Leaving D.C. for Chicago... (Washington: best cities, living, professionals)
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This is not the town for you if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, dare to change the status que, or have any type of creative talent to think outside the box. You'll be eaten alive by the hordes of carbon copy cardboard cutouts they call people around here. Everybody looks the same, thinks the same, and if you aren't like them they hate you for it.
Best part of your great post. Everyone in DC definitely looks the same. Just as homogeneous as Seattle. Exactly.
DC will work for people who are willing to spend 10-12 hours each day slaving away for the oligarchy and mega-corporations ruling over the land.
DC will work for people who actually think our political system works perfectly, squeaky-clean fine.
DC will work for people who think there are only two political parties in existence.
DC will work for people who judge people by their resumes--not by their character or dreams.
DC will work for people who want to help the rich and corporations f#ck over the poor, racial minorities, labor unions, environmental activists, human rights defenders and so on.
DC will work for people who think having 5 minutes of quiet time during the day is a terrible, lazy crime.
DC will work for people who like their city appearing as "separate but unequal" with the neighborhoods.
DC will work for people who care more about using precious green space for walking their dogs than building playground space for the kids.
DC will work for people who are White. Period. End of story. Throw the mike down and walk out of the room.
And yet you keep at it for several more rounds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coldbliss
DC will work for people who belong to the privileged one percent of wealthiest families. Because we need privileged young professionals to make the world safe for the America's oligarchy class.
DC will work for people who would sell their mother to a hoe house for a chance at a sweet lobbying/PR gig.
DC will work for people who actually watch the Sunday morning BS roundtable programs.
DC will work for people who see absolutely, nothing wrong with revolving door job changes.
DC will work for people who just hate people.
With all that whining, you should live in Napa. Best part is, all that repetition makes you sound just like the trons you claim to hate. I'm imagining a flat voice, not unlike Ben Stein.
"DC will work for...anyone? Anyone?"
Good job living the irony!
And you're wrong, to boot. I'm white, and I don't think every available green space should go to playgrounds for numerous reasons (I don't have a dog), but other than that I am the exact opposite of the rest that.
If you don't like the area, may I suggest that you swiftly and promptly, oh, I don't know, LEAVE?
You are wrong on so many levels. But I love the "screw over the little guy" rant. You realize DC is home to the AFL-CIO, every other labor union in America, Human Rights Campaign, ACLU, AARP, etc, I could go on and on.
I know, right? One of the most flaming liberal parts of the country, with a good chunk of its employment scene dedicated to non-profits and do-gooding, and that one wants to make it sound like Wall Street.
My brother and sister in law came to town a couple of days ago. They said they can't believe how rude people are and what horrible drivers they have around here. i just had to say, welcome to DC.
DC will work for you if you drink the cool-aid.
This is not the town for you if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, dare to change the status que, or have any type of creative talent to think outside the box. You'll be eaten alive by the hordes of carbon copy cardboard cutouts they call people around here. Everybody looks the same, thinks the same, and if you aren't like them they hate you for it.
Well, that's funny. When my siblings came to visit, they were impressed with how polite people are.
For example, one evening, while walking up 19th Street from M to L with my sister, a man walking toward us smiled and said "how are you?"
My sister: Do you know him?
Me: No.
My sister: And he just said hello like that?
Me: Yes, why?
My sister: People say HELLO to people they don't KNOW here?
Me:
As for the rest, I'm out there on the left wing, if not a progressive, and a freelance writer. Can't get much opposite of the status quo than that without being Abbie Hoffman, and my work demands a lot of creativity. Heck, creative people can do extremely well in DC if they are deft and diplomatic. Don't confuse having etiquette with not being creative.
Not sure why you think everyone in DC looks the same. Is your only outdoor time spent hanging around the Farragut West Metro station during rush hour? Do you work at the Pentagon or for a defense contractor? Do you hang around with Republicans?
Maybe you should spend some time in Portland, Oregon, then report back here on how everyone looks the same in DC. I love it out there, but I caught myself thinking, more than once, "man, this place is white."
To be fair, I lived in the DC area for over 25 years and this is not the norm. Not saying people aren't friendly but this doesn't happen often
I found that if you look people in the eye there and you're not rude about it (not staring or glaring), more often than not, they will respond. Don't forget, there are people from all over the country there. They bring their own ways of doing things, so if you chance upon, say, someone from Milwaukee, there's going to be a hello. And New Yorkers will be too surprised NOT to respond.
It's all relative. I took to DC instantly, enough that after my sophomore year at school, I decided to just stay there during the summers rather than return to my parents' house on Long Island, and wound up staying for nearly 20 years after I graduated. I can't wait to return.
If you want to talk about comparisons, I find New York to be wayyyyy more paranoid and suspicious than DC ever could be. Heaven forbid you inquire about telecommuting. It's like they don't trust you to get your work done if they can't see you at your desk. A lot of my colleagues in day gigs in the DMV telecommute at least twice a week.
But then again, New Yorkers live and work in a racket. Lemme tellya, the local politicians in the DMV have NOTHING on New York/Long Island metro area politicians. There is so much bribery here, so much fraud and so many schemes to bilk on one end and soak on the other, that suspicion and mistrust are inherent. There is a general negativity and cynicism here that far outweighs any you might come across in the DMV, and there's an abrasiveness that goes along with it. People here make friends with each other based on who they don't like. It's a very "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" kind of place. Mix that with racial tension far thicker than anything I've ever seen or felt in the DMV, and you have a lot of people walking around side-eyeing one another.
Believe me, I'm not blind to the faults of either Washington, the city, or Washington, the institution. But I find a lot of the criticisms posted on this subforum to be pretty self-indulgent.
Well, that's funny. When my siblings came to visit, they were impressed with how polite people are.
For example, one evening, while walking up 19th Street from M to L with my sister, a man walking toward us smiled and said "how are you?"
My sister: Do you know him?
Me: No.
My sister: And he just said hello like that?
Me: Yes, why?
My sister: People say HELLO to people they don't KNOW here?
Me:
As for the rest, I'm out there on the left wing, if not a progressive, and a freelance writer. Can't get much opposite of the status quo than that without being Abbie Hoffman, and my work demands a lot of creativity. Heck, creative people can do extremely well in DC if they are deft and diplomatic. Don't confuse having etiquette with not being creative.
Not sure why you think everyone in DC looks the same. Is your only outdoor time spent hanging around the Farragut West Metro station during rush hour? Do you work at the Pentagon or for a defense contractor? Do you hang around with Republicans?
Maybe you should spend some time in Portland, Oregon, then report back here on how everyone looks the same in DC. I love it out there, but I caught myself thinking, more than once, "man, this place is white."
I really think the whole "people are rude" thing gets so overblown here. This isn't Alabama but sure is a lot friendlier than so many other cities I've visited.
I really think the whole "people are rude" thing gets so overblown here. This isn't Alabama but sure is a lot friendlier than so many other cities I've visited.
It's only rude when the Rangers are in town and all the blue shirts infest the place for a weekend.
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Would you like some cheese with that?
