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Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

nytimes.com

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Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#151

Post by derrickdirge »

mattress wrote: post #9

Took a job in Bellevue in April and moved from Philadelphia to Seattle. So far it's a been an interesting experience. I've encountered many people hostile to software engineers in general. A bunch of people immediately ask if I work for Amazon with a hint of disdain after I state my occupation. So it hasn't felt super welcoming so far. I get it, even in some neighborhoods in Philadelphia the same thing is happening.…

"Oh, we'll use the products you develop, just don't develop them in our backyard!"

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#152

Post by eastbayjake »

mosdave wrote: post #83
wfo wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle has never been particularly welcoming to newcomers; people there tend to be insular and it can be hard to make friends if you don't already know people (even before the amazon/tech stuff -- plenty of articles about 'the seattle freeze' that predate it). Being from there helps. Not being in tech helps -- there are so many new software engineers meeting one just isn't very interesting. You can hardly blame peop…

> and avoiding talking about work entirely fuck, is this not SOP for everyone? conversation order of operations: work < people < things < ideas

The #1 dating horror story among women I've dated in SF is the introverted engineer who could only talk about work, engineering, or video games and otherwise required Charlie Rose levels of questioning to engage on other topics. I'm wondering if I can get funding for a Personality-as-a-Service startup in SF.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#153

Post by derrickdirge »

Kalium wrote: post #59

Any time I see a line about a city "keeping its soul" or a company "coming for its soul", I have a reasonable expectation that "soul" is going to be defined myopically. The recent past will be regarded as perfection, not to be tampered with. Sadly, this article continues that pattern. The past is privileged and the future is to dance only to its tune. No wonder people are upset that things are changing - privilege is…

But I have so many great memories of the past! I literally don't have any great memories of the future.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#154

Post by pera »

steve-howard wrote: post #142
pera wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I keep reading all these scary stories about how unwelcoming people from Seattle is; I moved here back in February and my experience until now have been completely the opposite: almost every Seattleite I meet is super friendly and talkative, at the point that it feels almost like being in a small town. Maybe I am just lucky? but I think Seattle is one of the coolest cities in the US, except of course for the traffic.

I think it depends greatly on your personality, how you spend your free time, what part of the city you're in, and how your first few experiences shapes you perception. I find Seattle to be unwelcoming, personally, but it's not that people aren't friendly when you can get them to talk. It's the pervasive avoidance of eye contact and general desire not to engage with strangers that can make it a lonely place.

I had only lived in big cities before (Buenos Aires and NYC) where is very unusual to have any kind of interaction with strangers. In my experience here people starts conversations all the time in almost any public space (grocery stores, parks, buses, etc.) and I have to say that I'm not used to that haha but I really enjoy it. I wonder if this is a neighborhood thing maybe?

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#155

Post by devindotcom »

vectorpush wrote: post #129
devindotcom wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think "terrible hypocrite" is a major overstatement. The guy is a gay artist who moved to an area built and populated largely by the gay and creative community, only to find it in the process of being colonized by moneyed interests and neighborhood tourists. He identified with the original neighborhood profile strongly and strongly rejects the new one, as I do — though unlike me, he's making his distaste known. I f…

Quintessential hipster bullshit. His community doesn't have any special rights to dictate the culture of the region and if he doesn't like the newcomers he can leave. It's also absurd to presume that just because someone has a high paying job they cannot qualify as a legitimate part of the community. Your petty and insular mindset is gross.

We might have to fuck off because the rent is too high, but it doesn't mean we have to do it quietly. The people coming in should know how much they are resented by the people they are displacing.

The mechanics terraformed capitol hill, the current community colonized it, and now the next wave is buying it.

No one here is dictating culture - they are asserting their preference to a community that was built over decades over another that is superseding it, and which they find distasteful.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#156

Post by ForHackernews »

pm90 wrote: post #12

> John Criscitello placed posters in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood proclaiming “Welcome! Rich Kids,” and “Wish you weren’t here.” Its hard not to feel angry at people like this. "Rich Kids" really? These "Kids" spent years developing their engineering skills to get to the point where they are now. Are engineers paid a lot? Of course. But we're certainly not in the same category as those who inherit wealth. Most…

You may not have inherited great wealth directly, but it's a fair guess that you "inherited" some or all of the following:

* Parents who pushed you to focus on your schoolwork.

* Parents who owned a computer, or bought a computer specifically for their kids' education.

* Parents who lived in a house with consistent water, electricity and internet service.

* Parents who made sure you got glasses if you needed them, so you could see the board in class.

* Parents who understood the importance of a college education, and who helped you apply to colleges (real colleges, not for-profit scam schools), took you on college visits, filled out financial aid paperwork, contributed to your tuition.

* A relatively high IQ and/or an analytic mindset.

I'm sure you've worked hard, but don't discount the advantages you were born with, and don't fall victim to the Just World Fallacy. This planet is full of people who worked twice as hard as you and got nowhere.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#157

Post by spudlyo »

I've lived in Seattle since the late 80s when I got the hell out of Olympia WA where I grew up. I remember when it was nearly impossible to find a decent tech job in the city, and you had to cross a bridge to Bellevue or Redmond, which is non-optimal for so many reasons. I for one am happy as hell that tech is booming here. If you are thinking of coming here, do it, lots of us are welcoming to transplanted tech nerds.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#158

Post by serge2k »

steve-howard wrote: post #149
s73v3r wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the same time, they're people that are coming in and pushing people who have lived there out, simply because they have more money. That would piss most people off.

I hear and empathize with this complaint, and I think it's a real problem. But what about the people on the other side of the fence? You work in software, some company pays you a lot to move out here, and you're in a position to choose where you want to live. Should you really not live in a particular area because it makes you part of a bigger problem?

Well you are new, so you should be required to take your substantial income and use it to get a place an hour from work so you can bus everyday.

That's totally the way the world works right?

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#159

Post by devindotcom »

thieving_magpie wrote: post #143
devindotcom wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad you're having a good time, but people in central Seattle are sensitive to the fact that the neighborhood that has been a cradle for so much culture is being made into the party district for nearby corporate villages - Amazon being the biggest offender. I have plenty of friends who've worked there (though many leave because it's so horrible) and plenty of friends in tech. It's not the profession, it's the peo…

Well I'm new to the city and I'd feel like it would be plainly disingenuous of me to pretend I know what's going on. I'm here to support my family, learn, and experience this incredible area. I'm aware of the arguments in the culture battle and I am, of course, against gentrification and the loss of cultural identity. I will vote accordingly to try and fight that. However, I have a similar attitude as you (and the 'w…

Yes indeed, and sorry if my comment sounded confrontational. I only meant that the "doesn't need approval" is an integral part of the Seattle mindset.
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