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Comment by ossa-ma | Hacker News Reader

The beginning perfectly embodies the culture in Silicon Valley and touches on a crucial part that I notice when I visit: the complete lack of self expression or as I would put it ZERO drip.

Remove the tech, what does SF contribute to the world wrt culture? Especially when compared to other metropolitan cities: NY, London, LA, Tokyo.

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I think the tech unfortunately drives out the people who would contribute this

Maybe I’m missing some nuance but are you just saying that folks in Silicon Valley aren’t cool?

The only problem with Silicon Valley is they just have no taste.

I think most people in general have no taste. But taste is also so subjective that it’s hard to meaningfully discuss. Everyone probably thinks they have great taste.

Part of the Silicon Valley ethos (and techie ethos in general) is the rejection of fashion. Comfort over style. Casual over classy.

Even the “stealth wealth” thing that trended for a while seemed to be an expression of this. Casual wear, but really expensive.

Rejection of fashion has always seemed like a fear of failure to me. Trying to dress well means exposing yourself to evaluation, comparison and the possibility of getting it wrong. The traditions and standards of fashion have accumulated over centuries and are fairly resistant to being redefined (especially by rookies), which makes success depend on external criteria and not on personal rules. Rejecting fashion altogether removes the risk of failure.

I think this is reflected in how techies are drawn to the safety of techwear, where fit and color matter less and clothing can be chosen and justified through objective criteria like weather resistance parameters.

I’m sure that’s also a factor. But I do think it’s one of many. Non-techies often take their fashion cues from people they admire. If we assume techies do the same, then they will likely be looking up to people who have largely rejected fashion.

How many musicians, artists, fashion designers from the Valley can you name? Even SF seems to be punching below its weight now that gentrification has forced out the producers, and (as noted in the article) the tech elite seems aggressively uninterested in patronizing art of any kind, be it opera or nightclubs.

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