SF Guardian: Is Oakland Cooler than San Francisco? (Nice: safe area, college)

[OaklandMofo]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

Somehow I don't think you managed to peg a single Oaklander who posts here.

Seriously.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

This is so full of win.

If one has relegated oneself to simply "slaving away Monday thru Friday for The Man," isn't that...lose? Not exactly fulfilling hopes and dreams with that dire outlook. Sure you have to work hard to make it here, but people choose to live in the Bay Area for more than just work/sleep existence. (OK, maybe save for some workaholic tech geeks, but that's more of a SV problem).

[sav858]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

If one has relegated oneself to simply "slaving away Monday thru Friday for The Man," isn't that...lose? Not exactly fulfilling hopes and dreams with that dire outlook. Sure you have to work hard to make it here, but people choose to live in the Bay Area for more than just work/sleep existence. (OK, maybe save for some workaholic tech geeks, but that's more of a SV problem).

Not many it seems, most people seem to move here for jobs/opportunities. It's an expensive rat race here so you pretty much have to slave away to survive.

[jade408]

I met a 20-something girl (white) who worked in a store who lives in Oakland. She lives in Northwest Oakland. She had lived all over Oakland hills, north, west flats (not east). When she left, she said she was gone for a little while and then had to come back. She missed the diversity, vibe and options in Oakland (vs. other places).

I hear the same thing from other similar people (white middle class upbringing). Not sure how these people also came to find this "diversity" important. Haven't had a chance to inquire further. It is really interesting. Generally speaking, for the average white american, living in a diverse place is low on the priority list.

[SunDevil1212]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

If one has relegated oneself to simply "slaving away Monday thru Friday for The Man," isn't that...lose? Not exactly fulfilling hopes and dreams with that dire outlook. Sure you have to work hard to make it here, but people choose to live in the Bay Area for more than just work/sleep existence. (OK, maybe save for some workaholic tech geeks, but that's more of a SV problem).

I think you missed the sarcasm in my post. I am quite happy in my Mon-Fri 9-5 job working for "The Man." It allows me to make a good living while giving me plenty of time to engage in my hobbies (like art, for one...). I personally don't work an hour of overtime, ever.

I was just rolling my eyes at the type of people (i.e. the "cool" artist types migrating to Oakland) who think that if you've decided to keep your hobbies just that (instead of pursuing them as a career) that you must be a boring yuppy who's sold their soul to The Man.

[ZhugeLiang]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

If one has relegated oneself to simply "slaving away Monday thru Friday for The Man," isn't that...lose? Not exactly fulfilling hopes and dreams with that dire outlook. Sure you have to work hard to make it here, but people choose to live in the Bay Area for more than just work/sleep existence. (OK, maybe save for some workaholic tech geeks, but that's more of a SV problem).

The guy was just trashing a ridiculous premise.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by SunDevil1212

I was just rolling my eyes at the type of people (i.e. the "cool" artist types migrating to Oakland) who think that if you've decided to keep your hobbies just that (instead of pursuing them as a career) that you must be a boring yuppy who's sold their soul to The Man.

Sounds much like the types who live underground, who occasionally emerge to break stuff with the latest Blac Bloc. There are some, but even the most dedicated artists/musicians who aren't insane know they have to do something to earn a buck. Hopefully without totally giving up.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

Meh Oakland is pretty good imo. It needs a lot of work, but for a city of less than 400k they got a lot going on, tons of potential.

That's right, especially when you consider that population wise, Oakland = 2 Fremonts or 2.5 Sunnyvales. Pretty good for a city its size.

[NorCal Dude]

I have always been a fan of this picture
TwoFriedEggs: Leadership!



For a city with so much going on and so many issues and so much going for it she looks bored to tears. WTF?

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Shelacious

I sort of agree with you to a point. I think that some people overcompensate about Oakland because some other people are often so far to the extreme about Oakland. There is a problem with crime in this city. It is out of proportion compared to the city's population. Although I have really not experienced much crime here personally since I've lived here, I read about it and can see the results of crime to know it exists. The rich (hills) and poor (flatlands) are very polarized here, with the middle class usually sandwiched literally between the two in the slantlands. And because I think that people look at Oakland's potential (weather, geography, housing stock, transportation, residential income, proximity to SF, etc.) maybe the crime issue takes on a greater focus when talking about Oakland compared to other cities in the midwest and north east. But I don't know. I've been to some of the hoods and ghettos in the north east, and they are NOTHING like the Oakland hoods and ghettos. As someone pointed out in another thread, here the hoods and ghettos look grimy and sad (and yes a bit dangerous), but they also still look like livable communities for the most part. The hoods and ghettos I've seen when I visited friends in the NE (just to use as an example, not to call out the NE specifically) look the a bomb went off in the area--whole streets and hoods of burned out housing, empty fields, abandoned cars. I can't explain it precisely, but I've been through every hood of Oakland, and never seen anything that was comparable in look and feel over entire streets and neighborhoods (although TO ME a few areas of West Oakland might be closer in that direction).

So I'm a realist when it comes to crime in Oakland--there's way too much of it. But I'm also a realist that 3/4 of the city is not some bombed out hull, and that's what it sounds like some people are saying when they talk about Oakland and the crime issue. It's a weird city--it's very urban, but also oddly suburban in another way. It's not in competition to SF to me--there's no comparison. SF is a world-class destination city. Oakland is a good-sized city with it's own vibe and things going on that is big enough to be an "east bay" destination center, but I wouldn't suggest that people visit Oakland INSTEAD OF San Francisco as a tourist. But I do recommend that people visit Oakland INSTEAD OF just San Francisco as an alternative when looking to permanently relocate to the SF Bay Area.

Thank you. Unfortunately, I doubt that any of the trolls would really understand your point. Sometimes it seems that the world they live in is black and white, and in some cases literally.