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Notes from the SF peptide scene

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Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#81

Post by kelnos »

What the hell did I just read...

The author seems to have taken their experience of a single trip, which, yes, was filled with some pretty weird and fantastical experiences, but has assumed "that's what SF is like". I do believe that there are people like that in SF, and it actually was an enjoyable read, if for no other reason to learn more about social groups in my city that I'm not a part of. But the conclusions drawn by the author about the city itself... holy non-representative sample, batman.

It is interesting to read about the extremes sometimes. But these people that the author met were definitely extreme outliers. The "peptide party" just sounds like the latest wave of drug experimentation, something that SF has been known for since well before I was born. Unfortunately a lot of that experimentation ends in chronic health problems, but I'm not surprised to see young, ignorant, arrogant people getting on that train, in any decade or any generation.

One thing, though: I do agree that SF, at least when compared to NYC, has something of a "sincerity culture". Yes, there are con artists and slick marketers here, just like everywhere else, but there are also a lot of people who are on a mission, who do actually deeply believe in that mission. Their mission may actually be counter-productive, or their plan for achieving their goals may be foolish or even destructive, but I do think many people here genuinely believe in what they are doing. I'm not saying that no one in NYC is like that (certainly not true; I know several who live there and are like that), but as a non-resident, the vibe of NYC generally feels more grounded and realistic, which can sometimes feel like pessimism.

Even then, I'm sure what I wrote above can't be generalized to all of SF or all of NYC.

(Source: lived in the bay area for 22 years, SF itself for the past 16 of that. My days of several-times-a-week house parties are over, but I've been to my fair share. My experiences are of course only my own, and reflect the bubbles and subcultures I've been a part of. But I feel pretty safe in saying that the kinds of people the author met during their trip are not really the norm here.)

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#83

Post by kelnos »

stickfigure wrote: post #24
Aurornis wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay? Points still stand: It’s written as an authoritative exploration of a social scene extrapolated from a few days visiting a place and attending one party. If someone’s writing in journalistic style I think it’s fair to criticize it as journalism, even if it’s on Substack

It is not presented as authoritative anything, except perhaps one person's experience. And we should assume it is embellished. You are taking this far too seriously. It is a vignette which captures the flavor of a place at a particular time. And it is delightfully written.

I do agree that it was an enjoyable read, but I didn't really like the undertone of "this is what SF is like", regardless of the intent behind it.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#84

Post by kelnos »

operatingthetan wrote: post #60
Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

>Go back a few years and they might be talking about nootropics or “research chemical” drugs that are analogs of methamphetamine or MDMA. Go back further and they might be bragging about doing steroids and importing testosterone from gray market sources. Go back before that and they’d be bragging about all the Modafinil they’re taking. The peptides and nootropics are the mildest things on the list, and yet here being…

Given that "peptide" can mean nearly anything, I'm not sure it's safe to say they're harmless.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#85

Post by kelnos »

chromacity wrote: post #45
Aurornis wrote: post #6

This article is an anecdote extrapolated to something bigger: A type of lazy writing where the writer has a single social experience with a group of weird people and then writes about it like it’s the common experience in a place. The writer went to SF for a few days and went to one party where a group of friends were into peptides. From the article, they were also particularly terrible people. Just read this quote:…

I know you edited your post, but I'm actually taken aback by people trying to argue it's a blog, not "journalism". I see no real difference between this and some of the most celebrated pieces of gonzo journalism. However, this cuts both ways. This format is how we get some of the most interesting pieces of reporting about culture and counterculture. It's someone who went to some parties or worked for some companies.…

> The SF Bay Area culture is probably not a thing

Exactly. Even if we restrict it down to the million or so people who live and/or work in SF, there are so many different cultures and subcultures that it's impossible to generalize down to any specific culture. This is true of any medium- or large-sized city.

> but there are some pretty awful subcultures within it [...] I think we should own it.

Sure, but again, the same can be said of any medium- or large-sized city. I don't say that to minimize the shitty subcultures you mention, or to suggest we shouldn't own it. But this is just... how society works, for better and for worse.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#86

Post by kelnos »

Havoc wrote: post #57

Kinda wild to me that people are down with injecting mystery substances received from the other end of the world entirely outside any real medical chain or certainty of contents or recourse. Like black market steroids except with less track record

It's wild to me in the sense that I wouldn't do it, but not wild in the sense that it's surprising.

This isn't anything new. Certainly it's easier nowadays to get stuff from overseas than it was 15+ years ago. But those black market steroids you mention probably weren't much (or any?) safer, honestly, regardless of track record.

People have been experimenting with drugs for longer than I've been alive, and will continue doing so long after I've turned to dust. San Francisco, in particular, has a long and storied history with the sort of experimentation described in this article. The author seems to have made the mistake of thinking that this sort of thing is incredibly common and "everyone is doing it" here, but I have no doubt that it does exist and people do it.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#87

Post by arjie »

cjbgkagh wrote: post #71
trillic wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the peptides you're using for hEDS?

BPC157/TB5, IPA/CJC-NoDac, VIP, and Semaglutide (ozempic). Semaglutide was the most effective long term for autoimmune but the others really helped with CCI and other physical ailments. I take a combo of modafinil in the morning and amitryptiline at night as a treatment for dysautonomia and dopamine dysregulation. I started Low Dose Naltrexone and supplemental T3 hormone and this is a good place for most with hEDS to…

If you don't mind sharing, which symptoms abated with the use of these peptides? Email in profile if you feel you'd share only in private.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#88

Post by kelnos »

ambicapter wrote: post #4

I think this author has a very different conception of what “sincerity” is than I do, but I guess that’s the difference between the east coast and the west coast.

I think that part of the article was really the only thing that resonated with me, as a SF resident.

Note that "sincerity" in this case doesn't necessarily mean positive things. There are lots of people here with a sincere belief that their startup will change the world, but for some (many?), either their mission is actually a pretty bad one, or the path they take in service of their mission ends up being -- at best -- borderline unethical.

That doesn't make them insincere, though.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#89

Post by operatingthetan »

kelnos wrote: post #84
operatingthetan wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Go back a few years and they might be talking about nootropics or “research chemical” drugs that are analogs of methamphetamine or MDMA. Go back further and they might be bragging about doing steroids and importing testosterone from gray market sources. Go back before that and they’d be bragging about all the Modafinil they’re taking. The peptides and nootropics are the mildest things on the list, and yet here being…

Given that "peptide" can mean nearly anything, I'm not sure it's safe to say they're harmless.

I said mild not harmless.

Re: Notes from the SF peptide scene

#90

Post by kelnos »

temp8830 wrote: post #77
rexpop wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If a 14 year old says that they are going to change the world, they are being very sincere even if an ‘adult’ knows that the likelihood is low. No, it's really a form of sincerity permitted by a sort of willfully affected naivete—adopted in pursuit of the strategy of Twain's amateur: > The best swordsman in the world doesn’t need to fear the second best swordsman in the world; no, the person for him to be afraid of…

> Only one amateur in my portfolio need "catch" the incumbent "out". The rest can live out the rest of their short degenerate lives as the failed experiments that they are. This does however have the side effect of turning the entire town into a society of failed degenerates...

Except that the people doing this are like 0.1% of the entire town, so it doesn't really matter.
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