What San Jose is Really Like... (San Diego, Sunnyvale: Valentine's day, buy, college)

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Like H*ll they don't. I'm gay but conservative/libertarian leaning and I can't tell you how often I hear endless snarky comments and ridiculous stereotypes about conservatives from the San Francisco crowd. Fortunately San Jose/SV is not as in your face about politics as much as SF/Berkeley/Oakland.

I didn't want to say it but I agree with you 100%. I am not gay but I am also conservative/libertarian. Very conservative fiscally and pretty libertarian socially. I get along prettty well everywhere as generally politics is not a consideration in choosing a place to live but I don't like the "get in your face" types whether they are left or right wing.

[Billy Millennium]

Originally Posted by cardinal2007

I've never been to Orange County, but at least statistics don't seem to bear out what you're saying Orange County is certainly socially conservative on paper. They were the base of donations for prop 8 in 2008 for example: Proposition 8 - Tracking the money - latimes.com

You say you're not trying to bash the place, but yet call it lifeless, like everyone is just a zombie from Walking Dead? I mean it doesn't really get much more insulting than that, <sarcasm> yeah, nobody here has a life</sarcasm>.

San Jose has nearly 1 million people. Can you wrap your head around how enormous of a number that is? Every city with 1 million should have amenties far beyond what SJ has.

When I was in Reno, NV (about 1/4 the population @ 225k) last year I felt it was superior as far as amenties. And it's not even that big of a city.

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

[b]The problem is San Jose / Silicon Valley is a one industry metro area. Too many tech people and not enough of any other kinds of people. Adding more people and stuff just tends to be more of the same. We need a more diversified set of businesses here, but that isn't likely to happen given the fact we are not cost competitive for most industries.[b]

Yep, so true. The tech dweebs are also the reason for a lack of amenities imo. This goes beyond the costs of doing business. A lot of whom are very frugal too, especially some of the foreigners. A male oriented business; hence the MAN Jose nickname I've heard here. I appreciate the fact that these people are educated and successful but too much of one group is not good. These guys are also (imo) the reason why women here have no trouble getting guys. They don't need to try or even look good, never seen anything like it elsewhere. Cause a lot of these dudes aren't picky looks wise or can't afford to be plus the surplus of single men. Women really have all the leverage here and it's due largely to the tech industry.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by Billy Millennium

Yep, so true. The tech dweebs are also the reason for a lack of amenities imo.

It's like you can't help but insult people, I get that you're much happier in Arizona, and that's fine, different people like different things, but it is really your pursuit in life to insult other people? Just leave them be, you'll probably be much happier that way. I could go on an on in the Pittsburgh forum about how I didn't like the place when I lived there, and what I think is wrong with it, but I don't, I moved on with my life, the place is not for me, and I accept that, the people there like it, I don't insult them for it.

A lot of people here move for jobs, and yes tech companies can afford to pay the best, along with law firms supporting them, and so on. And a lot of people leave because they don't have the skills to get a better paying job in this area, and the trade-off can be a bit much for them, especially if they have children. People wouldn't leave if rents and housing prices wouldn't go up, and they wouldn't go up if cities allowed more apartment construction to allow new people that wish to move here a place to live, hence not having to outbid others for the same places, but go to almost any town, except for possibly San Jose, and they have a very strong opinion on new apartments/condos, saying how it will bring too much traffic, blah blah blah, but when it comes to building a new office building with thousands of workers, you don't here anything of the sort. Because they really only care about their housing prices, more expensive rents mean more expensive houses, more apartments means lower rents, and less expensive houses, they'll never go out an say it, but you know that is what they are thinking.

Now can we get back to talking about the city without insulting people?

[Billy Millennium]

^ If you're insulted by the word dweeb and lifeless (in another post) then I don't know what to tell you. Must be tough being on these forums then, feeling insulted all the time. Heard the word "dweeb" used by some regulars every now and then, be sure to let them know that's an insult. If you've met a lot of tech people you know many self identify as nerds. You chose that part of my post instead of the positive which led to my point: I appreciate the fact that these people are educated and successful but too much of one group is not good. This, goes with everything. It's great that there's a vibrant economy, but the lack of diversification permeates every facet of society. Some being good, some bad. The good being that San Jose is a very safe and clean city imo. That can be attributed to the well-educated populace with good jobs such as in technology. The bad being much of what is around caters to this segment of the population which may not be ideal for those not involved in tech working extremely long hours.

There is a lack of amenities in SJ and I've been baffled why besides costs. I have a family member who is a tech person and meeting and seeing some of their/his friends/co-workers spending habits leads me to believe this is a partial reason.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Like H*ll they don't. I'm gay but conservative/libertarian leaning and I can't tell you how often I hear endless snarky comments and ridiculous stereotypes about conservatives from the San Francisco crowd. Fortunately San Jose/SV is not as in your face about politics as much as SF/Berkeley/Oakland.

I'm not familiar with the stereotypes, but I suppose with any group their not familiar with people go by stereotypes. What I don't like about those places is not the social liberalism, but the more hard line left attitude that you must compost, or how dare you drive in the city, but part of that has infected San Jose too, why can't I get a plastic bag at Safeway anymore?

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by Billy Millennium

Women really have all the leverage here and it's due largely to the tech industry.

"The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Billy Millennium

Women really have all the leverage here and it's due largely to the tech industry.

Ahaaaa...seems we may have found the source of this particular round of virulent discontent .
It's usually this issue that makes dudes start throwing out mass anger-posts screaming about how they hate entire cities.
It's difficult not being the Alpha-male in "Man Jose," huh?

[krudmonk]

Maybe the women were a bit too successful and progressive for his Phoenix/Reno/OC values.

[Radical347]

Billy, which amenities (other than nightlife, which I'd concur is weak) are lacking in SJ?

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Radical347

Billy, which amenities (other than nightlife, which I'd concur is weak) are lacking in SJ?

(Besides easy women, which we already have been told we don't have nearly enough of)