Has this SF forum always been so negative!? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: homes, living in)

[destroycreate]

I only started reading this forum about a year ago, but even then it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now. I often found many of the threads to be helpful and positive.

But now, this place is bursting with negativity, hate, and incessant complaining.

Was it always like this? You can't ever come to this forum without being bombarded by people who ***** and moan.

How can it be that I know so many people who are happy and content in SF, and yet this forum seems to be filled with so many people who hate it?

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by destroycreate

I only started reading this forum about a year ago, but even then it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now. I often found many of the threads to be helpful and positive.

But now, this place is bursting with negativity, hate, and incessant complaining.

Was it always like this? You can't ever come to this forum without being bombarded by people who ***** and moan.

How can it be that I know so many people who are happy and content in SF, and yet this forum seems to be filled with so many people who hate it?

Because of us (myself included) make the mistake of always responding to those whom we know are here to stir things up and there are a lot of them around here. Because of this, they keep coming back knowing that they will always get a reaction from us. It's kind of our fault, those of us who are here to talk about what we love and why.

If you watch the SF forum, you will see that it's generally the same people over and over again who do this. A few others here and there but usually the same ones. Some concentrate specifically on San Francisco and others on Oakland. A few in both.

Now expect a disdain laden response from the aforementioned goon-squad in 3...2...1...

[fizbin]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Because of us (myself included) make the mistake of always responding to those whom we know are here to stir things up and there are a lot of them around here. Because of this, they keep coming back knowing that they will always get a reaction from us. It's kind of our fault . . .

Yep, stop feeding the trolls (and we all know who they are). Trolls love attention and conversely, it kills them when they get no response - they live for the response. Stop responding and they will move on . . .

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Because of us (myself included) make the mistake of always responding to those whom we know are here to stir things up and there are a lot of them around here. Because of this, they keep coming back knowing that they will always get a reaction from us. It's kind of our fault, those of us who are here to talk about what we love and why.

If you watch the SF forum, you will see that it's generally the same people over and over again who do this. A few others here and there but usually the same ones. Some concentrate specifically on San Francisco and others on Oakland. A few in both.

Now expect a disdain laden response from the aforementioned goon-squad in 3...2...1...

so true so true, couple that with the fact that the SF moderator issue is a bit off at the time being, and it's like open season around here. <sigh>

The ignore option is my new best friend.

[18Montclair]

The SF forum attracts a bunch of outta town trolls.

Obviously many outtowners who frequent this subforum are cordial and well meaning.

But I think that the UberRight folks who have an axe to grind with some policy or action by SFs city govt use this subforum to vent their frustrations and they do that by inciting arguments here-usually in the form of insulting posts.

Then there are the jealous ones who can't stand that SF is so popular and is seen in such a great light around the world.

Then there are those who genuinely have a gripe-but that is very rare. We can tell the haters from those who really have a concern.

This is all part of being high profile. SF is very high profile for various reasons and is going to deal with praise and scorn at the same time.

Life in the Big Time I guess.

[destroycreate]

I wonder if the NYC/LA/Chicago forums get the same negative press too?

[matt345]

Here's my take on why the SF Forum (and similar places like the SFGate comments section...) is so negative. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws here, but many of the things people love to complain about in SF (the inability to find a single family detached home, the crowdedness, the lack of parking) are normal characteristics of city life on the East Coast and Chicago. The problem with San Francisco is that it's sort of an "East Coast city" on the West Coast.

NYC is surrounded by cities which look and functional in similar manners - Boston, Philadelphia, and DC - they're all dense, rowhome-abundant, old, gritty urban centers which were built around the pedestrian rather than the car. San Francisco is the same way, but it's surrounded by places like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and the rest of California - places that by and large, are much more suburban/auto-oriented in nature.

Out here, it seems like everyone expects parking to be free and cheap, even in the city center and are outraged that it's not in SF; you think parking is cheap/free in Manhattan or Boston? People back east understand that the closer you get to the city center, the more expensive parking is going to be, so why not just take public transit instead? A lot of people out here seem to have a really hard time comprehending that concept. They also expect everyone to be living in detached homes with a front yard, and are turned off by SF's densely packed rowhomes; densely packed housing is what defines "the city" back east.

IMO, if SF were located on the East Coast, you wouldn't see nearly as much negativity.

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by matt345

Here's my take on why the SF Forum (and similar places like the SFGate comments section...) is so negative. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws here, but many of the things people love to complain about in SF (the inability to find a single family detached home, the crowdedness, the lack of parking) are normal characteristics of city life on the East Coast and Chicago. The problem with San Francisco is that it's sort of an "East Coast city" on the West Coast.

NYC is surrounded by cities which look and functional in similar manners - Boston, Philadelphia, and DC - they're all dense, rowhome-abundant, old, gritty urban centers which were built around the pedestrian rather than the car. San Francisco is the same way, but it's surrounded by places like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and the rest of California - places that by and large, are much more suburban/auto-oriented in nature.

Out here, it seems like everyone expects parking to be free and cheap, even in the city center and are outraged that it's not in SF; you think parking is cheap/free in Manhattan or Boston? People back east understand that the closer you get to the city center, the more expensive parking is going to be, so why not just take public transit instead? A lot of people out here seem to have a really hard time comprehending that concept. They also expect everyone to be living in detached homes with a front yard, and are turned off by SF's densely packed rowhomes; densely packed housing is what defines "the city" back east.

IMO, if SF were located on the East Coast, you wouldn't see nearly as much negativity.

+1 matt
As a 17 year "local" East Coast City transplant, I salute you. I do believe you have hit the nail on the head.

[LisainCalifornia]

Most of the negative threads seem to be created by people who don't actually LIVE in the Bay Area, so I think your critcism of this "negativity" in the forum is misplaced. The Bay Area residents who actually live here and post on this board are mostly positive about the areas they live in. I live in the Lamorinda area, so I try to be helpful when people have questions about it, but there are many people here who live in the South Bay or Oakland areas that have lots of positive info on those areas.

Before you post a thread like this, you should go back and take a look at the original posters of those negative threads---and I think you will find the OP's to be people who don't live anywhere near the Bay Area. We can't control the fact that some posters in other states have an axe to grind with S.F.

[Curmudgeon]

I don't think it's too difficult for real people to dislike or look askance of San Francisco when stuff like this happens with predictable and senseless regularity.

zombietime