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Comment by roflchoppa | Hacker News Reader

SoCal does have a feeling of superficiality, you can pick up on it a little after people move back to the Bay from LA.... but then again the Bay so many people that have this feeling of entitlement that came outta no where.. just something I've noticed within the past 15 years....

On the flip side, there are also a handful of people that I met around from both areas that are down to earth. Maybe it's just high concentration.... or monkey see, monkey do.

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As a SoCal transplant to the bay area, my biggest observation is that it's basically mandatory to "have a cause" in the bay area. It doesn't really matter what it is. It could be cycling over driving. It could be how you eat. It could be political activism. But it has to be something, or people look at you funny.

Aside from the Venice Beach / Santa Monica scene (which is absolutely superficial), I find SoCal to be much more laid back. Live and let live, if you will.

Somewhat ironically you must have an _approved_ cause, or you may be judged as much as not having one. To be fair I've found this is far more prevalent in SF than the South Bay, so I think that's where it comes from.

I'd say it matters a great deal what it is -- for instance if your cause is the pro-life movement or the expulsion of illegal aliens then you might have difficulties getting social approval in San Francisco.

I find it a hilarious instance of California insularity that the grandparent post thinks it "doesn't matter what it is" -- I'm guessing that he'd failed to consider the fact that non-left causes even exist.

You can't blame him. SF is a giant leftist bubble.

There are two very valid points here: activism and alignment. I intentionally chose not to bring up alignment because it's tiring in circles like HN and/or SF. Additionally, bubbles like this aren't unique to the bay area. The focus on causes and activism is much more unique.

For us proud members of the reality-based community: Giant leftist stronghold.

> I'm guessing that he'd failed to consider the fact that non-left causes even exist.

In this case, you would be guessing wrong. My omission is not evidence of insularity but of walking on eggshells. I've made this point to many up here and found they are more willing to discuss and agree if I omit the narrow scope of "any cause".

I grew up in Santa Monica and went back to visit recently. There is so much money there now it's insane. You don't realize it until you live somewhere else, but there are so many expensive vehicles, the people in tshirts are in really expensive tshirts, all the buildings are freshly remodeled, the roads are smooth. It seems everyone there has bought into the California aesthetic. It's a beautiful place but everything is a bit unnervingly nice.

I have been seeing this in my hometown of Atlanta over some years since I moved away. Obviously the new wealth is absurdly imbalanced, but overall the economy is booming and every time I go home there's a bevy of new glass-and-steel condos and brand new Model Xs and Panameras outnumber Civics and Accords 10 to 1.

On the one hand I'm glad to see the city thriving, but on the other it feels inauthentic and the vast sums of money seem to strip the place of what makes it unique.

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