one of the great things about it over NYC.
Frisco has so few Latinos and African Americans that I’d never call it ‘diverse’. Los Angeles is far more diverse, but they preach about diversity more in Frisco. (I know they hate when you call it ‘Frisco’ in Frisco.)
Smug is what ‘The City’ is. Smug. If they wanted diversity, they’d let the wrong kind of white people in. Maybe even Republicans and Christians. The wrong kind of Christians.
Good one.
there’s no litmus test, not even to keep out angry, rock-throwing republicans and christians. do you have a story to tell to the contrary? tired of the bit about striving for “diversity”?
i hardly ever hear the media say “frisco”, but i hear “philly” a lot, even in brand names like they’re proud of it.
(yikes, Shanks is just ‘brimming’ with the love of christ, eh? or compassionate conservatism, or whatever they call it.)
Trailer Dogg; I just saw a Philly Cheese steak go by! This is a real phenomenon.
There are plenty of Black people in SF. MOst of the diversity is Asian but I still find it to be the most open minded city with respect to sexual orientation. GO to Gay pride and Folsom Fair-plenty of people of color.
San Francisco, to me, has always been a city in the real sense that existed before the post WW2 sprawl in the USA. L.A is a nightmare-can yureally walk anywhere or rely on public transit? WHen I visit SF and go to NOrth Beach, I love the vibe. Go to the tenderloin and you’ll find your diversity. However, withstudios being $1600-2000/month the porrer elements have been priced out. In San JOse, CA you’ll pay 50-60% less for housing.
white people love thinking only THEY can relate to the things in this blog. thus, once again, taking “ownership” of things that don’t ACTUALLY belong to them. sigh. i just want to belong…
- a very “white” brown
Yes, this blog is more about a lifestyle than what ethnic group you hail from
Every single person I know from San Francisco, or who’s moved to San Francisco from an “inferior” city has become completely smug with the place to the point where everytime they travel outside of it, they cannot help but compare other places to their precious San Fran. I’ve been there a few times, and I’ve never been impressed with it, but perhaps I’ve seen too much of the world to know that it’s not…in recent or present times, worth the cost of the real estate. Even in bad times, and finally, prices are coming down. I think the most ironic thing about it, is while people who live there tout how diverse, artistic, and worldly they are, they are completely closed to what’s going on outside of the Bay Area.
wow, i thought this blog was at least part tongue-in-cheek, but now i think i see some seriously distressed personal opinions, proudly based on anecdote. if it’s not one city saying they’re better than everyone, it’s someone needing to shoot it down.
stuff is worth what people are willing to pay for it, by definition. and (in your case) vise-versa. you need to put down people because they are willing to pay so much to live in SF? you’re not jealous, are you?
ok, now everyone, let’s rag on TX for how they brag about themselves. (i’ve never heard the “don’t mess with SF” kind of self-loving flagwaving.)
I think people have really lost all sense of humor. Why was six afraid of seven? Huh?
Will somebody please tell me exactly is so wrong about jealousy? I never understand why so many people use that as a comeback – that is, they say things like “uhhh, you’re not jealous, are you?”
If there wasn’t jealousy, people wouldn’t be motivated to go out there and make something of themselves, build empires, etc. – basically do things to get the things that other people have and that they themselves covet and want.
I am worried somethimes when people were not jealous. That is, when a young, capable person is not jealous – many times they also are not motivated – and to an extent, are wasting some of the best years of their life. If you are old and retired, fine, whatever.
Of course, if you already have all the stuff that everyone else wants and you aren’t jealous – enjoy it while it lasts – but be aware that your account balance on all the good stuff you have will constantly be dwindling – so you better get back to being jealous of something real soon and get out there and start working, building, acquiring again before you use up all that you have in stock.
Qualified, as I am, by my status as a native San Franciscan, I’d like to point out that the use of the name “San Fran” is as objectionable, if not more so, than the noxious “Frisco”. The city is named after Saint Francis of Assisi and should always be referred to by its proper name. An acceptable diminutive has always been “The City”.
Is that “white” enough for you?
Thanks. My mom always called it “The City”.
Qualified, as I am, by my status as a native San Franciscan, I’d like to point out that the use of the name “San Fran” is as objectionable, if not more so, as the noxious “Frisco”. The city is named after Saint Francis of Assisi and should always be referred to by its proper name. An acceptable diminutive has always been “The City”.
Is that “white” enough for you?
Property values have actually ( I’m a Realtor, but not in the Bay Area)increased in many areas of the City. For example, recently in Twin Peaks- an area with astounding Bay views, a recent “fixer” hit the market at 3 million. In less than a week, 5 offers came in and the home sold for 1.7 million dollars more than the asking price.
Again, Palo ALto’s prices have not suffered either. From my point of view, SAn Francisco Bay area is one of the most livable- and expensive- areas to live. Being a liberal and enjoying diverse conversations it would be difficult for me to live in most areas of the USA. Our area features- next to MASS.- some of the finest Universitie sin the World- Stanford, Berkeley are home to many nobel prize winners.
Te things that I miss in Sf- I studied there in the 1970’s- is the freaky bohemian cast that existed there in the free thinking/loving 70’s. The Haight wasn’t a fashio center- it was a real livign , breathing area. However, I probably can make statents re Paris, NYC with respect to the 1970’s too.
White people like to pop their polo collars. Whether it be the Lacoste polo, Ralph Lauren polo, or the polo they just got on sale at Express(the white person’s favorite place to shop, recently surpassing Gap as the white people fashion-goto place),A&F, or PacSun. When they’re not wearing their vintage tees, they got their trusty cotton/polyester polo on. Leaving the collar down as intended? “Hell no”, says the typical polo-wearing white guy. They pop it like it’s hot. Be careful of wanting to make a clever joke like “Dude, you look like a surfer bitten by a vampire”. They definitely won’t be happy and you’ll notice their popped collar will simultaneously droop along with the unhappy look on their face. In a situation like this, it’s best if you reference the impromptu lyirc “Wow, you’re popping it like it’s hot”. This will immediately bring a glow to the white person’s face. They’ll be delighted because they know you adjusted the lyrics to a former Billboard 100(The only reason the white person knows the song is because it was on that chart) song into a fashion compliment.
Funny, in the UK it is generally chavs who “pop” their polos. Chavs would be classified as the wrong kind of white.
What year is it?
I haven’t seen white folks popping their collars since the 1980’s – and I grew up in a very preppy town.
Awesome, your posts are getting better and better! I love your humor – it’s sharp and poignant. Oh, white people.
They’re so smug they love the smell of there own farts.
do they fart?
T.D.,
He who denied it supplied it. We all know that.
Yes, all white people love sanfran, but since im from southern cali, i have to say L.A is better. LA is better then san fran because it has everything san fran has, but bigger, better, more expensive, and a way more prius’. I dare anyone to drive down sunset blvd and not find at least 10 houses without a prius in the driveway…..and yes i do own a prius, its light green. San Francisco is jealous of LA, we have more beautiful people, whether surgically enhanced or not, and we have way better weather. But because white people like to feel oppressed they live in san fran with its crappy, cloudy, grey sky weather. Sure LA has more crime, but then that lends to the argument of Gentrification, white people can live in a not so great area and be called visionaries, and then after time (usually 3-8 years) that neighboorhood where you got your 250k house is now almost completely white and your house is now worth 1.2mil (east hollywood). LA is extremely artsy, for every indie film theatre san fran has, LA has 5, and not only that, are homeless people make upwards of 45k a year waiting outside of nightclubs frequently attended by celebrities, who will the give them cash because they are being recorded by the paps. and what can be more fun then going to the beach, with your asain/gay friends, then one street over you can have a $15.48 vegan sandwich, then hop in the prius and drive up the spiral canyon to your 3 million dollar home to watch the sunset in your classic art deco 4,000 chair, that you picked up for 250 but just had it appraised, with a hot cup of coffee, where the beans are from moracco, that you bought at whole foods, and hand ground in your $300 dollar coffee grinder you bought from a resturant liquidation sale (recycling). That is why LA is better then san fran, because we are very liberal, yet superficial, extremely wealthy, yet we have tons of poor people to help, and we have perfect wealther, is sunny and 85 degrees out right now…I just might go to the beach…HA
Gosh!
That is so funny – I love your comments.
Is it good or bad that I didn’t understand a word of the Prius/hyphy/Too Short conversation?
Its Good.
The City of San Francisco has a very multicultural population that ranges from white to gay to Asian. Within white culture this known as “ideal diversity” for its provision of exotic restaurants while simultaneously preserving property values.
This is beautifully put and hillarious. Something Sailer would be proud to have written.
Its like I didnt even proof read what I just wrote…
If riding coat tails is wrong, I don’t want to be right:
http://www.jtcinc.blogspot.com
Asian guy doing pushups in shower. Ah, so funny, Johnny.
It could be good lulu, it means while you still might be very white, you are not San Francisco white, ive lived in San Francsico so I totally understood what was said, if you live there you will get it, its ok im sure you will make your way to white people mecca at least once in your life, and you too will understand that statement. So dont fret, you will one day experience San Francisco, and you will be in’white’ted.
One time I barfed off of a cable car in San Francisco
Me too.
I saw both of you do that, and I want some of my tax money back for the cleanup.
Sorry folks 94611 Oakland has by census the most Prius or Prii.
You also forgot how much cache being a native has and how much we loathe East Coasters who move here because they never really get it. Thats why all the natives have moved to Oakland the true epicenter of West Coast whiteness.
This blog jumped 2 weeks ago.
Mojowrkn, most of 94611 is actually in the suburb, and separately incorporated city of Piedmont. Piedmont is mostly white and upper middle class. The part that is in Oakland is the Piedmont Avenue area. It’s a very yuppie-filled place where well-educated and well-employed hipsters go after they’re married and ready to have kids but still want to live an “urban” lifestyle yet can ram each other’s shins bloody with competetive baby stroller harrassment.
Ragnar and others,
I moved to Oakland (right off Piedmont Ave) almost 4 years ago and have been living there since, and I would generally agree with your remarks on the neighborhood. One of my favorite local institutions to secretly hate is Gaylord’s, the indie coffee shop where the 1-speed-bike-riding hipsters go to smoke cigarettes, blog on their iBooks, and generally feel superior to the yuppies doing almost exactly the same thing at the Starbucks across the street. (But overall, I love Oakland to death, and enjoy that people from other parts of the country don’t have any associations with it other than meathead Raiders fans and crime.)
Regarding the multitude of remarks others have made about the SF post, I wanted to add my $.02 as one who has lived in a number of spots around the country and thus has a perspective on SF (and the bay area generally) that natives might not.
My impression (and NYers correct me if needed) is that SF:the rest of the bay::Manhattan:the other boroughs. That is, there’s this unique combination of superiority and provincialism, where people who live in SF are ignorant about things in the rest of the bay area (and even the country at large), but even if they’ve never lived anywhere else, they still wonder why any rational person would want to live anywhere else.
Regarding the NorCal vs. SoCal rivalry (or absence thereof), I have to admit swilling the kool-aid a bit on this one; I have been to LA a number of times and enjoy bagging on it as the soulless, superficial, sun-soaked and star-obsessed epicenter of much that’s wrong with our culture, but honestly, this area simply happens to align better with my values.
I am so far superior to you its not even funny. I mean I guess its kinda funny in the sense that ur a pompous little bitch who talks down about people who are pompous.. “Oh I’ve lived in soooooo many places… Look at the big brain on me, cuz I have precious insight that without, you would just be ignorant.” Maybe if you had spent more time in S.F. your nuts wouldn’t have outgrown their sack……… YOU BZ!!!
Wow, I just returned from vacation in San Francisco a few days ago. SF is definitely white, gay and Asian. The audience of a recent Margaret Cho show there was almost exclusively filled with these groups. The Latinos I saw there were valets. Even, Cho praised SF for being such an “Asian American city” and spent most of her act discussing either Asians or gays. Anyway, during my time in Frisco, I happened to ask a white guy about Oakland, and he stressed that the city was obviously pretty sketchy and suggested that I visit the Financial District, a.k.a the “safe section,” if I dared venture into Oakland at all. The same guy also said how he was pro-Obama but doubted that the country would elect a black, as if he, despite his fear of Oakland, were somehow superior to the rest of the nation.
otoh, i highly recommend you go into a city you’re unfamiliar with, especially if it has dangerous areas. and i’m even pro-Obama. “superior to the rest of the nation”? nice spin, i guess.
Okay, well, Margaret Cho is Asian AND gay. So maybe that could be why those were her main topics, and her main audience. I can only speculate that you spent most of your vacation time in 1)Chinatown 2)The Castro and 3)The Fillmore or Marina. Not to mentioin all those great places along Fisherman’s Wharf. Vacationing folk have no right to wax wise on the demographics of a particular city after less than a week of vacation time. Hey! One time I went to Hong Kong, you know, and all I saw there were, like, all these Asian people? And I was in, uh, Tokyo, and EVERY SINGLE cab driver there was JAPANESE! And then one time I went to Mexico, and golly gee, all the employees at the fabulous resort I stayed at were, um, Mexican? That’s just plain old racist. Why can’t we please have more Japanese cab drivers in Acapulco? They don’t speak English, anyway, so it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to me at all.
Very funny comment. Reminds me of how some white folks will go visit some place like Mexico City – come back and say stuff llike – Mexico City would be a really great city… if there just weren’t so many Mexicans livivng there!
OK I’m bad – I had to look up both hyphy and ghost riding. Thank goodness for wikipedia.
now you’re even badder, yaddadamean?
still white & nerdy, here. not bragging.
HEY! yaddadamean isn’t in my WordWeb dictionary yet!
62 Lulu
Is it good or bad that I didn’t understand a word of the Prius/hyphy/Too Short conversation?
I didn’t get a word of it either. But then, I’m a white Midwesterner who doesn’t own a cell phone or have cable television.
just wanted to say your blog is so awesome – i check it everyday now… SWPL FTW!!!
poorly written entry.
poorly written entry.
back yo shit up o shut up.
DOesn’t like white people.
http://morsehellhole.blogspot.com/2008/03/wheres-elmo-been.html
this entry slowly slips from “stuff white people like” to “what san franciscans are like”
White people love Fresno.
AND Walnut Creek!
fresno is the sorriest fucking city to live in.
http://stuffwhiteparentslike.wordpress.com/
This website is so brilliant.
SF sucks.
#69 NK…. fyi Margaret Cho is Asian, bisexual, and an SF native (the perfect San Franciscan?), so it’s hard to guess if her show’s crowd was based on her identity (i.e. she probably draws a similar crowd in every city she performs in) or on the city she was performing in. I guess both when she’s in SF.
I hate SF; and I’m white. Grew up in nearby SF suburbs, and remember SF as a place where women were and still are way too snotty–or as I put it, one step away from full-bore lesbodiom.
I guess sharp and savvy women just don’t like you, eh? Try New York if you want a REAL eye-opener, babe.
Another great post… I am a white person who still wants to visit San Francisco!
http://ideasandrevolution.net/
I’m white and i was just in san francisco last week!
You know who else likes San Francisco???????????
Fucking queer people….
STUFF QUEER PEOPLE LIKE…………..
http://stuffqueerpeoplelike.wordpress.com
your gay friends are cooler than you are.
I just cannot understand the fact that you COMPLETELY left Cher out of your Female Singers list! WTF?
I loved this post! I gotta agree that you left out a few things; the dot.com boom (all white people bring this up in conversations) and the hipster bicycle community.
You guys are good. I’m going to San Fran next month.
See you there!
-W
Love the site.
B
http://ww2file.wordpress.com/
I have always thought that pointing out other people’s typos, and not brevity, is the soul of wit.
PS – NYC is the best city in the world, and that’s a fact. File under: Manhattan.
This is by far my favorite blog. I live in San Fran I always thought that you wrote all your blogs about white people IN San Francisco.
Amazing stuff!!!!
What about Boston. That is white-people city!
AND even less parking than SF.
Here’s the next ones
92# Fiest 1,2,3,4
Never heard of a non-white minority who liked this song
93# Anything by Beck
Same
94# Eminem
See above
Ah, San Francisco! I’m a 5th generation Californian, with family in San Francisco since the late 1850s, house in Pacific Heights when I was growing up, SF Opera and Symphony from the early ’50s, Seals at Seal Stadium, ‘49ers at Kezar Stadium, the Giants at Candlestick, sailing on the Bay, close to the Diggers and in the Haight during the Summer of Love, etc., etc.
I loved that San Francisco – the San Francisco that’s long long gone. I confess to missing it — and to enjoying the small bits and pieces of it one can still find, but it’s getting harder and harder.
The new San Francisco reminds me of nothing so much as a fly in amber, beautifully preserved but thoroughly dead. It’s still absolutely lovely, but it has to be the smug capital of the world — filled with people who’ve moved from everywhere else and who thing it should be just as it was when they came….
Do you have any juicy Dolly Fritz stories? However, did you “cope?”
no doubt, my thoughts exactly, i’m a native san franciscan and this city is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO far removed from the city it used to be, now 95% of the people i meet who live here are from elsewhere and when i tell them i grew up here their eyes pop out of their head, i’m from the Mission which now is obnoxiously expensive, almost surreal world, this city still has the best food, architecture and natural beauty but its definitely become something of an amusement park and the traffic is catching up to LA, or maybe not but its definitely getting bad, oh well, good things never last
oh. this is so spot on! asians being white folks favorite minority. but as some others have pointed out, dont forget boston!
The biggest thing left out from your post:
White San Franciscans love to go on and on and ON about how much more AUTHENTIC SF was before the dot-com boom. If a white person from SF is going to be ultra cool, they should move to Seattle or Portland and complain how SF lost it’s SOUL after the yuppies moved in. This, while swigging out of their Nalgene bottle, adjusting their North Face fleece jacket, typically…
This entry could not possibly be more dead on.
Way to go.
Keep up the good work.
I’m going to San Francisco one day, for sure!
My best friend lives there, so I have an invitation, but still have not found the time…
Great post, as ever before!
Happy Easter everyone
i hate san francisco
I was born and rasied in San Francisco and I agree with #25 anon about the Marina. And nobody who lives in San Francisco calls it San Fran. Ever. Dead give away you’re not from here. Call it “The City.”
back in the day people used to called it San Fran, especially in the Mission back in the 80’s, San Fran Mision, and Frisco was actually what people called it, but you’re right the “the city” is now the prefered name, and the Marina really feels like a Marin outpost, they should have a shuttle that goes from Tiburon straight to the Marina with no stops, it would be hugely successfull!
Re: diversity
Anyone who never came across Hispanics/Latinos in SF has never been below SOMA.
SF’s blacks, on the other hand, are like precious gems. Precious gems kept in one or two jewelry boxes, hidden out of plain sight from any vistors.
You need to include Seattle and Portland.
You whiffed on this one. This white guy HATES cities. Don’t feel too bad, it was only your 5th miss in 91 tries.
just because you’re one guy who hates sf, doesn’t mean he
missed because for every one of you there are countless
others who lose their head over sf.
As a former life long Bay Area dweller, who’s last residence in that area was what used to be (or may still be) TenderNob (I personally called it Noberloin, but I digress) in “The City”, I must agree with 6, 25, 31, 46, and especially 93. My parents came to that area in the ’50’s, and by the ’70’s they were already bitching about how much the place has changed from when they first showed up. I loved it in the ’80’s and early ’90’s before all the yuppies started moving into SOMA and lower Potrero Hill and killing the night club scene down there. And ever since Zim’s closed, there is no place, NO PLACE that is open after 11 pm that serves food to folks working/staying out late (unless Sparky’s on Church is still open? Or Orphan Andy’s? Correct me if I’m wrong). Even now. And I’m sorry, but any place that puts anyone who makes less than $100K BELOW their poverty line is NOT diverse, by any means.
It’s still a beautiful place, though. I love visiting my friends there (they are both retired, I don’t know how they do it).
And to the person who said San Diego>San Francisco, sure the beaches are nice, but after two years of putting up with the woefully materialistic, class-dependent, ultra-conformist, and commonly out-and-out RACIST denizens of that area, I beg to differ.
orphan andy’s still open 24 hrs – was there at 3 AM last week next to table full of drag queens
Was it Socrates or Aristotle who commented that Athens’ best days were behind them? Can’t recall.
u eveer been to grubstke on pin its open till like 4 am
Boston is the East Coast version of SF; The entire state of Vermont is the North East version of Seattle. I’m sure that will both come up in a future post.
BTW, White People have discovered and like the Maine Coast (especially Camden, Rockland, Monhegan Island and Ogunquit).
I work for the Coast Guard in Maine and I can’t agree with you more. I’d say Freeport and all those God damn outlets are a white person paradise.
Only Northern California cares about the NoCal/SoCal thing. L.A. doesn’t give a shit about San Francisco (except vacations), and frankly doesn’t give a shit about the rest of the world (except vacations – gotta travel)
So true. People who live in LA don’t really care about anyone other than those in their immediate surroundings. In fact, most do not care about people living down the block – unless someone continually takes a parking space their in front of their house instead of their own.
San Francisco is great, but it doesn’t have El Coyote.
Yeah, gotta get out of that giant concrete jungle. Gotta get off the 405.
I had fun in San Fran last summer. I wish I could go back. Sigh.
I’m actually more of a San Diego girl, but overall your “Stuff Yuppies Like” blog tickles my funny bone.
As for the ‘two countries’ comment on Southern California, it’s a little known fact that in its admission to the Union in 1850, California had the right to separate into two states — the only reason it hasn’t happened (one suspects) is that the North and the South couldn’t agree where to draw the line — what do do with Santa Barbara and the southern parts of the Sierras! Long a watering hole for San Francisco society (esp. the Biltmore and Montecito), the North wouldnt give SB up, and the South coveted it and the Santa Ynez Valley to the north as really part of the South (they’d draw the line just South of San Luis Obispo).
I’ll never for get an early visit to Disneyland, and hearing on the local news anchor in Anaheim talking about what was going on in Sacramento as “up in the cow counties today….”
It’s also very true that native Northern Californians are far less disdainful of LA than the transplants (who are ultimately insecure in their Californianess and their San Franciscianity) — we appreciate LA for what it is and what it isn’t — as someone pointed out, there is more cultural and artistic ferment these days in greater LA than in San Francisco. Culture has to be ‘proven’ elsewhere before it is welcomed in San Francisco — the last really innovative cultural/musical product of the Bay Area was the San Francisco Sound in rock in the mid-to-late ’60s.
You forgot to mention another reason white people love San Francisco — it’s proximity to white-people-celebrating “wine tours” of Napa and Sonomo. The only thing more impressive than a white person acting like they know about wine (#24 in this blog), is them boasting about their last trip to Napa.
one of my bosses did it yesterday. boasted with a capital B.
i was like dayum, and i though orange juice was the bomb.
Tang isn’t so bad, Rayray.
My husband was the token straight person on a gay softball team that played in the tournament in SF. He roomed with a guy named Chris and they slept in the same bed. Well that is MY name, too. So everyone warned him to be careful about saying “oh Chris” in the middle of the night. I guess that went OK.
He said the view from the bay during sunset over Alcatraz was awesome.
okay now my gullible nature comes out.
you’re JOKING right?
Oh man… yes, I’ve known my fellow whiteys who talk about living in San Francisco and how they’re going to move New York soon, as soon as they get their dream job lined up (usually something to do with internet stuff and indie bands), then a few months later after they make the move, they start pining to move back to the mellow pace of San Francisco, complaining how the indie scene is still thriving and New York’s never been the same after CBGB’s closed…
Its a total white person conundrum.
And yes, San Francisco has optimal white person diversity, as long as the funk/hip-hop bands bus in for their North Shore gigs, than quietly bus back out to the East Bay, its pain free diversity, and white folks love convenience when it comes to their conscience.
church!
witniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
I was born in Oakland, went to Berkeley, and lived in The City. You are, again, spot on. (Although, I too had to look up hyphy and ghost riding…I may be a little older than your target audience.)
I don’t live in California anymore, but when I met my Canadian husband, I told him that Northern California is much more like Canada than the rest of the U.S. is. Boy do I miss California…
Next time I have my gay friends over for a dinner party, I’m going to tell them about this blog.
One thing I do know is not to call if “Frisco.”
Another thing I know is that its not one of my favorite places.
But then, I grew up in Florida. Not many Floridians like San Francisco – it has something to do with the oranges. Oh, yeah, and earthquakes.
Probably has more to do with the Republican evangelism that has infested your state,
And san francisco white people are “hella chill” that’s super inmportant to set them apart from so cal or new york folks.
REALLY WE ARE. NO WE ARE SO CHILL. SERIOUSLY. LA IS HIGH STRUNG AND MATERIALISTIC. WE DRIVE PRIUSES HERE, NOT MERCEDES! WE ARE HELLA CHILL.
SF and other cities will also be doing that neat-o thing where they turn out the lights for an hour to combat global terrorism or warming or whatever it is. They then have nifty pillow fight events, leather parades and unqualified lesbians and others running every single City department. It is “diversity” run amok…
Mayor Gavin in office doinked his best friend’s wife, setting the trend for Spitzer and that freaky gubernatorial couple in Jersey.
However, if you look closely in SF, mostly out in the avenues, you can still find some white blue collar dinosaurs. These types wear it on their sleaves that they did not go to college and are batshit over the ‘Niners and Giants–that is all they have in their lives.
Please do come to SF and repeatedly call it “San Fran.” You can do that when you wear your T-shirts and shorts and freeze your asses off down looking at the sea lions on a summer day.
Be very careful of Asian drivers while in the Bay Area. They like to go the wrong way down one way streets.
Giants fans are worse than LA fans. They come to the games in the 3rd inning, ask friends if they see them on TV while talking on cell phones, then leave in the 6th inning.
That is your SF update.
soooo true
It really is hilarious to observe the tourist animal in the native garb of shorts and t-shirts. Or evening wear of acid-wash jeans and white tennis shoes.
West Coast, biatches!!!!
Take Note: This site ignores certain types of white people. Notice it has 91 entries yet does not include “pick-up trucks.”
That would be what this blog refers to as “the wrong kind of white people”
and this blog is not directed at those white folks either…
you’re too slow for this blog, no offense.
I picked up a truck once, and tore my rotator cuff! OW!
Really?
Is San Fran even relevant anymore?
The only time you hear of San Fran is when you happen to get your hands on some pure MDMA, and you are so bombed and on your back with your legs doing the bicycle, you have to ask where that shit came from.
This made me grin. You should try Portland Oregon.
White people apparently also like to seek the approval of bloggers to improve their “cred.”
these types of comments are getting so old.
and your sentiment is tarnished by virtue of your
entry.
117 Gabe….yes, that’s why I like this site. It pokes fun of those certain types of white folks we all know and most of us find incredibly annoying. Like a former boss of mine….well of white guy…went to UW-Madison (ohhh, please tell me another story about the great parties you had on football days…I just love hearing those). Him and his wife lived San Francisco. Would fly there on a regular basis. They like wine and dinner parties too.
OK, there ain’t no way any white person could ghost ride a prius and keep up with it on one of those rollercoaster streets. Also with those big doors open, they would knock off quite a few cyclers on the way down.
And someone who lives there please tell me if y’all still consider rice-a-roni a treat?
It’s wonderful in a cold salad with water chestnuts and cilantro.
Gabe… apparently you haven’t lived close enough to the hispanic community, if there’s folks who love their pick-up trucks, its the hispanic contractor… back in mexico, pick-up trucks (especially F-150’s) are the Prius of Mexican culture…
and if you haven’t noticed… this blogs digging at a specific type of white person.. if we really wanted to be all encompassing, clander could chime in with “colonialism”, but it really wouldn’t be very funny.
I just moved back to Georgia after living in SF for nine years. Yes, I am white. And, yes, this blog hit the nail on the head about San Franciscans. Good insight. Good job. Loved the casual use of “hyphy.” They don’t say that down here.
The bit about diversity and property values is the most hilariously accurate sentence on any topic so far.
This catalog of hipster/yuppie culture is genious.
If you are a member of this group, don’t be hurt. He’s kidding. And you could live worse lifestyles. You’re just not as unique and alternative as you think.
there it is. well, and simply put.
dude, rayray, get a life!!!!!! are you getting paid to respond to this?
Great blog….but hyphy is dead….but maybe not for white ppl
http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-02-20/news/the-demise-of-hyphy/
dead on………. as a former resident that moved to SF from a town that is perpetually five to ten years behind the times that won’t be named (can you say Virginia Beach) back in the mid 80’s, SF jumped the shark ages ago………… it’s a nice place to visit if you don’t mind the urine smell and trying avoid the human feces land mines while walking their sidewalks………. and hyphy died two weeks ago according to the SF Weekly……. bah, livin’ in Burlingame is whiter than white, you won’t catch anybody ghostriding their prius down here………..
The only greatest reason why San Francisco rocked well with the rest of the US in the 1980s and early 90s is because of the San Francisco 49ers football team, specifically the great QB Joe Montana and the coach Bill Walsh.
After Steve Young retired, it has gotten all downhill for SF and the Bay area. Coincidentally, the Bay area was the epicenter of the dotcom bubble’s burst.
Nothing has been the same since and you can take that to a JPMorganChase bank!
here-here.
I don’t understand the posts that say “yeah this totally describes me and I can’t argue with it. Hilarious!”
If this blog is about you, and you see yourself in these posts, why aren’t you committing suicide right this minute? It seems like the minute you realized you were that enormous of a douchebag, all that apparently-feigned social consciousness and concern for others would kick in, and you’d fucking end it so you’d never cast another vote or do anything else horrible ever again.
same reason i don’t jump off a bridge after reading
what black or ghetto folks like.
oke…some may find it offense, but that’s who i be and i make
no apologies.
better to be hated for who you are, then loved for who you
are not… (i just said somethin right there–go deep brotha, go deep)…not the quote-the implication, ninja…
the IMPLICATION!!! whooooooooo lahdee!
be happy !
Asians are white’s favorite minority?
What if you’re a white hispanic who looks asian? How many points do I get?
it’s all about what you look like, not the blood in your
veins…dagnabit, TRUST a nig on that one!
lol like your blog, come visit mine and comment plz…
G.G.
xoxo
http://www.globalglamour.wordpress.com
Anyone want to go find some white people to beat the crap out of? This site is great in so many ways, and it’s most useful purpose is identifying huge swaths of people that would be better off as fertilizer.
hmmm…fertilizer…interesting choice.
*thinking*…
Oh No! I’ve not been to San Francisco. But I aspire to someday, when I cash out my Roth IRA and open a winery/trattioria in Sonoma.
about freakin’ time mang!
http://stuffwhiteliberalyoungpeoplefromsanfranciscolike.wordpress.com/
How has there not been a post on guitars yet? Seems like a bit of a nobrainer
guitars were mentioned within a post…it wasn’t the
main feature, but it was mentioned. read up, sonny.
Love the proliferation of whaterversomebodylikesordoesn’tlike.com blogs here.
Yeah, I visited San Francisco, and the stereotypical white person inside me nearly died with joy.
i can’t find ONE thing wrong with this blog!!!!
i love this shit to death.
i don’t even get into blogs.
an asian friend of mine
sent me the link, and i’ve
been ADDICTED ever since.
literally.
i HELLA heart SF! way to represent!
This is AWESOME… SWPL rocks!
firm retreat to SF this weekend. your timing is impeccable.
I agree on Portland, but not Seattle. Seattle is SO 1990’s (according The Simpsons).
Another thing WPL is political sex scandals. They have squealed with delight over the Larry Craig, Mark Foley, Ted Haggard (etc., etc.) news stories. It makes them sound enlightened and so above-it-all, and they can say things like, “That’ll teach him to Stay Out of Our Bedrooms,” or “I’m so glad that homophobic hypocrite was caught in the act.” Fortunately, there seems to be no shortage of such boy crazy politicos to feed their habit.
if you are a politician, then you at least enjoy male
company.
There’s a sucker born every day. Or so he said.
“Much in the way that white people in Brooklyn feel a strong and unfounded connection with The Notorious BIG”
That was amazingly accurate. Well done!
I loves this post, clander! as a born-n-raised so cal chica who has bay area relatives and a good chunk of berkeley friends, you’ve done a good job with the NorCal v. SoCal rivalry.
Also, Nor Cal peeps voted for Obama, where So Cal peeps voted for Clinton.
Also, the Bay Area has better public transportation, where lots of white guys with rolled up pant legs bring in their road bikes.
Also, SF has a lot of coffee shops, crepes places, where baristas and waiters have MFAs and are basically overeducated for their position.
Don’t forget gentrification a la Mission District. And gentrification in Oakland.
Also, only “other type of white people” would want to move to LA
As much as I *heart* SF (does that make me white?) So Cal has better chinese, korean, and vietnamese food. And better weather.
props.
you are white because you waxed culinary.
san fran rox mi werld!!! i luvvv eet! eets sooo coolish! i gow thar for christin studees!
shalom friends! i come from israel. oh say shalom bimromav! i am a rabbi! shalom
As a person of color who has lived around the Bay Area (although not raised there) I think this post is brilliant! Best post yet! So true, so true. SF= California mecca for white hipsters/liberals who like to think they are sooo cultured and above racism. I am so tired of the majority of bay area white people, who upon asking you what ethnicity you are and you tell them, always respond with either “oh, i’ve been to [insert ethnicity's country of origin]” or “i’ve tried [insert ethnicity's most famous food]” or “my relative is dating a [insert ethnicity] person,” like that somehow makes you two innately become bff and you are expected to be overtly surprised and pleased even though many times, you really couldn’t care less.
also, “The presence of gays and Asians is imperative as it two provides two of the key resources most necessary for white success and happiness.”
Touche!
yeah i got da holy ghost on this post, jumpin out ma seat and shit. speakin in tongues an shit on this one…
people at work thinkin i’m possessed. clander is werkin da troof like an old school washer chick on some damn washboards…
“oh you’re Chinese? My 2nd cousin just married a Japanese girl”
…
All look same.
Well done. The dumb liberal whites “think” they own the city, but they are all renters. The Chinese own that city and in 75 more years will own most of the real estate. Even Russian Hill too.
There is little ‘diversity’ in SF, the author is right, no hispanics and blacks are on their way out (of Harlem too.)
I recall seeing two fags boofing each other in an alley behind DV8. I knew some people at Golden Gate law and the one guy was straight and he worked out at the Y near the castro and he said the homos used to jerk each other right in the steam room.
SF is generally a dead city. Nothing ever changes there, all the real estate and the buildings stay the same too, so do many of the bars, etc.
Market St. is a disgrace, full of litter and wind blown (as compared to say Michigan Ave). Union Sq. is weird. Van Ness is cold and sterile.
There used to be White people in the City, but they are long gone, post #46 is the best I’ve read so far. Are there any normal White cops left in SF, they live in the Sunset? I doubt in 40 more years any real Whites will want to deal with the place.
Most Americans never even hear anything about anything that happens there anymore. The inferiority complex SF has is well-deserved.
Got something against Chines people owning stuff? Then you better leave the USA, stat. Your time is up. And why do you think it’s called “DV8″? Don’t you think gay guys in EVERY city in the world do the same stuff? I don’t know where you live, but that’s everyday behavior in any town. Yes, sure, they ruined Union Square. One day it was a haven for the homeless, pointless yet charming; the next day it was surrounded by tall plywood panels. Now it’s useless even to the Tiffany’s shoppers. Market Street has been awful for at least 30 years. A ghost town covered with spit and gum and tumbleweeds. Van Ness is and has been a mini-super-highway out of the city for as long as I can remember. This is not news.
PS SF is a joke of a city because your rarely see strollers and healthy straight women with babies. The hills could be a factor in that however.
SF could literally be home to the worst and scummy-looking White women in America. They will all be single way past 30, or until they wise up and get the hell out of there. The men there are the wimpiest hetero males in America. Don’t get me started on Mill Valley and all the jews. Ugh. Can that town even field a high school football team? I doubt it.
Umm..ever been to the Noe Valley or Marina areas of SF?? Plenty of women with babies and strollers. Also Glen Park, Diamond Heights, etc. Clearly you really don’t know whay your talking about. I guess that’s what happens when you spend all your time in the Castro, huh?
ooo thas a little on the hateful side…
someone help me! what’s wrong with jews?
CARGILL! Haven’t you been to Noe Valley? Crawl out of that cave!
This whole thing is gay
It’s more hippie.
p.s. kill whitey
There is this great little breakfast place in Haight. Yummy Crepes!
squat and gobble?
I Love SF. I live in Palo Alto but sure wish I could move there. If only I was an adult.
People kept asking how I liked living in San Francisco (or in the Bay Area, as I was really living in Oakland), and after what was probably the twentieth person I offended by saying that no, other than the Mexican food, I did not like San Francsisco (or the Bay Area), I decided that was a strong clue. Up and moved to New York, where the party is most certainly over, but at least I don’t get art-school neophytes from Bakersfield and Chico who feel that their new address in San Francisco has earned them a place among the international elite.
San Francisco is simply too far away from the rest of the world to offer itself up for cultural checks and balances. No one, globally, is really paying any attention to it, so it’s free to identify itself with whatever grand idea it chooses, in much the same way one of its residents might bop on down to Esalen Institute for the weekend to pay $400 to learn how to rename him- or herself “God”.
And there is a definate “attitude” from white Bay Area residents.
http://www.jonesview.wordpress.com
You know who else likes San Francisco?
Fucking queer people….
STUFF QUEER PEOPLE LIKE
http://stuffqueerpeoplelike.wordpress.com
Check it Out.
Isn’t that your tenth advertisement for your blog?
Hmmm. . .Aside from the love I have for my city and my distaste for LA, I really don’t identify with this post much, and I’m a pretty stereotypical white girl. Maybe it’s because I’m a native, and the population you mention seems to describe transplants who move to San Francisco seeking out these certain qualities.
And Cargill, your comment about a lack of healthy straight mothers is rather bizarre. I feel like there’s been a huge baby boom lately–everywhere I look, there are pregnant women or new mothers: North Beach, Noe Valley, Nob Hill, Mission Dolores, and Bernal Heights to name a few neighborhoods where it seems particularly prevalent. It’s also strange that you say that there are no more white people in San Francisco (especially considering its appearance on this site); most studies show the opposite, that gentrification and high rent/real estate is pushing out many minorities.
Your awesome
, I love your foodie pics too
“This enables white people to feel good about living near people of diverse backgrounds without having to directly deal with troublesome issues like income gaps or schooling.”
OH MY, ahahahahhahaha
California *IS* like two different countries!
san francisco is beloved by whites, but you totally got it wrong why.
see, the whitest thing to do is to move to the mission, aka the neighborhood of the ethnic group you somehow missed (latinos). it’s ‘authentic’ on mission and full of hipsters on valencia. how convenient!
as a white person, i love to hang out in the mission, eat ‘authentic’ burritos at taquerias where i’m the only white person around, go to the hipster record stores, and pretend that i know my way around…but i sure as hell get out before nightfall. maybe i’ll grow a pair and move there in a few years.
white people like sf because it was the center of the 60s counter culture, the time that cultivated the self-satisfaction of yuppies of today.
however, even white people know that hyphy is dead. white people who pretend to get stupid are already making fun of themselves…i thought a tongue in cheek blog should understand tongue in cheek humor. the supposed love for hyphy should refer back to the ‘irony’ post.
good one on calling out the city, though…it deserves it.
ps
i think it’s telling that so many socal people had to comment to let everybody know how much better they are because they don’t care about the rivalry.
sf is pretty image-conscious, but can anybody from la seriously pretend that they are any less insecure or ‘real’? you need to get over yourselves as much as we do!
damn LA don’t give a fuck…seriously…they don’t.
um, and you seem to be really vehemently opposed
to embracing what this post is about.
you’re too last-wordy, not to “give a care”…
you’re having trouble letting go. just let go.
it’s okay. let it go…
the white folks who ‘know’ about hyphy
aren’t 100% sure about hyphy, so to cover
their asses it’s used with the air of which you
speak. u silly. it’s like white folks up here
and EVERYWHERE using “word” ad mutha fuckin infinitum
god i could write about that.
and he is so on point it hurts.
Whatever douchebag. The majority of San Franciscans didn’t grow up in San Francisco, or even in the bay area, but rather migrated in from all over the country. Gentrify the mission out of being Latino with all those Google narcissists, yeah! Methinks the writer of the blog is one of those newcomers which makes it easy to make the oh so hilarious observation.
But it’s true, though. The south bay and east bay, especially Fremont and San Jose (the so called armpit of the bay area as far as the new SF transplants are concerned) are by far more diverse than SF is and were that way since the 70s and before.
So, stuffgoogleemployeeslike is by far more accurate, as #38 said – it’s all socioeconomics. You live it, but man do you hate being it.
another native chiming in. s.f. is OVER. co-opted by lame white people. my ancestry would freak if they could see manhattan west today. it’s tragic, how gentrified it’s become. i wish all the transplants would go home. it was better when it was just another place. not a “destination.”
you guys nailed it yet again! do mendocino sometime. the rich yuppie couples love mendo! ick.
The City of San Francisco has a very multicultural population that ranges from white to gay to Asian. Within white culture this known as “ideal diversity” for its provision of exotic restaurants while simultaneously preserving property values.
Hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing. I hope the author writes something related to Miami.
http://www.poeticmotherlover.com
The late Sam Francis:
“Probably nothing in public life in recent years shows so clearly the vast differences between how elites and the public at large view mass immigration. It goes far to explain why nothing is ever done to control immigration: The people with power and influence don’t regard immigration as a threat.
And indeed, why should they? The main problems that mass immigration brings are not those of terrorism but rather crime, job loss, educational chaos, cultural erosion and language barriers. Those are problems that middle class or working class people have to face every day, not those of the ruling class.
Elites, simply because they can afford to isolate themselves from the impact of these kinds of threats, don’t feel them and don’t see them even when they look at them. They can move to high-security, crime-free neighborhoods and dump their kids in well-protected private schools.
To them, the main impact of mass immigration is that it creates lots of cute little ethnic restaurants and cute little ethnic nannies that allow the up-scale young parents of the ruling class to dine regularly on Nepalese and Ethiopian cuisine. ”
One of the most important websites around for Whites to read: http://www.vdare.com/francis/vast_gulf.htm
Man, I just moved to the San Jose area and I do like San Fran. I hope you are not stalking me!
On a topical note, white people do like college basketball…
http://mrkw.blogspot.com/
http://iaminovermyhead.blogspot.com/
thth
White SFers aren’t the only people who hate LA. White people in most of the country hate LA because it’s not white enough for them. When they want to talk shit, they talk about Los Angeles. Racists.
I thought I was fleeing the meatheads in Boston when I moved to San Francisco. As much as I missed throwing things at college alpha dudes and angry drunken businessmen in 20 below, I was looking forward to being amongst the nice folks in San Fran, a city of niches. However, after my third or fourth weekend out here, I quickly realized how wrong I was. After a few drinks, all sorts of nice and boring folks in San Fran, of all walks of life, were capable of becoming meatheads. Hipsters were pulling out knives, gay dudes starting bar brawls, hippies saying “koni-chiwa” to me, college art students telling black folks not to give into the Mexican culture (?), and of course, angry drunken businessmen, not to mention a healthy dose of Bostonian transplants, taking advantage of the city’s lack of alpha packs.
Worse still, the sarcasm over here’s at least two layers away from witty, and a sincere drunken zinger just makes one cringe that much more.
The good life over here has actually made a lot of good folks jaded – when you think life can’t get any better than what you’ve got, your world starts to shrink until you think you understand all there is to understand about the world around you, and when these nice, naive, and jaded folks get drunk, they say some of the most ignorant things in the world.
not that much true progress over here.
Omigosh, #169, you have a point. About a month or so ago this white girl from Missouri was complaining about how she doesn’t blend in on the streets of L.A. and how much more comfortable she feels in the Midwest where everyone looks like her. I was like, “Are you freaking kidding me?” I’m black and we’re fourth in line in population in this state, so I find it hard to conjure up sympathy for a brunette who claims she doesn’t fit in in L.A. I’m the only black person in my office and often the only black person during many outings.
There are TONS of Latinos living in San Francisco! Somebody has to make all those burritos. Granted, I live in the Mission, but I swear the restaurant workers don’t *all* live in Daly City.
People often ask me, a long-time border advocate, how I can stand to live in leftist Berkeley CA, surrounded by so many loony America-haters. And besides that, what about the worsening Mexifornication?
My friend Rick Oltman, who as a grassroots organizer has seen a lot of demographic change in the country, assures me that Berkeley will remain an island of English-speaking citizens in an increasingly Mexicanized California. But the waves are lapping higher all the time.
As a college town, home to one of the country’s most highly rated public universities, Berkeley has deceptive stability. The major industry is not about to box itself up and move offshore. Housing is expensive and keeps out the riff-raff. Prop 13, the 1978 citizen revolt against skyrocketing property taxes that was the granddaddy of many California initiatives, has served to keep many in their houses also.
My best friend from college, who lived here in the 1970’s, recently moved back from Austin, and said she liked how little Berkeley has changed—particularly compared with central Texas. Part of that situation is physical: the city was built out by the 1920s, and has no place to construct suburbs. There is the San Francisco Bay on the west, Tilden Park on the east and other towns north and south. Preservationist ideas are strong, and people appreciate the great natural beauty all around.
A few years ago, the San Francisco Chronicle presented a series of puff pieces about desirable Bay Area neighborhoods, including mine. The sly hook about one popular area: the large number of white people.
The Chronicleclearly sought out some black folks to interrogate, perhaps hoping to discover some diversity dissonance because of what the Chronicle deemed excessive whiteness. However, the colorful persons interviewed did not cooperate by complaining: all were happy to live in a pleasant and safe area.
“In diversity-crazy Berkeley, this state of affairs might be expected to elicit a certain sheepishness or some frustration from the small number of blacks, Asians and other nonwhites who live here. But to the contrary, residents don’t seem particularly perturbed…
“’In my life, off the top of my head, this is the No.1 or 2 place I’ve lived that I’ve ever felt this comfortable and happy,’ said Lynn Sykes, who is African American. ‘Nothing in the world is more important to me than safety. As long as I and my family are safe, it could be 150 percent white.’”
The idea of diversity is applauded, but in real life, people prefer not be socially engineered according to multicultural ideology. I’ve never heard anyone express a desire for more diversity in the area either.
The demographics of the city as a whole now show 61 percent white, with Asians second at 17 percent. To find the real growth point of diversity within the city limits, you have to go to the University.
Take a walk on the UC Berkeley campus today, and you might think you had wandered into China. It sure doesn’t look like Mario Savio’s university, where he and others engaged in the Free Speech Movement on campus a few decades ago. The Sixties were not diverse.
And the difference is not just racial: there is plenty of Chinese actually being spoken—which can be disconcerting for a native-born citizen like me whose taxes support the place.
New York Times’ Timothy Egan noticed the same thing in an article called Little Asia on the Hill (Jan 7, 2007):
” ‘Here, many people speak Chinese as their primary language,” says Mr. Hu, a sophomore. ‘It’s nice. You really feel like you don’t stand out…’
“I ask Mr. Hu what it’s like to be on a campus that is overwhelmingly Asian — what it’s like to be of the demographic moment. This fall and last, the number of Asian freshmen at Berkeley has been at a record high, about 46 percent. The overall undergraduate population is 41 percent Asian. On this golden campus, where a creek runs through a redwood grove, there are residence halls with Asian themes; good dim sum is never more than a five-minute walk away; heaping, spicy bowls of pho are served up in the Bear’s Lair cafeteria; and numerous social clubs are linked by common ancestry to countries far across the Pacific.
“Mr. Hu shrugs, saying there is a fair amount of ‘selective self-racial segregation,’ which is not unusual at a university this size: about 24,000 undergraduates. ‘The different ethnic groups don’t really interact that much,’ he says. ‘There’s definitely a sense of sticking with your community.’ But, he quickly adds, [I bet he does! BW] ‘People of my generation don’t look at race as that big of a deal. People here, the freshmen and sophomores, they’re pretty much like your average American teenagers.’…
“But as the only son of professionals born in China, Mr. Hu fits the profile of Asians at Berkeley in at least one way: they are predominantly first-generation American. About 95 percent of Asian freshmen come from a family in which one or both parents were born outside the United States.”
Emphasis added. In other words, recent immigration is rapidly displacing long-time Californians from their top public educational institution.
Interestingly, UCB’s Chancellor Robert Bergenau has complained of a “diversity crisis” on the Berkeley campus. He completely ignores the success of Asian students, as if they were some odd variety of whites.
UC Berkeley has plenty of diversity; it just doesn’t correspond to the quota-driven palette popular in some quarters. In the 2007 freshman class, 29.6 percent were Caucasian; 41.6 percent Asian, 11.7 percent Latino and 3.1 percent black. Put another way, 70 percent were non-white. But that’s not enough for the diversity police.
University honchos have tried to evade the mandate of Prop 209, the 1996 voter initiative that ended affirmative action. There was something of a scandal in 2003 when it was revealed that the University had admitted unqualified students. But judging from the walk-around-the-campus test, there are few non-Asian diverse students these days.
Nevertheless, tribe advocacy organizations like Chinese for Affirmative Action continue to pursue race-based benefits. They shamelessly claim victimhood, even though Asians have an average median household income 117 percent that of white households and Asian students are succeeding brilliantly in college.
You can approve strongly of meritocracy—I do—but my Berkeley campus strolls inevitably cause reflection on California’s explosive demographic change—and the uncharted future.
And, as I type away in my third-floor home office, when I hear a foreign language spoken outside it isn’t Chinese, but Spanish. Not by the neighbors, but by the roofers up at treetop level. The Dot-Com bubble brought in a gaggle of foreign workers who never left. Berkeley used to have a lot of hippie gardeners who liked working outside in an unstressful gig, But I haven’t seen any since the Mexicans with business cards arrived en masse. (Those paper items go straight to my recycling bin.)
Berkeley the city might continue to muddle along in its goofy and often obnoxious left-wing way. But it cannot escape being a part of California. The refusal of Sacramento to deal responsibly with the budget is filtering down already. The pain has only just begun. The state’s leaders intend to cause distress to the point where voters will ask for higher taxes. And Sacramento is too much in bed with Mexico to cut the benefits so welcoming to illegal aliens that figure largely in the budget deficit as well as the worsening failure of schools.
No borders, no peace. America cannot welcome the world’s myriads, dysfunction and functional alike, without splattering the shreds of social fabric we have left.
And just where did your great-great grandparents come from?
but… LA *is* really polluted and the transportation really sucks.
thus, the reason white people hate LA as they adore public transit and the green movement.
I would just like to add, white people born in San Francisco find white people who move to San Francisco annoying. We were born here and are thus higher in white culture.
unless you were born after, say 1985…i bet that’s a witness.
White people really like the Marina (in ess eff).
It’s like they took the tv show Friends and made a whole neighborhood out of it!
“Though they live in a world class city, San Franciscans have a crippling inferiority complex about New York and even hinting at that will make them very sad or very defensive.”
But they’ve had New York’s National League team for 50 years! And Oakland has Philly’s AL squad!
#55 Shanks: “I know they hate when you call it ‘Frisco’ in Frisco.”
But nobody is bothered when you call it “Philly” in Philly. Very different outlook.
A westward view of the sunset over the ocean…
A beautiful signature suspension bridge…
A narrow inlet into a fantastic bay in which you can turn left or right…
A history defined by an epic earthquake…
I tell you, you just can’t beat Lisbon.
spoken like a true southern californian
im glad you checked on a map where oakland was.
Stuff queer, pagan white girls in graduate school like: This blog! Sigh . . . I wish I was in SF right now
Getting some very informed reactions to this entry. Almost as though SWPL researched the best city to include. As Midwest boy this is shedding light on issues I’ve never encountered before. not so concretely at least.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pancakejess/197738437/in/set-72157594195786220/
poorly written entry? Are you serious?
Ghost riding a Prius is gonna be history!!! I laughed so hard I cried.
also, white people are Asian people’s favorite minority.
White people, speaking of the XY gender, like San Francisco because it’s also home to the asian women (which has been noted as a white man delicacy)
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/11-asian-girls/
San Francisco is the crown jewel of this blog. It’s got everything required, expensive sandwiches, indie music, knowing what’s best for the poor, Toyota Priuses and Macintoshes out the ass … what more could whitey want?
This is a good bridge into something white folks go batshit for, nanny state government. We absolutely love it when our state, local, or federal governments act like an overprotective mother. Trans-fats bans? Recycling mandates? Sanctuary cities? Yes, please!
San Fran is tops because it has what a straight white man needs to survive: good java, sublime asian pussy, lots of start-up businesses, sun.
San Fran is tops because it has what a gay white man needs to survive: great crab cakes, white wine, nice cock to suck, tight asian ass, and lots of start-ups that mean you can avoid working with macho assholes.
All white people like the fact they can have a city where the black/hispanic death spiral is not an issue, and that the ethnic population (asians) actually have a work ethic and make and do things people want.
KILL WHITEY!
i’m very disappointed in the lack of research that went into this particular posting. i would like to recap a few things:
1) prius. people in SF do not drive cars. they ride bikes. if you dont ride a bike too, they wont talk to you because you are contributing to global warming and therefore are a waste of their time.
2) food. since the general population of san francisco consists of 20 something vegan indie rockers, EXQUISITE food is an improper term. if you enjoy beef, dont even bother coming. trying to find a burger in that city is like trying to find the holy grail. unless you enjoy tofu burgers or cheap, questionable, burritos.
3) diversity. ok, THIS is the part that REALLY gets to me. WHAT EXACTLY about SF is diverse? if you walk the streets you will notice three crowds: gays, asians, hipsters. unless you fall into one of those categories you might as well turn around and go home. since its impossible to become asian if you are already white, you could always become bisexual and then youll fit in better (that is unless you already have dark brown hair and straight across bangs with the slight mullet… then you fall into the “hipster” category and you are safe).
4) politics. theres only ONE side to politics in SF. if there is a disagreement in that capacity then a bunch of white, trust fund babies who think they are radicals will camp out in trees until they get their way. of course, not taking into consideration that the working class pays their taxes while they are up there. who is protesting the protesters??
all in all, im glad this was posted because people need to know that SF is the whitest city on earth. i just had to clarify a few things first…. then i moved to LA where i DONT have to talk about primitive and modern economics on a friday night.
fucking dead on. i live in SF. transplanted from LA (not white, gay or asian) – so maybe I’m a little biased? this place sucks.
This whole website is not just about “white people” it’s actually “white liberals”
I HATE SAN FRANCISCO and damn near everywhere else in California. “Cultural center of the West Coast” my ass. You mean cultural center of people to whom labels like “cultural center” are important, fuck out of here.
I’m only half white, but I do like breakfast and gay people. *shrugs*
i loooooooooove this blog
wp absolutely love s.f.
but this post is just train-wreck bad…it’s just all over the place and not very funny.
you are blind, my son. go meditate at the
base of the primerica tower until your
sight returns.
The north cali vs south cali feud/disagreement could in itself be an entire blog. I would love to hear an entry on this one. California is like two countries. Its sort of the Belgium of America. When you first think of North Cali, you think artsy, weekend houses in the woods, very liberal thinkers, fancy universities, berkinstocks, public transportation, gloomy seatle-type weather, hills, pot, white wine, fresh fruit, pot-belly stoves, fishing, architecture, history, and an overwhelming sense of high priced coffee (that just tastes better) and expensive vintage furniture.
Contrasting with Southern California you have, more diversity, more Prii (way more), celebrities, better beaches, great weather, expensive houses, hollywood, hollywood gays, mexican workers (for usually any task a white person does not want to do), beverly hills, plastic surgery, narsastic people, celebrity wannabes, everyone owns a car because of the germ factor of public transportation, homeless people who have homes, mexican food, more crime, expensive sushi, fake white asian girls, prescription drugs, personal assistants (or shoppers), vegetables, martini/ vodka shots, traffic, most expensive sandwiches.
North cali hates south cali because they are jealous over the weather and beautiful people, and south cali people hate north cali people because north cali is more authentic and people dont care much about pretending someone they are not.
Thats why California is the best state, it has somthing for everyone and is extremely diverse not only in people but in weather. In one day you can be snowboarding and then surfing within a 12 hour period. I am from south cali so I have a bias, but I do have to say, I do like the fake plastic surgery women I see in beverly hills, and I love the white fake japanese sushi places that only white people go to, and I love the weather and the beaches, and even sitting in my car for an hour in traffic because it gives me alone time, I love the hollywood scene, and the fake people at the clubs, and the million prii crowding the beach parking lots. North cali is great to visit, but i wouldnt want to live there, and im sure north cali people will say the same about socal, so its perfect harmony, we are a family who like to visit the other once a year and then go back to our lives. I do think that north cali hates south cali more though, I dont know why, maybe they think their better, or jealous, but thats why cali is the best, and the rest of the country either knows this, or is in denial, yes manhattan is nice, and so is the hamptons, sure miami might be fun to party in, or austin texas might have a better indie music scene, but california has everything every other state has.
We have oil, gold, silver, we produce most of the food for the U.S, we make the movies, and television shows, we are the center of technology (hello silicon valley), we have aerospace out in the desert, culture, unpredictable earthquakes (and L.A will never sink into the sea, in about 5 million years L.A will be next to san francisco), fabulous beaches for surfing (sure they are the warmest like floridas, but we can actually surf).
I know im sounding like an advertisement, but its so true California is really the best state. sorry for people who live in montana, I do feel for you.
I have to clarify something, cause it is driving me nuts:
White people don’t drink white wine. They drink overpriced fruit bomb cabs from Napa and overpriced fruit bomb zins from Sonoma. Or overpriced fruit bomb Pinots from Santa Barbara.
Sad but true…
“the movies, and television shows, we are the center of technology (hello silicon valley), we have aerospace out in the desert, culture, unpredictable earthquakes”
Miles always says, “Civilization stops at the Hudson,” and I really understand now. I bringing my mother back to Darien.
California also writes the songs that make the whole world sing. You forgot that one. I’m gonna go get some white wine now.
The only thing that’s really holding the two Californias together now is WATER: the North has lots more water than it uses, and the South uses lots more water than it has.
Back in the old days, when Junior Brown’s father Pat (a San Franciscan my father knew at Lowell and Berkeley) was governor, and the North controlled the state senate, the South had to get their water from the Colorado River and the Southern end of the Sierras.
Ever since Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims, the more populous South has dominated both the state assembly and the senate, which gave us the infamous California Water Project in which the South began to steal Northern water, and has been for 30+ years.
In the SF vs. LA debate, there’s another whole California that’s ignored and forgotten, but it’s just as real: the Central Valley (composed of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys), which is mostly rural (except around Sacramento), conservative, and agricultural. The world of American Grafitti up to date. It’s like the crazy aunt in the attic that the right kind of Californians don’t talk about….
Having lived in Northern and Southern California, there are two things that bugs me about Northern Californians their hypocrisy.
They complain about Southern California stealing “their” water. In reality, San Francisco’s water is imported from Yosemite National Park, which over 150 miles away in the Sierra Nevadas. The park belongs to all the people of California and the United States, because it’s a National Park. But the city of San Francisco managed to get some corrupt politicians to let them have it for a song and a dance. Without that water, most of the San Francisco Bay area would be completely unlivable. Certainly, it could never support even a modest fraction of the current population.
Basically, once they’ve obtained their piece of the pie, they refuse to let anyone else have a chance to get their piece of the pie.
Kristin, Yosemiteis NOrthern California.
Cato, your knowledge is encyclopedic. Unfortunately it belongs in an encyclopedia not here. Thanks for the brave attempt to educate. Wikipedia me.
Oh yeah! White people LOVE the GAY BAY!
Portland and Seattle are shockingly white bread. I mean, like Nordic Aryan stock white. It’s funny because they publicly value diversity yet can’t live around anybody but those exactly like them, with the exception of a few tokens. At least the East coast doesn’t pretend to be something they’re not.
the most on point and succint summary of the whole sf/pdx/seattle liberal white thing.
dead on, anonymous.
you should have seen the looks on the white folks when
i used to get on the 358 in the morning or the 5 in the afternoon. they were disgusted
and indignant–and then going right back to reading their books on genetics and barack obama.
let’s rap anon…email me.
Love the blog and the comment board. Finally some people with brains.
stuff nobody from San Fran would like
SF has lousy weather. I’ll take San Diego over SF any day.
Liberal cliches are better than midwest conservative homogeny. Non-Profits and diversity is a nice change when all the midwest has to offer are suvs and fast food places. I’m moving. I’d rather be with the intellectual white snobs than the type of white people who hunt off of atvs. I’m moving! And having lived near Detroit, I fear not Oakland.
I went there last year. Pot is widely available there. I got to smoke pot publicly with tons of white people without the police stopping us. San Francisco is the city of white people doing what nobody else could get away with in full view of the law. Also, I noticed that for such an expensive city, none of the hip young people hanging around all day ever seemed to go to work.
Don’t you just wonder what all those adults are out there doing all day? How do they make a living? Are they all from out of town? And how DOES Cafe Flore stay in business?
2 words: Medical Marijuana
I love the way you parody a basic instrument of White culture: anthropology, or its watered down equivalent, the travel guide. Anthropology was created by Whites to describe “other” cultures to Whites, most of whom were unlikely to experience those “other” cultures. Travel guides describe “other” cultures to most White tourists who WILL experience them — through the lens of the travel guide. Your brilliant parody of the genre turns a anthropological/travelogical lens on the originators of the genre. White people live a culture no less racially marked than the “others” they love to describe, or hear descriptions of. Alas, White people’s highly developed skills at ironic distancing enable them to have a laugh at this blog, not truly realizing the joke’s on them.
Victor Kulkosky
http://outofmymind.wordpress.com
i find your writing rather white.
KILL THE WRITERS!
I think you’re very wrong about this one. Or you haven’t been to SF in a while. White people like their multi-cultural cities granted, their cool architecture and the like not to mention a music scene and what not and glorious waterfronts bringing up visions of Dashiel Hammet. But they don’t like tripping over the homeless on the streets. You can hardly walk up Market Street even around dusk. Homeless of all stripes. Asking for endless pockets of change. Or the ones who aren’t asking are laying across the sidewalk and you can’t even change sides of the street. And as to SF having an inferior complex compared to NY. Why wouldn’t they? SF is almost 1/10 the population and NY doesn’t have homeless laying in the streets. They should rename SF Street people gone wild. I prefer my street people from afar. I don’t mind viewing them through the windows of a Peets coffee shop. But I don’t want them asking me for change as I sit on a bench trying to drink my coffee. Ugh. Oh yeah and one other thing: SF is the only city where I was refused entry to a restaurant because they thought I was too fucking old. Fuck San Francisco and all those cunts. . .I ain’t going back.
I wish SF would ship out our homeless people like they do in Manhattan.
“Also, I noticed that for such an expensive city, none of the hip young people hanging around all day ever seemed to go to work.”
Trustifarians and dot.com refugees (some of whom made their fu money), waiters and bartenders who work at night, nonprofit workers whose foundations are happy to pay them a little not to show up much, refugees from the Sunset and Richmond districts who still live with their (not the right kind of white people) parents, recently arrived gays still getting by on their fresh charm. And students. lots of students from SFSU, Berzerkeley, USF, UCSF (but they’re usually studying), etc., etc. who are heavily subsidized…. quite the mixture of types.
Me and my black friends are the whitest people I know. Funny how white has gone beyond skin color!
jeez, what’s holding you back from a post about “salsa classes”?
I live in NYC and was walking through midtown yesterday behind a group of WP who were discussing how San Fran is such a great city because, and I quote “it is so close to the water and has so much culture.”
White people are so predictable.
I always used to think that if I ever left NYC it would be for San Francisco. And while I like to think that I am a very white person, I do hate non-profit organizations, so maybe I should think about Chicago instead.
http://joseelretardo.com
I just heard about this blog, and I LOVE it! I’ll admit to liking a bunch of stuff on the list, but I about died laughing was when I realized that nearly every item on the list fits my ex! He absolutely loved San Francisco and would have moved there in a heart-beat for all the reasons above plus many others that match up with other stuff on your list.
Which brings me to my other comment. Your list seems a little slanted toward white liberal men (not 100% – many things apply equally to both genders & you do include “yoga” on the list, although I would have added “pilates” as well). For instance, although white liberal women may be into co-ed sports (fits the feminist ideal that women can do anything that men can do), they also like all-women activities (very empowering), such as women’s soccer leagues.
Love this blog. Bless the Boston Globe for pointing it out. The best part is the ads for Asian wives/women in the comments section. I never knew Google was into irony.
White folks like Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in Compton for some reason. Teh fuck is up with that?
http://www.myspace.com/TheGame
There is no Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in Compton. Get your landmarks right.
Is there still and Donuts and Fried Chicken in the Mission?
Real Market Updates and stuff Bear Like!
Rarrrr!
http://SternBears.com
I would pay good money to see someone ghostride a Prius in a traffic jam on the 101…
Good grief I am such a cliche. I left NYC for SF years ago because I couldn’t stand living with the racial tension on the east coast.
#25 Anon,
“Never speak highly of the Marina, you’ll lose all credibility right there.”
Very true because that’s where all the white people from LA choose to reside.
E-40, boyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
This one needs a tad bit more proofing; it was a bit tough to read. A blogger as intelligent as yourself should know the difference between “two” and “too.”
This is my first visit and I just wonder if white people dislike proofreading. Maybe I just don’t understand yet and maybe it’s because I’m a rednecked white person and have a lot of trouble with proofreading myself while I’m writing that trashy porno scince fiction stuff.
cmsix
This is my first visit and I just wonder if white people dislike proofreading. Maybe I just don’t understand yet and maybe it’s because I’m a rednecked white person and have a lot of trouble with proofreading myself while I’m writing that trashy porno scince fiction stuff.
cmsix
What is “porno scince fiction” Mr. proofreader?
What is it with the lazy-ass bums begging for cash? You get that in white-lover cities like Toronto too. Why do they fall for the guilt trip these bums put on people? Why don’t they tell them to get a job: SF is full of work and lots of money.
I can’t stand the homeless and the way people have normalised this way of being. Notice the more homeless and beggers, the more NGOs? Maybe there is a connection, like NGOs are the pimp to the begger-ho?
Have you hired the homeless lately? My new bumper sticker.
How can there be 200+ comments on a “too true” article skewering how much white people love SF,
with absolutely zero mention of Burning Man? Which, hello, born in SF.
Which makes perfect sense.
Chris and the other tools who have nothing better to do than correct other people’s grammar – you’re all douches.
Which actually makes me think of another thing that white people like – the use of the words, “douche”, “tool” and “hella”.
Guilty.
“Hella” is generally only used in NorCal. SoCal people use the word “grip” inplace of “hella”. If you say “hella” in SoCal you will be outed as being from NorCal.
Nope, SF folks don’t care about New York beyond loving to talk about their weekend jaunts to NY. They hate LA, this it true.
New York is the shit. Even Sarah Jessica Parker thinks so.
It should be noted that Oakland is a prime location for gentrification. Oakland has the “tough” reputation critical for gentrification. Yet not all parts of Oakland are all that dangerous (rule of thumb: the closer to Berkeley the better). Thus you get the “cred’ without the downside of living in a neighborhood where the police have installed microphones in the street lights to detect gun fire.
Also Oakland has MUCH better weather than SF (cold and foggy) which allows white people to wear shorts basically year round.
This is your best post yet, and you outlined all the reasons I left SF for the east coast. I always thought it was funny when I lived there how people talked about how much they enjoyed diversity, when what they meant was being around people who thought, bought and dressed the same as them. SF, “The city that never thinks”…..except about itself.
The next What White People like.. Over-analysis. Haha.
You forgot to mention how white people like to hate on the Marina even though its a spectacular place. Oh, it’s because those same white people like diversity, I forgot. Idiots.
I am in Washington, DC. Not a a bad city in terms of political awarenesss, diversity, good coffee shops and expensive sandwiches, and for the first time the other day I saw 3 Smartcars, but damn if I don’t know at least 14 white people that want to move, plan to move, or have moved to San Franciso in the past/next year. Although one is black but (sterotypically – at least according to this blog) white.
Yeah, DC. The inferiority complex that Washingtonians have about New York makes San Franciscans look positively chill by comparison. Throw in a law degree and a refined sense of bitterness about DC’s (lack of) voting rights, and the result is a genuine monstrosity, one of the most shrill and pedantic white people that ever walked the earth. Don’t believe me? Observe casually to a District resident that the New York subway has express trains, and doesn’t stop running at 3:00 AM. Soon enough, your ears will be bleeding.
Everything on this site reminds of my brother-in-law. He spent a year in San Fransico, drives a Prius, has a kid in a Waldorf style school, has a close Asian friend, hates T.V., hates fast food, orders $50 authentic, woodstove oven pizzas, loves Arrested Development, paid $800,000 for a house in a gentrified neighborhood, makes home made organic babyfood for his baby, shops at organic supermarkets, gets the Sunday times and wears birkenstocks (his kids wear crocs). Worst of all, he overtly frowns at me and shakes his head in disbelief when I dare challenge one of his beliefs.
No Arrested Development for you?
Greg: any you let your sister marry this clown why?
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Echo through the room
More point to a wedding disco
Without a bride or groom
There’s a super cool band yeah
With their trilbys and their glasses of white wine
And all the weekend rockstars are in the toilets
Practicing their lines
Congrats on a great blog! I’m what you call a rare commodity out here in SF—a native. Your comments about the city are pretty right on, yet you left out one vital difference between NYC and SF, the weather. Those of us who enjoy a bit of life outdoors prefer our little city by the bay for that reason alone.
DodgerFan:
I don’t think Oaktown is ready for gentrification yet…it’s still way too black. The Latinos have to squeeze the black folks out before the whites will ever go near it. Whites are still too scared to venture first into the ‘dark’ heart of the ghettos…they wait til the hispanics move in and then they pounce. Then you’ll have overpriced artsy farty crap, hipsters crawling all over, raised rents, pretentious clothing shops, white chicks who sound like valley girls who think they’re really roughing it in the gheeeeto, lol.
Funny stuff man…
First of all let me say, You have the best blog ever!
2nd of all, I loved this one, because I had been planning on moving to SF recently…It truly is one of the greatest cities ever! I love it for the diversity and expensive food, like you said!
Since I’m not moving there, I plan many weekend visits….
Such truth expressed here in this blog…
Im Black, and I love this blog. While I understand that this Point of view does not reflect every white person, it’s still nice to see things from a “white” point of view. Race in the US does nto always have to be negative, or about blacks and illegal immigrants. I love it, keep up the good work!
“Whites are still too scared to venture first into the ‘dark’ heart of the ghettos…”
I can remember when whites wouldn’t dare venture into the Fillmore District after dark…and blacks stayed out of the very white working class Sunset.
I know asian people in the sunset who still won’t visit me in the fillmore.
That’s only because they don’t want to leave their parking spot.
I’m white, but not “white”, most of you lists haven’t hit their target with me, they make me laugh my ass off, cuz I know so many “white” people…
Those that do hit there mark with me also make me laugh. Great blog…
Hands off SF though… This is a city I find an inifinity for (being from Montreal). SF has found what I can only call a great balance between work and play.
You wanna pick on a North American city for being “white”, choose Calgary.
Keep up the good work.
An infinity? So that’s like SF forever? That would be pretty sweet…
Oh and China Town, while cool and interesting… Is one of the filthiest places I have ever visited.
I only go to China town when escorted by my Chinese friends.
But, Joey, WHERE do you park?
This should be in the blog “Stuff Gay People Like”
I love it!
http://theplasticspoon.blogs.com/the_plastic_spoon/film/index.html
lol i love the “ads by google section:”
Asian Girls For Marriage
San Francisco 6 hr. Tours
Asian Men White Women
Asian Guys Dating White Women
San Francisco Food
this is funny, but more of the “StuffAgingYuppiesLike” flavor, i think.
99 Jen is right. Worse , when I hear it called “Frisco” (instant playback in head of Village People’s ” YMCA ” when I hear that )
Young man, there’s no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, ’cause you’re in a new town
There’s no need to be unhappy.
~
My grandma still lives there. They bought a place there in the 1930’s for like 3K or so. It sure isn’t the same nice place I remember as a kid, where she knew all neighborhood people and they all visited and went to church and had this whole network . Yeah and it was plenty “diveeeerrse” There was Italian, Irish, Greek, German, and a few other Euro groups, and all had their own little enclaves (though socialized with others) and there was much less violence, and general chaos, dirtiness, etc. Don’t give me this “oohh waa waa , it’s because you White people were all rich people with degrees from Harvard, that’s why you don’t do drive-by shootings! . ” Poppycock. I don’t think any of these people could be described as rich (or even close) . Yet they were not hell-bent on raping,shooting each other, and constantly breaking into each other’s cars, and writing on walls, and destroying property.
Oh 233 andrea, how I love thee, let me count the ways.
“I can’t move to San Fransixco, but I plan to visit often.”
How profound.
cmsix
You did not even mention their enviromental stance they have taken as a city banning plastic bags… the environment is another thing white people like
http://green4u.wordpress.com
San Francisco is all about gentrification now, and getting the last remaining Black folks that have hung on and remained in Hunter’s Point OUT of the city. SF doesn’t want diversity at all. They want to glom onto cultural that is not for them or by them, while buying up cheap property and eating ethnic food.
Furthermore, it irks me that as a resident of Oakland (and a graduate of UC Berkeley), that people attach themselves to Too Short, The Luniz, sideshows, hyphy music, the Warriors (especially after last season), and the general” rough and tumble” nature and stereotype of Oakland while remaining a safe distance away…in the Marina. You can’t have it both ways. Enjoy your 49ers, your 3rd Eye Blind and the Giants. Leave Oakland culture for Oaklanders.
77 Niggy Smallz–
I have been to Fresno, and it is definitely filled with the wrong kind of white people.
i agree. white people there are uptight.
I live *near* SF, and wanted so badly to disagree with this post, but the more I think about the people I know who live IN SF, I cannot help but agree with most of it. I do know a few Latinos in the city, too, though, but they’re just as smug and self righteous as the white people, so there you have it. The worst ones aren’t the transplants- the ones you need to watch out for are the Bay Area natives who think they own the city. That’s one of the reasons I can’t live there (besides the disgusting stench, insane rent, and filth that covers every surface). Do yourself a favor and don’t get a B.A.N started, unless you enjoy monologues about how “I’m a 4th generation San Francisiscan, and I think this is the best city on earth” from someone who has never actually been to any other city on earth. It also gets old hearing over and over again how liberal the city is and how gay friendly, as if all other cities hate gay people and are overflowing with staunch conservatism. And if a SF resident hears that you (gasp) live in the suburbs, well, you can just forget about ever being seen as cool. The suburbs, while cleaner, quieter, and more affordable, are “boring” and “depressing” and most SF’s would “rather die” than live in them.
Oh, the humanity.
Nobody will ever write a song, “I Left My Heart in LA”.
http://www.whatimseeing.com
SF every day, all day.
Man – I am starting to wonder if I am white or not. Im pretty pale most of the time so I assume I am.
I think San Fran is a shit hole. Homeless every place I turn. I can be on one street and be nice, shoot over 2 blocks and I got a crack head and his buddies needing money. This city is way over hyped.
What white people really like is to like what everyone is liking it seems. I know people who say they love San Fran and haven’t even been there. I guess the opening credits for Too Close For Comfort is what sold them.
I am reading the last few on this list and I think it should be renamed Stuff White People Like who live in California.
Actually as a San Fran native I can say it is rather common for East Bay folks to come to San Francisco for the clubs and Hip Hop concerts and throwin up the W than the other way around. Also, it is not unusual to meet a New Jersey or New York boy in San Francisco who feel a little uncomfortable when girls aren’t picking up on their pinks shirts or falling over for their accents. Good post, a little ignorant and not accurate but as always a good read.
please make t-shirts for this website
printed on american apparel
i would so buy one and brag about how much i love irony to my friends
This entry is so true. I have to agree with #57 in particular. I went to visit a friend in SF and totally upset this friend by going to Fisherman’s Wharf. I had no idea it would be so upsetting to go to a tourist trap, but as a tourist, I wanted to see what the fuss was about, and why there was such utter disdain for it by the residents of SF. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such disdain for tourist traps by residents of other big cities. I’ve visited friends in NYC and no one gets ticked if you visit the Empire State Building, for example. Chicagoans don’t hate on you for checking out the Sears Tower. Washingtonian’s don’t disown you for visiting the Lincoln Memorial. So, what gives for San Franciscans? Why the hate? Someone please explain. Thanks.
Well, because once you go ONCE to Fisherman’s Wharf, you have seen enough. It’s nothing but one big, tacky t-shirt shop. The Sears Tower, the Lincoln Memorial, the Empire State Building; they are national icons. Fisherman’s Wharf is not even a vestigial image of what it was originally: a wharf for fishermen.
I thought white people liked NASCAR, country music, and guns. I have not come across these posts yet. I think the blogger is describing liberal white people with the stereotypes. How about white people like to pretend to be tolerant of others but comfortable with saying the n-word in private? I want to see that post and its commentary.
Ah great comments. I can’t help but blush at the LA and NY haters. Thank God you’re women don’t judge as harshly. Anytime I’m out on the East Coast women think San Francisco is like its own exotic country…
Nail on the head. Although, I really am shocked that it took 91 posts for you to get to San Francisco. Top five things the “right kind” of white people like.
253, obviously you haven’t been to this site enough to know that what you are referring to is the “wrong kind of white.” get with it, loser.
http://joseelretardo.com
I live in SF and this post describes just about everything I dislike about the city. Still, there’s far more to like about this place than there is to dislike.
I hear people from San Fran hate when people call it “San Fran” or even worse, “Frisco.”
Buck up, little camper. It’s not like New Yorker’s HATE people from San Fran. We just don’t think about you, that’s all.
Ah, to respond to #252, there are much better things to see about San Francisco than Fisherman’s Wharf or the tourist traps. For 1, tourists traps are a NIGHTMARE for parking, costs $20-30 to park in a lot, meters run out and you get a $50 parking ticket, etc. etc. Also heavy biking and foot traffic makes a 1 mile car trip a half hour ride. Plus if youve been to the Warf there’s actually nothing there but expensive t-shirts, an IN-and-Out, overpriced seafood restaurants and a Hooters with average looking waitresses.
A San Franciscan born and raised can show you much more cool things than tourist traps. In fact one of the cool things about SF is that just like any major city the natives can show you a hell of a lot funner of a time at hole in the wall seafood and Mexican spots than the overpriced food and sights at fisherman’s warf. One who goes to Fisherman’s Warf and stays downtown surely has the impression that San Francisco is gay, white, and Asian – probably in that order. I would even go as far to say that you are not seeing the real San Francisco if you choose to stay in Union Square, shop downtown, have a drink at a bar in North Beach and go tourist shopping at the Warf, but that’s just me.
Those Hooters chick’s are whack!
THANKS, Dave!
No way Jose!(256) I thought this blog was to describe things that white people like. I suggest a name change of this blog to : “Whitelikeme.”
Crap, after reading ALL of these over the past couple of weeks, the only conclusion I can come to is: I am the “wrong kind” of white person. So far all I like is NPR and sushi, but I’m not real passionate about either of those, so there you go.
I drink my tea iced (and sweet, with white table sugar).
I thought SF was a tourist trap and too expensive.
I make better coffee at home than I can get at starbucks.
When my t-shirts get paper thin I use them for dust rags.
I don’t currently have any black or gay friends.
The list goes on and on.
Maybe I’m too broke to be the “right kind” of white? Or too southern?
Whatever. I still know people who fit your list, so it’s fun to read!
man if i weren’t getting paid an extra $15k to adjust for the standard, I’d move back down to LA in a heartbeat. the people up here are way too pretentious. I can handle dumb, superficial people, but not dumb, ugly, pretentious people.
also, SF has the wrong kind of asians. too bad you white people can’t tell us apart.
People in LA are way more pretentious. That’s one of the reason’s people in SF hate LA.
I disagree. LA people are more superficial, but SF is way more pretentious. That’s why LA doesn’t have a wine and cheese shop around every corner.
Does that mean that you are…..Korean?
I am officially in love with this blog.
#93 Sums it up best for me, too.
I am a high-school dropout, blue collar, Native American/Italian/Moroccan 7th generation California native.
I never get tired of the game of shocking the successive waves of tolerant and liberal transplants eager to collect me and my fellow natives as part of their diversity experience.
“Frisco” is teh funneh. SoCal and Cali are bullshit terms, too, btw.
Quick story – when I relocated from LA to the poor part of a rich SF suburb, I once knocked on my neighbor’s door to see if she wanted a ride to the Safeway where I saw her every day. She was an Egyptian national sent over by Google. She told me that I was the first non-Asian brunette she had seen in her three weeks in our town, and the first American who had not asked her about her presumed female genital mutilation for a ‘class project.’
White people aren’t always cute and witty about their proprietary lust for other cultures.
We natives have a great time making white transplants uncomfortable. They want our city and our diversity, but they don’t quite know how to go on looking hip when we say things like how great it ‘used to be’ to have real Napolitan pizza after mass when you’re on a crowded muni bus full of hungover black-nail-polished metrosexuals crawling home from a long night. It’s also great sport to unapologetically sashay a thick mixed-ethnic ass through the svelte lululemoned Asians and whites elbowing each other for attention at some divey bhangra club and being the first to catch the bartender’s eye. Good times.
#122 – That was my exact first thought.
I hate the “Cali” thing, too. And there was never really a good Neopolitan pizza in SF. Somebody please point me there.
I am a Seattle native
I live in Rainier Valley, at Rainier Beach.
Used to be called Garlic Gulch in honor of the Italian population.
Now it’s all Black.
Wonderful people, salt of the eart
The people who drive New Mercedes’ are Asian girls in expensive dress.
The majority language on the #7 bus is Spanish with Tagalog, Tongan, Eritrean, Russian, and I don’t know what all, those are just the ones I can sort of recognize.
The majority language on the #36 bus is Chinese (Mandarin and Some Cantonese), with Vietnamese, Tagalog and Spanish.
Approx 25% of the women are wearing, whaddyacallit? Burkah?
Most of the signs are in English and Spanish. I learn new words every day.
Seattle’s politics is largely Fascist. (Read up on the Seattle Symphony, nightclubs, etc)
also, though SF has better japanese food, LA has way better any other asian food. plus it’s more “authentic” because the restaurants cater to neighborhood ethnicities instead of the rich yuppy white people.
Also, SF has way too many weirdos. The weirdest people I know all come from SF.
LA only has better Korean food.
Seriously? Westminster for Viet food. Rowland/Monterey Park for Chinese food. Long Beach has Cambodian food. Flip food might be better up here. Japanese is probably a wash.
http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R803261000
In LA, all the Chinese restaurants don’t taste like Cantonese food. I heard Milpitas is okay, but still doesn’t hold a candle to LA Chinese food.
Wrong. East LA/San Gabriel Valley. Chinese food eating mecca of the US. Didn’t LA practically start the sushi trend? I think the probably have better sushi as well.
I am a Seattle native
I live in Rainier Valley, at Rainier Beach.
Used to be called Garlic Gulch in honor of the Italian population.
Now it’s all Black.
Wonderful people, salt of the earth
The people who drive New Mercedes’ are Asian girls in expensive dress.
The majority language on the #7 bus is Spanish with Tagalog, Tongan, Eritrean, Russian, and I don’t know what all, those are just the ones I can sort of recognize.
The majority language on the #36 bus is Chinese (Mandarin and Some Cantonese), with Vietnamese, Tagalog and Spanish.
Approx 25% of the women are wearing, whaddyacallit? Burkah?
Most of the signs are in English and Spanish. I learn new words every day.
Seattle’s politics is largely Fascist. (Read up on the Seattle Symphony, nightclubs, etc)
The sad part is that this entire site, up to this point, has basically been “Stuff White People (in San Francisco) Like.”
Cat’s out of the bag now.
:-/
Meeeow.
I haven’t been in San Francisco (and in the west coast of the US in general), but I have heard great comments about the city. But its main rival in the area (LA) seems to remain more popular, isn’t it?
At least I hope it has less traffic congestion than busy Athens and our cities here in Greece.
i loved that movie so much.
that man was so fine…jeeeeeeeeeeeeZUs, but then
was toe the eff up in oldish age…
i was hopin they were gonna get it on in the movie…
uh hmmm.
dat stupid heiffa alwayz showin up to try an give him some pussy. he need to be GAY!
forget it, Zorba darling. The traffic in LA is HELL.
White people LOVE the emerging order of the Kosmos, which brings a new energy of consciousness to our constipated world.
You should come to my son’s Bar Mitzvah and be part of this.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/eve/610350728.html
White People in the News!
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gallery/10_things_white_people_like/
Stuff White People Like is smart…but what about those clones? We review here: http://www.liberalati.com/?q=node/80
If San Fran is #91, Boston can’t be very far behind! Having attended college in Boston, take it from me, Boston is to the majority what Atlanta is to the minority.
Thizz!!!!!!
-
Please do an article about Nor*Cal Wiggers, or Wiggers in general, or the passion for hip-hop among suburban youths.
I just don’t get the whole wigger thing.
267 — No doubt … and I think the feedback shows that. This is all California stuff.
Holy Smokes! That is awesome! In many spots you can insert Portland OR and have the exact same output!
Great site btw… truly genius
surprised you didn’t mention that it’s never ‘frisco’ to a native. had 80+ weather at the beach for Easter in SOCAL. down here you drive on ‘the 5′ but in norcal it’s just ‘5′
It’s only “THE” (insert name of highway here) in Southern California. Anyone know the origin of this strange terminology?
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gallery/10_things_white_people_like/
You made the Boston Globe too!
culturallycool.com
LOL, to #259: actually we stayed with said native friend in the Mission District, and I really enjoyed seeing all the non-touristy areas a lot–I agree, there is much to enjoy besides FW, which was just a strange, weird, stinky place. However, the utter smugness of my friend (who, to be fair, I think just wanted to give me an authentic experience) just made me not want to like SF at all. Because now all I can remember about the trip (ok, aside from incredible sushi and amazing views) is driving around town, looking at incredible views, and hearing nothing but “this is where such-and-such is, but oh God, don’t ever go THERE, that’s so touristy.” FOR HOURS AND HOURS ON END. If locals hate it so much, and SF being the hotbed of grassroots activism, then why don’t they band together and petition to get rid of the darn thing?
Spot on! I’m not white, but I do live in San Francisco. And your blog describes, perfectly, the kind of people I lived with, know from church, listen to on Muni, etc. San Francisco may be, even more than NYC, the natural habitat of the kind of white people described in your blog.
This confirms what I’ve been thinking. I am moving from NY to San Francisco because we are fools… ok, b.c. my husband had great opportunity (bascially gave him whatever he wanted to get him there–should have known…). Anwyway, I am going to be a good wife and give it a chance (do I have a choice?). But man, it is just BORING. Yes, beautiful, ok, got it. Sooo many white people. I even asked one of the school administrators (my daugher applying for K-another fiasco) why I hear so much about diversity but don’t see any when it comes to African Americans. Listen, a town with ony whites and asians in a nuthsell= bland–or should I say Tofu?
Give me crazy, dirty, busy, bustling, good transportation, no lottery public school and RACIALLY DIVERSE NYC any day of the week over bridge, cold water, fog, and driving any day of the week!
If San Fran had San Diego weather it would be flawless.Great music scene.Cool well-educated attractive people.Either SD or SF beat the crap outta’ NY and LA.
I’m just wondering why it has to be a competition? Be where you are. Like or dislike where you are.
San Francisco should be so ashamed of itself. I’ve never heard these criticisms before. Devastating.
I love this blog.
I’ve been there a few times. It’s lovely, but people are just way too flakey for my taste. It’s all style, no substance, you know? Also I like to bicycle and the hills make it bloody impossible. I’m more of a New York City person.
Build up those thighs!
Chestnut and Union Streets (and the Fillmore connection between the two) in SF pretty much capture everything stuff white people like in one convenient location. Boutique clothing stores, boutique high-end baby stores, boutique high-end pet stores, wine bars with small plates and restaurants that only serve small plates, Starbucks, Peets, plus the local coffee shops for the folks who think Starbucks and Peets are too trendy or not local enough, an Apple Store (coming soon an Urban Outfitters although most white people would think that is probably a gaffe in that ‘hood), Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma, The Gap, Baby Gap, and American Apparel, dozens of sushi restaurants, restaurants with al fresco dining patios with heat lamps everywhere, dozens of “yummy” breakfast spots, a litany of expensive sandwich and or organic salad spots, trendy gyms with “attitude”, probably hundreds of places to get “mani/pedis” (manicures and pedicures almost universally performed on white women and some men by Asian women), plus plenty of options for late night dining after the bars close at 2AM. I forgot to mention Yoga studios and yoga boutiques, and of course banks which are practically on every block (White people love having ready access to their money). Lining the streets are Prius’, BMW’s, hybrid Lexus’, Mercedes, Porsches, plus an exotic sprinkled in there like a Ferrari or Lamborghini, and of course Audi wagons and more A4’s than you can shake a stick at (good for weekend trips to Tahoe). There are also dozens of yellow, black, and chocolate labs tied to parking meters and benches or drinking from bowls of water that high-end boutique pet stores and other proprietors put out for their benefit. Did I mention it is near the water?
I live in that area and that description is 100% accurate.
Chestnut and Union Streets are like a giant outdoor suburban mall. They do not epitomize the entire flavor of the city, just as East LA doesn’t epitomize LA, Pill Hill doesn’t epitomize Seattle, and Madison Avenue doesn’t epitomize NYC. Snore.
Educated Black People Like Atlanta.
http://stuffebplike.com
What can you say about a city that invented Rice-A-Roni?
Thanks, SF!
#103: Actually, both Sparky’s and Orphan Andy’s are still there. If you should go to Sparky’s, avoid turning to look into the kitchen when you get up to go to the bathroom. You will never be able to eat there again.
You will never be able to EAT again.
Now I understand why SF has corralled all those Asians in China Town.
Clocking in at about 600 words the Post on “San Francisco” is Clander’s longest to date and a bit of a clunker. When white writers feel tired and hurried by a deadline, they typically resort to the beloved tactic of listing stuff to get a point across:
“White people like to vacation in San Francisco because it has beautiful architecture, fantastic food, and it is near the water. They like to live in San Francisco because of its abundance of Non Profit Organizations, Expensive Sandwiches, Wine, political outlook, and most importantly its diversity.” Yes we know that San Francisco has a lot of gays and Asians and a lot of ethnic restaurants. Yes we know that they hate New York because they feel culturally inferior and hate Los Angeles (=Southern California) because they feel culturally superior. Yes we know they like East Bay black rappers (in the fifties it was East Bay black jazz).
Despite flashes of brilliance, this one feels flat, forced, disconnected and padded. (“Ghost riding the Prius” comes out of Hyphyville nowhere).
It is hoped that the Master will center his energy next time on the same Kharma that gave us “Dinner Parties.”
Come Let Us Reason Together sounds like something a priest would say to a young lad b4 he molest him.
Dinner parties: too much work. Wine: what’s wrong with that?
#194 – you are so right!
what about the types of passive aggressive put-downs white people have for each other? these remarks are always so smarmy. white people are big into passive aggressiveness, especially in families. my family just yells at each other.
Welcome to the real world.
As a born and raised San Franciscan, I can tell you that white folk love S.F., its like the white mecca. Also all you people moving here…Get out. Thanks
stuff white people like,
The Police, no, no the band but Officer Friendly.
they’ll defend them no matter what.
Love your blog even though one guy still harps on
you being Asian. thanks to one of the ‘ist sites.
people from san francisco
never refer to it as frisco or san fran
if you do you are probably from sacramento or souther ca.
#295
We dont want to go to SF… we are being head hunted like crazy.
Why do you think that is?????????
“When talking to a white person who lives in San Francisco, it is best not to bring up New York City. Though they live in a world class city, San Franciscans have a crippling inferiority complex about New York and even hinting at that will make them very sad or very defensive.”
Oh man this is true: if you live in the bay area, SF is “The City”. COme to find out, majority of Americans use “The City” to mean NYC.
SF is superior though, no matter how defensive we may get.
As far as the SoCal comments – you left out the part where Northern Cali resent SoCal stealing all their water. And yes, we look down on SoCal with good reason.
Hmm, I’ve agreed with pretty much every entry up to this latest. I live in SF and HATE it. This city is repulsive and more so the natives. This blog should be called stuff that Whitewestcoasterslike.
Let’s not get into a discussion about whats better, SF or NYC.
The whole world knows NYC is far superior. Don’t waste everyones time trying to give us the 4 or 5 reasons you all think it is better. Its sad, really.
body and soul is why sf shouldn’t even be compared with nyc. i’m gonna go flog myself for using both in
a sentence.
SoCal t-shirts say “Hella Stoked NOT to be from Northern California.”
NorCal t-shirts say “NorCal.”
the entire african american population is not confined to hunter’s point. I take the 22 bus up & down fillmore all the time and it’s as diverse as anywhere, people of color with kids & groceries. when the city emptied japantown in the ’40s, sending all the japanese & japanese-american residents to internment camps, it allowed the black community to move into the neighborhood, which created the fillmore district.
stuff san franciscans like: civics
also, oakland has its rich white pockets. those houses on the hills aren’t section 8.
As someone else mentioned, I can stand superficial attractive people, but it’s really hard to stomach pretentious ugly people (99% of the population in SF).
Don’t forget the best part of San Francisco – it’s amazing Peninsula and Suburbs.
There’s a reason why the house prices here are more expensive than anywhere else in the nation – it’s because only the San Francisco Bay Area has smart people.
To all those New Jersey fools who think living there is expensive, I ask that they check this out:
http://www.burbed.com/2007/11/02/new-jersey-is-expensive-to-live-in-bs-tenaflys-high-schools-and-house-prices/
Take that! Manhattan suburb of NJ! Houses here are smaller, worse, have more crime, and worse schools. That means that people who live here and do well are the best people in the world.
Check out all the most recent fantastic houses in the Bay Area here: http://www.burbed.com/
Pretty soon you’ll understand why the San Francisco Bay Area is a place that white people like.
oh my…
I’m an asian from SF, living in LA and this post was awesome! I can’t stop laughing…
Someone told me once that if you’re a STRAIGHT, single guy, San Fran is the place to be to meet women seeing as how the large majority of guys in SF are gay. Basically, if you’re a single straight guy, you are GOLD.
Any truth to this??
It’s true.
I just don’t know where this “San Francisco is GAY, GAY, GAY” thing comes from. Geez! There are gay people everywhere! I guess they’re just not telling YOU. SF attracts smart and talented people; many of them are women. If you think that being smart and talented and hard-working are negative qualities in the babes you’re hunting for, then go elsewhere. If you’re looking for dumb, hunt in other forests.
really depends on what kind of girl you like. I find most of the attractive women up here are pretty snooty and have unreasonably high expectations for what they have to offer. they also don’t really make that much of an effort to look nice. at least they’re somewhat fit because they have to walk around everywhere and make use of that performance apparel and birkenstocks.
At my first Bruins game as a kid some drunk guy kept yelling — “Duguay you Gay” … “Put on some pumps you homo” …
Ron Duguay had very long hair and played for the Rangers.
http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/gems/ron-duguay-poster.jpg
I don’t know if he was gay or not. I will never forget it, I couldn’t tell you what the score was or if Ron really is gay. I can tell you white drunk guys at the Boston Garden in the 80’s don’t like anything on this blog.
Some white guys in Boston are homophobic? What? I thought MA was a “blue” state!
attractive dude, you are right … but if you’re a single straight douche bag, then it’s no sale.
I love that you mention hyphy.
Ron Duguay likely slept with as many women as Wilt Chamberlin. Whether or not he’s gay, I have no idea.
last year the fellas ventured 2 Vegas and a white girl specifically told me she was from Oakland. The more we talked and discussed her upbringing i found out she was from Berkeley! haha.
It was her way of finding a commonality with me non the less.
http://www.lullmengesha.com
#117 Gabe – I believe pick-ups would fall under the “wrong kind of white person” so often mentioned here.
What others said about no mention of wine and Burning Man is spot on. Those are musts for an SWPL article about SF. I mean, Burning Man, c’mon!
Just a suggestion to Clander. Fresh material is the lifeblood of a comedian. Why not play variations on the SWPL Theme to avoid self-referential repetition? For example, “Stuff White Feminists Like.” White feminists like the tagline”WHAT’S THAT ABOUT?” as in “the salesman must not like women. He was rude to me but polite to my husband. What’s that about?”
(Also see Annette, Comment #4, Barack Obama, Post #8)
he’s not a comedian.
damn. the references need to be repeated.
damn.
Your blog really makes me realise how white I am. Each and every post describes me and my family, it’s almost a bit scary how precise you are.
This article is right on.
Ess Eff just talks about diversity. Oakland IS diversity.
I grew up in Oakland, went to college in LA and now currently live in Oakland again. I can tell you SF is hardly diverse.
Whites, gays and Asians (mainly loud-mouthed/rude Cantonese) pretty much sums up Ess Eff.
A: Hilarious. Me and all my bougie white Oakland friends keep discovering ourselves in your posts. I’m dying on the inside.
B: Given my experience with A, may I humbly suggest “flu shots”?
The following San Francisco-based blog illustrates this post amazingly well.
http://feedingmesoftly.blogspot.com/2004/10/spaghetti-red.html
I am kind of surprised (why?) at all the people who totally do not understand this site.
I am also kind of surprised at how much vitriol exists about and towards SF. Who knew?
And speaking of defensive, what is all this “SF is DEAD / irrelevant / over” stuff? What does that even mean? According to whom and compared to what?
La la la, back to my self-righteous corner of SOMA to lurk some more.
Not dead; always changing. Pay attention, everyone. Venture out of your little cocoon. Not irrelevant, either; otherwise where would all this discussion (and vitriol) come from? Never over. Always changing. Go back and start again.
Really funny. But your getting a little to self referential…
My supervisor who is the whitest White whoever whited just came back from a conference in San Fransico. I’m so glad I’d finished my orange juice before reading today’s post, otherwise, I’d probably be buying my job a new keyboard!
I don’t get it. Is this site about stuff white people like, or about stuff yuppies like. Or are all white people yuppies?
Just look at your list of stuff whites like:
Public Radio
Wine
Asian Fusion Cuisine
Knowing what’s best for the poor
Organic Food
Having Gay Friends
I think your describing yuppies. You should get out more and meet some non-yuppie white people.
hilarious… but really, no mention of the use of “hella”? c’mon!
Black people love Sacramento.
McCain hates San Francisco.
lil george bush has never been here.
his daddy showed up a couple of times and we threw one hellofa riot.