I bet people were having this same conversation back in 1972-73. The whole SF dynamic had changed over the past decade and people were left wondering how to get 'it' back. Somehow they managed to find a way forward, and the result was pretty awesome. Maybe there's a social science model for how that parallels (assuming it does at all)?
Also: I'm with you on the whole hugging thing. I'll even help you bring it back.
Matt, you're literally going to Hell. I'm not even religious and I can see you're going to Hell. The "crazy wild" stuff you love, like guys jacking off out of windows over the street, is going to drag you and the City down into the mud and the degradation so fast. No doubt you'll keep screaming about "how GREAT it is!" all the way down, as the disease, the growing poverty, and the crime-ridden scum rip you apart. Future generations will use the Fall of SF as a parable they tell their kids to scare them away from your kind of lifestyle. Your kids? Are you kidding? Your kids will run far, far, far from you as they can, saving themselves. Your kids will be so Conservative they'll make the Trump conservatives look moderate. You are an arrogant, stupid fucking clown.
this fucking guy gets san francisco and this is a great post. except the part about loving clubhouse. that’s gonna end in a shit show. but, thanks for writing this and i’m right there with you. Peace.
I want to be optimistic about The City, the place I grew up and still call home. …But a part of me is gone. The soul of the city seems hollowed out, crumbled up, blown away like sand over the dunes. The artist culture that once seemed indelible to the character of this city is barely there anymore. Many of my friends moved away. The places and venues that were already barely hanging on have been done in by the pandemic. Even places that I thought would never disappear are gone. We can't even keep the name of my damn high school?
I want to like this city. It is very beautiful, and the history it has is incredible. But so much of the culture is just that: history. The spark that lit the fire of creativity in SF is out. Unless the people of this city (and for that matter, the rest of the state and the country) work to foster and nurture the next generation to create art and share ideas, and to give them the time and space to do so, it will stay unlit.
Awesome post....tech is just like the scattered gold rush stuff around the city...the city will live around it...we gotta support the people here and the good stuff
My wife and I just had our first kid and are going to raise him here in the city. I want to make sure he understands both how cool this place is, and how much cooler it would be if we had some fucking empathy for each other.
If it means tech has to leave, so be it. This city has literally burned to the ground before, and been split apart. Some people stuck around and rebuilt on that debris. I see no reason why that wouldn’t happen again.
I bet people were having this same conversation back in 1972-73. The whole SF dynamic had changed over the past decade and people were left wondering how to get 'it' back. Somehow they managed to find a way forward, and the result was pretty awesome. Maybe there's a social science model for how that parallels (assuming it does at all)?
Also: I'm with you on the whole hugging thing. I'll even help you bring it back.
Maybe: my 6 year old has been binging Adventure Time, and your piece made me think of how SF resembles Ooo.
Matt, you're literally going to Hell. I'm not even religious and I can see you're going to Hell. The "crazy wild" stuff you love, like guys jacking off out of windows over the street, is going to drag you and the City down into the mud and the degradation so fast. No doubt you'll keep screaming about "how GREAT it is!" all the way down, as the disease, the growing poverty, and the crime-ridden scum rip you apart. Future generations will use the Fall of SF as a parable they tell their kids to scare them away from your kind of lifestyle. Your kids? Are you kidding? Your kids will run far, far, far from you as they can, saving themselves. Your kids will be so Conservative they'll make the Trump conservatives look moderate. You are an arrogant, stupid fucking clown.
Counterpoint: jacking off out of windows over the street is socially distanced properly, are YOU staying six feet away? Hell is other people
this fucking guy gets san francisco and this is a great post. except the part about loving clubhouse. that’s gonna end in a shit show. but, thanks for writing this and i’m right there with you. Peace.
I love this, Mat. ❤️
I want to be optimistic about The City, the place I grew up and still call home. …But a part of me is gone. The soul of the city seems hollowed out, crumbled up, blown away like sand over the dunes. The artist culture that once seemed indelible to the character of this city is barely there anymore. Many of my friends moved away. The places and venues that were already barely hanging on have been done in by the pandemic. Even places that I thought would never disappear are gone. We can't even keep the name of my damn high school?
I want to like this city. It is very beautiful, and the history it has is incredible. But so much of the culture is just that: history. The spark that lit the fire of creativity in SF is out. Unless the people of this city (and for that matter, the rest of the state and the country) work to foster and nurture the next generation to create art and share ideas, and to give them the time and space to do so, it will stay unlit.
🔥
I loved this. Watching this space hoping you vibe some more; let it bring tales of the better city.
Man, this was such a lovely read. It's been a long time since I've read anything with this much zimzam and life. Needed it today.
This is a beautiful post Mat--a visceral sense of the city you know and love.
Awesome post....tech is just like the scattered gold rush stuff around the city...the city will live around it...we gotta support the people here and the good stuff
My wife and I just had our first kid and are going to raise him here in the city. I want to make sure he understands both how cool this place is, and how much cooler it would be if we had some fucking empathy for each other.
If it means tech has to leave, so be it. This city has literally burned to the ground before, and been split apart. Some people stuck around and rebuilt on that debris. I see no reason why that wouldn’t happen again.
I grew some spinach and onion over here on the east side of town. The onions were great, the woodland creatures ate the spinach.
Have you seen the new Adam Curtis BBC series? It is very current to what you wrote.
I have not! But I will look it up
Heya Matt, long time no see! (Used to be a designer at Wired) I second this recco and here’s a link to part 1: https://youtu.be/MHFrhIAj0ME
Thanks for this. It made me all kinds of nostalgic.