My "Seattle Freeze" Rant (condominium, homes, school)
Seattle areaSeattle and King County Suburbs
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Seattle has that odd sort of social ethos, whereby when one is a more gregarious sort of chap or lady, they look at you like you are a 3 headed monster, imo. Just an odd part of the USA socially to me. Even after many years spent in Seattle, many transplants, I have known, especially the single males, would still be friendless and dateless, more or less, imo. Not much humor in Seattle either, more serious toned, I have found. Folks would use odd phrases that sort of felt overly mechanical to me, like "witty banter", and etc. Just my views and opinions. Still a tough larger city to beat with in regard to quality of life, if u can handle the mind numbing traffic as well.
I do think a component of OP's problem is Seattle's generally awkward, cold social nature. But do remember that Seattle U is a small private school. Its student body is not as diverse as that at the University of Washington. I attend the UW and it was never difficult to make friends and connections. People are generally pretty social here. It's too bad the majority of the student body is aesthetically unattractive. Also, Capitol Hill is kind of a weird area with a lot of hipsters. Those don't sound like your type of people (nor mine).
I read your entire post and a few of the responses but frankly and I mean this very politely, I don't see any evidence of the freeze, more social aloofness on the part of the typical club culture you'll find in those neighborhoods and Capital Hill is notorious for that. I used to be a big advocate of the freeze, but I'm a lot more objective now that I have lived in other areas and found it to be true in all large American cities.
You might want to let somebody know at SU that the soup kitchen on Broadway adjacent to their property closed because of structural issues with the building, and it left a huge hole in the homeless community. Perhaps with their emphasis on volunteerism, somebody might want to implement a brown bag program until the repairs are made and the kitchen reopens.
On the techno aspect, I'm a big fan of that genre of music and I will tell you right now that you're not going to find cutting edge european progressive, common in places like Miami, in most Capital Hill circles. And don't say "Neighbors" or C89.5. The DJ's there play what they consider to be "in" as opposed to what might be trending overseas. It makes no sense to me and I stopped calling into C89 with any suggestions, even on their trance program. And don't get me started on some of the DJ's at N.
Allow me to share my own experience. First of all, I want to get out of the way that Seattle is my favorite city in the country. Go Seahawks!
But I do feel there is a bit (and only a bit) of an ***-hole factor going on up there. Maybe not this passive aggressive "freeze", but something. When I first moved to California, I moved from a solid middle class school (in Bothell) to a low-income, ghetto school on a scale that probably doesn't even exist anywhere in the Seattle region or even Washington and the kids were far (and I mean night and day) nicer. I mean disgustingly nicer. I went from a rotten school full of bullies to a school where everyone with almost no exception was friendly. But could this be? The kids in my newer California school were much poorer, their families much less educated and often English illiterate. A lot of students later ended up dropping out or going to juvenile schools and I'm sure some even would join gangs. They had every socioeconomic reason to be more obnoxious than my former Bothell peers, but were the opposite.
My answer: I feel it's the weather. A recent time I was visiting family in Bothell during a December and I noticed people just didn't appear to have as good of a time in public - I recall being in a full fast food restaurant where there were just pensive frowns and it was like, "why so serious?". The lack of cheer just did not feel right from someone who's lived in Fresno and Los Angeles. Perhaps Seattle is different here than Bothell. And perhaps I'm being unfair in making a comparison to California where people are known to be very friendly (but aren't we all, as West Coast people, otherwise very culturally similar?).
But these are just impressions and I hope I'm wrong because I love this city. For me, it's not so much that I'm worried about what the weather does to the people of Cascadia who in turn would be pain to mingle with, but what it would do to ME. Would it make me a little more miserable? Would I acquire the Seattle Freeze?
We'll just have to wait for the next episode. I'm leaving that question for a later point in time when I graduate and think about looking for work up there.
I have always said that poor people are much friendlier than middle class/upper class people. When you don't have anything to brag or be snobby about, what's left other than to just be yourself? I grew up amongst poor people, and most of them would have given you the shirt off their back without question. They were open and accepting of all people. I find the farther up you go on the social class ladder, the snottier/more competitive people are, and that can drive real wedges on the road to creating meaningful relationships. It's hard to be friends with someone if they're worrying about whether or not their house is bigger, if their kids are better at sports, etc.
ETA I don't think that's why Seattleites are aloof. I really think it's because we are super introverted people in general. Lots of techies/Aspies, they're not exactly the social butterflies of the world.
mak & Chicagoan:
There's no way to get around it or mince words about the situation here: this is a city of poseurs, jerks, a--holes, and complete losers who wouldn't survive 2 weeks in a place like Chicago, and instinctively envy anybody else who could. Yes the 'Seattle Freeze' is real. Not only is it in the Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia, but the Beavis-Butthead city leadership actually think it would be a good name for a prospective pro hockey team! We couldn't have anything cool like 'Thunderbirds' you know.
The Freeze Hockey Team: hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk. Hardy-hardy-har-har-har. Just as cool as the Pig Statue Artwalks or the time they painted the game-show Wheel of Fortune on top the Space Needle. Or for that matter, watching our 'first gay-pride mayor' betting marijuana with that doofus who runs Denver. Only Seattlites could take something as awesome as the Super Bowl and turn into a chance to make us all look like jackasses to the rest of the world.
This is the point: you can't live in a crass, cliquish, trailer-trash culture like this for long without it affecting you negatively. The only realistic options are to leave, spend as much time away from here as possible, or succumb to it. It's not an easy thing but it's worthwhile in the long run.
I have always said that poor people are much friendlier than middle class/upper class people. When you don't have anything to brag or be snobby about, what's left other than to just be yourself? I grew up amongst poor people, and most of them would have given you the shirt off their back without question. They were open and accepting of all people. I find the farther up you go on the social class ladder, the snottier/more competitive people are, and that can drive real wedges on the road to creating meaningful relationships. It's hard to be friends with someone if they're worrying about whether or not their house is bigger, if their kids are better at sports, etc.
ETA I don't think that's why Seattleites are aloof. I really think it's because we are super introverted people in general. Lots of techies/Aspies, they're not exactly the social butterflies of the world.
You may be right. But then next year I was instated in a school of middle income students and people still friendlier along the same lines. No doubt PHONIER than the poorer kids, though. It stayed that way since.
And not to mention once again the impression I had that people are less cheerful and more depressing up there last time I visited in the winter. But then when I came back in summer the next year and it felt the cheer was back on full throttle.
I mean aside from this aspect we're discussing, the people of Seattle and any major city of California are very similar. The west coast vibe is real. Ok so there may be more tech people up there, but I haven't quite heard of Bay Area freeze yet (maybe something like that exists?).
So either of us could be right, though I hope you are.
I do think a component of OP's problem is Seattle's generally awkward, cold social nature. But do remember that Seattle U is a small private school. Its student body is not as diverse as that at the University of Washington. I attend the UW and it was never difficult to make friends and connections. People are generally pretty social here. It's too bad the majority of the student body is aesthetically unattractive. Also, Capitol Hill is kind of a weird area with a lot of hipsters. Those don't sound like your type of people (nor mine).
I think Seattle is a very impressive larger city, my fav possibly. I actually found the younger folks in their 20's just about the only ones that one can laugh and approach and shoot the breeze with. I would think Seattle is a young persons paradise to some extent. It seems to me the over 30, 40 and etc, folks that seem to exhibit the majority of the classic Seattle uptightness, and reserve. But for the over 30 and 40 crowd, especially the women, this seems to be the demographic that I find to be the main contributor to the Seattle Freeze, imo. There is nowhere perfect though, and I have felt a similar social spirit in places like South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota as well. Might be some cultural connections there, as well, like Nordic Reserve.
Possibly in Seattle as well, there could be the whole intellectual, hipster, techie, career and status obsessed, nerdy, alternative lifestyle, sort of more introverted, sort of Solipsism going on in Seattle, which excludes more people, in its own right, then the most evangelical Christian community located somewhere in the heart of Arkansas, for example. So I think it is a false perception that an ultra liberal city like Seattle is more open minded and receptive, as it may actually be quite the opposite deep down and in reality, as far as the human connections, friendship making, dating and socializing aspects of life are concerned in a particular environment, imo.
Last edited by folkguitarist555; 01-28-2014 at 08:34 PM..
mak & Chicagoan:
There's no way to get around it or mince words about the situation here: this is a city of poseurs, jerks, a--holes, and complete losers who wouldn't survive 2 weeks in a place like Chicago, and instinctively envy anybody else who could. Yes the 'Seattle Freeze' is real. Not only is it in the Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia, but the Beavis-Butthead city leadership actually think it would be a good name for a prospective pro hockey team! We couldn't have anything cool like 'Thunderbirds' you know.
The Freeze Hockey Team: hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk. Hardy-hardy-har-har-har. Just as cool as the Pig Statue Artwalks or the time they painted the game-show Wheel of Fortune on top the Space Needle. Or for that matter, watching our 'first gay-pride mayor' betting marijuana with that doofus who runs Denver. Only Seattlites could take something as awesome as the Super Bowl and turn into a chance to make us all look like jackasses to the rest of the world.
This is the point: you can't live in a crass, cliquish, trailer-trash culture like this for long without it affecting you negatively. The only realistic options are to leave, spend as much time away from here as possible, or succumb to it. It's not an easy thing but it's worthwhile in the long run.
What is WITH those pig statues??!! That is SO embarrassingly LAME! SO glad I don't live in Seattle anymore!
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