Misconceptions About San Francisco (San Jose, Oakland: home, neighborhood, movies)

[redwoodlvr]

As a straight woman I often get asked about the gay male population when I travel. I don't even respond anymore. Who cares?! The misconception (or perhaps judgemental observation) is there are (flaming) gay men running rampant on every corner of the city in leather chaps, looking for a parade.

Ignorance is bliss I suppose.

But it can also be highly annoying.

[silang_mabele]

There are a lot of mosconceptions about San Francisco...

1. Weather is COLD. Don't even think about wearing shorts or skirts in the summer. I only pull those out on the occasional "heat waves" when the thermostat hits about 70 degress...
2. City is NOT has tolerant as the media and kids visiting the Haight would let onlookers believe. Sure, we are a bit on the progressive side, but I've lived here the majority of my life and words like "tolerant" and "liberal" do not flash across my mind. Perhaps I am jaded to being a student under SFUSD, but 80% of the people (public school students of varying ages) I have grown up with have been very conservative. Many in fact are racist, homophobic, snobbish and have never left the Bay Area. By the way, I am not in any way saying that EVERYONE I have gone to school with has been this way, but in an overcrowded school of 2,500, the majority tends to favor the above statements. The liberal San Franciscan (such as myself) is a minority among the youth.
3. San Francisco is expensive, but people hardly live "lavishly." i don't know where the housing money goes because it's not going to Hunters Point, the Tenderloin, The Excelsior, homeless shelters or public schools.
4. Drugs? Weed? Parties? Not as much as you would think. You will find more of that in the suburbs of Alameda, Pacifica, or even in the ritzy hills of Marin County.
5. I have yet to meet a real Hippie who wears flowers
6. San Francisco is not as "gay friendly" as the world may suggest...It is getting better and may be one of the more progressive cities, but during the week prior to the election I still saw blocks full of people holding signs screaming "yes on prop 8" (the proposition banning gay marriage)
7. Honestly, I hardly see any riots or protests. Maybe once every couple years and rarely are they violent.

I don't know. Maybe I am biased because I live here but I'm just repeating what I know and see.

[ImRandy]

Originally Posted by silang_mabele

There are a lot of mosconceptions about San Francisco... 1. Weather is COLD.

I agree, I would rank that as the second biggest misconception. I like how you can wear shorts nearly year-round here.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by ImRandy

I agree, I would rank that as the second biggest misconception. I like how you can wear shorts nearly year-round here.

Maybe if you belong to the Polar Bears! It does depend on what part of the city we're talking about. In the Sunset I would never go out without a sweater.

[Eeeee22895]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Many of the people who live in SF do not care about the poor nor do they want them around. If you could take an anonymous vote I bet the majority would want to demolish the fillmore, HP etc and build 800k condo's all on the land. There seems to be this weird vibe about the city that keeps it in this bubble that nothing bad happens there. I wonder how many people would move out if an influx of Blacks moved back into the city.

This is just true of liberals in general. Most of them practice the opposite of what they preach. (Tolerance, free speech, treatment of children, racism, charitable giving)

[rc251dc]

Originally Posted by sailordave

4. tolerant only of liberal ideas (drugs, sex, politics) and intolerant of all others.

This is actually true. I was kind of atypical as far as politics goes because I was more conservative during college and became more liberal after graduating. I once took part in a counter-protest to one of the large ANSWER/Pro-Communist/Anti-Iraq protests held on Market Street, and I've never been so scared in my life. Being spit on, attacked, having signs ripped down, and even threatened to be stabbed with AIDS infected needles courtesy of the folks at indybay.org. While I've since become much more liberal since then, the fascist-like actions of these folks has left a bad taste in my mouth.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by City Boy

People around the country think SF= Gay. That's the biggest misconception I think. You'd also be surprised at how many people think SF is in the LA area.

LOL, I live in San Jose and I get that, too.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by clongirl

Well, San Francisco has become a mecca for young, transient, unmarried, urban, professionals, hipsters. Everyone that has moved into the City in recent years is between the ages of 20-30, has a dog, hates the thought of aging, getting married, or having kids, ever shopping at a chain store (except Whole Foods) and is very vocal/opinionated/judgmental about any ideas that aren't exactly like their own. It's a become a city of hypocrites and self righteous snobs.

I don't live in SF, but that is also my experience of it (and to a lesser extent, the Bay Area). Not everyone, of course. But being a gay man who tends to be conservative (at least by "out of the closet" gay man standards), I find a lot of SF people to be very rigid and stereotypical about what conservatives are like. I hear snide and nasty comments from people all the time who assume because I'm gay I'm "liberal" like them. Many are not truly liberal in the sense of being tolerant of points of view other than the "liberal" or "progressive" one.

Tyger

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by nutleynut

In fact most people found arguing about their beliefs to be anathema. As if what they believed was so apparent it didn't need explanation or defense. That is anathema to me. It also makes me wonder what they did, mentally, to convince themselves to arrive at and accept the belief. I find this habit pervasive and very scary.

For an example see the post below

Yes, you nailed it!!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Eeeee22895

This is just true of liberals in general. Most of them practice the opposite of what they preach. (Tolerance, free speech, treatment of children, racism, charitable giving)

Unfortunately, I mostly agree. They love to scream about the hypocrisy of conservatives (and I'm not denying it doesn't exist), but they don't look at their own.