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I don't get it. If you like where you live who gives a f*ck what other people say/write? Oh wait, that's the idea behind a forum
Reading through here, I don't get why the LA people feel the need to be so snide (i.e. sarcastic, but not in a funny way), especially given the seeming faith in LA as the king of everything. That might explain some of the LA hate.
Reading through here, I don't get why the LA people feel the need to be so snide (i.e. sarcastic, but not in a funny way), especially given the seeming faith in LA as the king of everything. That might explain some of the LA hate.
What do you expect when so many people hate on their town? Should they just sit back and take it and not defend themselves? and many times people say things based off perception and stereotypes that are BS or exaggerated.
What do you expect when so many people hate on their town? Should they just sit back and take it and not defend themselves? and many times people say things based off perception and stereotypes that are BS or exaggerated.
Since you asked -
Well, one, a lot of people on city-data are "homers," so my comment takes into account that fact, and is as compared to other people "defending."
Second, most people have been to LA at some point, so what seems like "stereotypes and exaggerations" may be just a different point of view, from which there is no need to defend.
Third, I would not make the argument, if I were you, that the LA posters have eschewed "stereotypes and exaggerations" in their descriptions of other cities.
Finally, even where a response is totally warranted, I've found a tone, certainly not limited to the people from LA, but certainly well-represented among them, that I would describe as juvenile and taunting, which likely explains some people more harsh reactions.
Well, one, a lot of people on city-data in "homers," so my comment takes into account that fact, and is as compared to other people "defending."
I don't see any other city as hated on as much with such harsh words as LA on this site, maybe Detroit but that city doesn't come up as much.
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Second, most people have been to LA at some point, so what seems like "stereotypes and exaggerations" may be just a different point of view, from which there is no need to defend.
yeah like this guy:
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Originally Posted by PeterRabbit
I've never been there. I'm turned off about LA mainly because I can't stand the egos and political views of the actors. I also understand that it's a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.
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Third, I would not make the argument, if I were you, that the LA posters have eschewed "stereotypes and exaggerations" in their descriptions of other cities.
Well I wouldn't make that argument either and when someone throws stereotypes and exaggerations at you people will tend to do the same back.
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Finally, even where a response is totally warranted, I've found a tone, certainly not limited to the people from LA, but certainly well-represented among them, that I would describe as juvenile and taunting, which likely explains some people more harsh reactions.
Just my 2 cents.
maybe you just have thin skin or lack a sense of humor
I don't see any other city as hated on as much with such harsh words as LA on this site, maybe Detroit but that city doesn't come up as much.
yeah like this guy:
Well I wouldn't make that argument either and when someone throws stereotypes and exaggerations at you people will tend to do the same back.
maybe you just have thin skin or lack a sense of humor
Whatever.
Maybe you've just mistaken being an a-hole for being funny.
I've been here in LA for 2 1/2 weeks now, a pretty short time, but I already hate it. I'm only here for one year for school (an accelerated one-year master's program) and then I'm out come next May. And BTW, don't get me wrong here, the point of my post is not so much to be anti-LA as it is against people who get all defensive about LA when the city is criticized. There are some things to like about LA, but the disadvantages by far outweigh the advantages.
1. Low standards of living. It seems like "double occupancy" (two people or more sleeping in one bedroom, so 2 in a one-bedroom apt, 4 in a 2-bed, 6 in a 3-bed, etc) is the norm here, not the exception. And I'm not just talking about illegals here who could manage to pack dozens of bodies in a room, I'm talking about born and bred Americans too. People here accept violent gangs, being afraid to wear whatever color shirt you want (red or blue) as a normal part of life. Pretty much everywhere in the city (pictures of Laguna Beach don't count) is filthy and grimy. Overall, low standards of living. Just the other day I received a police report of someone who got robbed at gun point at the intersection right where I live. Every city has its bad areas, but in LA, the percentage of areas that are bad are a mind-boggling giant portion of the whole city. And LA's bad areas make some other's city's bad areas look like nothing.
2. Horrible air pollution. I've always heard it was bad, but after living here now I understand. Even on a totally sunny day, the sky doesn't even look blue; it looks gray. And don't try to tell me this is "marine layer" water vapor. It's not (I know what that's all about too), it's pure smog. This goes hand in hand with low standards-- some people don't mind living in a smoldering ash tray I guess.
3. No parking anywhere on the weekends. LA has many cool areas, but during the times when most people are off work it can be impossible just to find a parking spot. Unless if there's some special technique I'm not aware of yet.
4. Dismally pathetic mismatch between salaries and cost of living (especially cost of housing). Unless if you already have significant equity on a home here, you can forget about ever owning anything.
I've found that Californians, especially Angelinos, can be extremely close minded when it comes to the rest of the country. Even nearby San Diego-- I've heard people say "there's nothing there." In contrast, I think San Diego is by far the best city in California. San Diego is what California living is all about. San Diego's beaches, natural attractions and geography, climate, pace of life, pretty much everything blow away LA. Ventura blows away LA. Many of the pretty pictures of beaches some people post are not really LA; they're most likely showing you pictures of southern Orange county, Malibu, or something else. Most beaches in LA are nothing to brag about. LA is a crummy 1000s of square miles sized ashtray that just happens to be in California. I love the state of California, just not LA. I think LA does offer a lot of "culture," more than most cities, but it is most definitely not at the level of a NYC.
What people here don't realize LA is not the only place in the country that offers tremendous ethnic diversity. In Denver, where I'm from, even though it's a city most people don't think of as very diverse, you can find tons of ethnic strip malls with Korean, Russian, Arabic, and many other language storefronts. They are often located in old suburbs. Aurora, CO, for example, the eastern suburb of Denver, has a fullblown "Koreatown" of its own. The whole city isn't diverse, but you can find some incredibly diverse pockets, and if that's important to you, live in those pockets and get all the advantages of international flavor without having to live in a giant ashtray. And you can find a similar thing in dozens of cities around the country. You can't compare the urban city of LA to brand new all white bread suburbs of other cities. You have to compare apples to apples. You can find dozens of mid-to-large sized cities in the country that offer plenty of cultural, sports, and entertainment attractions, and walkable entertainment districts, all much more accessible than what LA offers.
Who cares how much "stuff" LA has if you have to drive around for an hour just to look for a parking spot to get to the "stuff"? Denver, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago (I don't want to offend people by leaving out other cities) are not exactly lightweights when it comes to the fine arts. Some of the best universities in the country are right in the heart of the midwest. The truth is the "flyover country" is a great place to live; it's the country's best kept secret. In my book, anybody who sincerely believes the entire country between the two coasts is "flyover country" is a total idiot. I for one can't wait to leave this "found paradise" and and go back to that godforsaken hole in the middle.
I've been here in LA for 2 1/2 weeks now, a pretty short time, but I already hate it. I'm only here for one year for school (an accelerated one-year master's program) and then I'm out come next May. And BTW, don't get me wrong here, the point of my post is not so much to be anti-LA as it is against people who get all defensive about LA when the city is criticized. There are some things to like about LA, but the disadvantages by far outweigh the advantages.
1. Low standards of living. It seems like "double occupancy" (two people or more sleeping in one bedroom, so 2 in a one-bedroom apt, 4 in a 2-bed, 6 in a 3-bed, etc) is the norm here, not the exception. And I'm not just talking about illegals here who could manage to pack dozens of bodies in a room, I'm talking about born and bred Americans too. People here accept violent gangs, being afraid to wear whatever color shirt you want (red or blue) as a normal part of life. Pretty much everywhere in the city (pictures of Laguna Beach don't count) is filthy and grimy. Overall, low standards of living. Just the other day I received a police report of someone who got robbed at gun point at the intersection right where I live. Every city has its bad areas, but in LA, the percentage of areas that are bad are a mind-boggling giant portion of the whole city. And LA's bad areas make some other's city's bad areas look like nothing.
2. Horrible air pollution. I've always heard it was bad, but after living here now I understand. Even on a totally sunny day, the sky doesn't even look blue; it looks gray. And don't try to tell me this is "marine layer" water vapor. It's not (I know what that's all about too), it's pure smog. This goes hand in hand with low standards-- some people don't mind living in a smoldering ash tray I guess.
3. No parking anywhere on the weekends. LA has many cool areas, but during the times when most people are off work it can be impossible just to find a parking spot. Unless if there's some special technique I'm not aware of yet.
4. Dismally pathetic mismatch between salaries and cost of living (especially cost of housing). Unless if you already have significant equity on a home here, you can forget about ever owning anything.
I've found that Californians, especially Angelinos, can be extremely close minded when it comes to the rest of the country. Even nearby San Diego-- I've heard people say "there's nothing there." In contrast, I think San Diego is by far the best city in California. San Diego is what California living is all about. San Diego's beaches, natural attractions and geography, climate, pace of life, pretty much everything blow away LA. Ventura blows away LA. Many of the pretty pictures of beaches some people post are not really LA; they're most likely showing you pictures of southern Orange county, Malibu, or something else. Most beaches in LA are nothing to brag about. LA is a crummy 1000s of square miles sized ashtray that just happens to be in California. I love the state of California, just not LA. I think LA does offer a lot of "culture," more than most cities, but it is most definitely not at the level of a NYC.
What people here don't realize LA is not the only place in the country that offers tremendous ethnic diversity. In Denver, where I'm from, even though it's a city most people don't think of as very diverse, you can find tons of ethnic strip malls with Korean, Russian, Arabic, and many other language storefronts. They are often located in old suburbs. Aurora, CO, for example, the eastern suburb of Denver, has a fullblown "Koreatown" of its own. The whole city isn't diverse, but you can find some incredibly diverse pockets, and if that's important to you, live in those pockets and get all the advantages of international flavor without having to live in a giant ashtray. And you can find a similar thing in dozens of cities around the country. You can't compare the urban city of LA to brand new all white bread suburbs of other cities. You have to compare apples to apples. You can find dozens of mid-to-large sized cities in the country that offer plenty of cultural, sports, and entertainment attractions, and walkable entertainment districts, all much more accessible than what LA offers.
Who cares how much "stuff" LA has if you have to drive around for an hour just to look for a parking spot to get to the "stuff"? Denver, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago (I don't want to offend people by leaving out other cities) are not exactly lightweights when it comes to the fine arts. Some of the best universities in the country are right in the heart of the midwest. The truth is the "flyover country" is a great place to live; it's the country's best kept secret. In my book, anybody who sincerely believes the entire country between the two coasts is "flyover country" is a total idiot. I for one can't wait to leave this "found paradise" and and go back to that godforsaken hole in the middle.
Crappy first post of mine, but I agree 100%.
I've always been the HUGEST fan of California when I was really young. I was so obsessed. On television, LA looked so amazing; the people were so beautiful and everything was so "perfect".....then I arrived in LA.
First of all, you can post photos all you want but all those pretty beachy photos encompass 5% of the entire LA and they are probably shot in Malibu or Laguna Beach because Los Angeles does not look like that!! Period!! It looked dirty and ugly. I rented a car and drove through the entire city. LA is nowhere as glamorous as it reps itself to be. Huge poverty level, loads of illegals from Mexico, everybody seems to be floating on credit and living in crappy apartments or bungalows.
To say I was let down would be an understatement!! It looked so crummy and Hollywood looked like some ghetto I saw in Newark!! California living is San Diego, California living is South Orange County, California living is San Francisco but Los Angeles felt so third-world crappy! LA isn't the California dream or paradise. Most of my friends/family in Europe who have visited the United States felt the same way: UNDERWHELMED. Miami had much nicer beaches. And, God, to even put it on the same level as New York City is just blasphemy. California is an amazing state, but LA is not so much.
To summarize, unless you are enclosed in some nice community like Beverly Park and never leave Beverly Hills/neighborhoods in West LA, then LA is not worth it. At all.
I've always been the HUGEST fan of California when I was really young. I was so obsessed. On television, LA looked so amazing; the people were so beautiful and everything was so "perfect".....then I arrived in LA.
And this is a big problem with a lot of people who come to CA, they expect too much and it to be like some TV show or movie. Miami is far from some tropical paradise and NYC living is not some "Sex in the City" fantasy either. Perception and reality are two different things.
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