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Comment by egypturnash | Hacker News Reader

Every time I think about Bay Area rents I feel really sorry for my artist friends who grew up there. They will never be able to move back home.

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If they moved away I can't feel sorry for them. They are probably living somewhere more interesting and affordable.

It's too bad that you don't recognize the well established emotional connection that people make to the places where they live.

Or, for that matter, the extensive loss in social connections/cohesion that results from such a move.

I live 10500 miles from where I grew up ... so maybe I do.

Artists are not really the ones we need to worry the most about. Amongst my artist circles, there are some who find ways to make it work in SF (cheap roomshares can still be found in the sunset etc), others who have been able to leverage their skills with tech companies to live comfortable lifestyles, those who have found refuge in the east bay, others still who have found other, cheaper cities they feel more comfortable being in... really there are options for artists.

Those we should feel sorry about are those driving the buses, stocking the shelves at Whole Foods, cleaning the floors at the tech offices, delivering nursing care in hospitals, teaching the children, etc.

Why not both?

Because living from your art is a personal choice that, while nice to encourage in modern civilized society, should not be incentivized and protected at the same level as eg contributing to healthcare, education, food production, core infrastructure, etc.

Except the artists helped make San Francisco what it is. You can’t dismiss the importance of culture... the lack of them has dramatically changed the vibe and appeal of SF for the worse.

That makes zero sense. Why does art and creative endeavors not have as much of a value. Art brings together communities and people

Because I don't usually need to live within a certain radius of an artist to be able to experience their work, at least if I'm willing to forego the best viewing experience for some types of art.

But that bus driver? How do they provide their labor to the city (and thus the people in the city who need it) when they can only afford to live far away? Same with the grocer, and janitor, and any number of "normal" professions which don't command enough wages to allow them to live in the area?

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