
Peter Shih Complains About the Shithole City He's Forced to Make His Millions In - titlex
http://uptownalmanac.com/2013/08/tech-founder-complains-about-shithole-city-hes-forced-make-his-millions
======
endtwist
I’m not sure which is more bitter, the original article or its response. If
you’re going to disagree with someone, actually address the points he makes.
Attacking him personally is petty and isn’t conducive to real discussion.
Peter's feelings aren't necessarily without merit--why not discuss them?

~~~
anu_gupta
From Shih's post on Medium.

"5\. 49ers No, not the football team, they’re great. I’m referring to all the
girls who are obviously 4's and behave like they are 9's. Just because San
Francisco has the worst Female to Male ratio in the known universe doesn’t
give you the right to be a bitch all the time"

What kind of real discussion can there be about sexist douchebaggery such as
this?

~~~
jessaustin
_...worst Female to Male ratio in the known universe..._

I guess he hasn't been to Alaska or North Dakota. Anyone having this
experience in a major city needs to find new places to hang out. They do
exist, but you might not see all your existing friends there.

~~~
jacques_chester
In all seriousness, one of the few things that makes me hesitant about moving
to SF is that it would be the third such city I've lived in (after Darwin and
Perth).

The misogynistic language wasn't necessary. However, I believe that supply and
demand applies roughly to dating markets. When one sex is in short supply, it
is "bid up" by members of the other sex.

While my strategy has been to improve my own value, there's only so far that
can go. I can also improve my outcomes by avoiding buyer's markets.

------
hide_nowhere
I lived in the SV for ~15 years, and for family reasons I've been a resident
of SF since mid-2010. Oh, sunshine and parking lots, how I miss thee!

I have to strongly agree with almost all of Peter's points. I love SF, but
hate living here.

Quite often, I find that I'd rather stay in than deal with the frustrations..
and, this has made me the most socially isolated I've been since I was a kid.

I live in a great home in a beautiful but remote part of the city. Nothing is
convenient. The nearest restaurant or convenience store is a 25 minute walk
away. Traveling just 5 miles to a F/T job in the soma can take longer than
driving from the south peninsula.. and public transit in this city is
terrible, so I just won't tolerate working at a F/T job that requires daily
presence in an office. Parking, if you can find it, is expensive and just a
PITA.

The things I love and do to blow off steam are only available outside of the
city.. Trail running the PG&E trail at Rancho San Antonio was one of them, and
I'd do it several times a week before coming here. Now, getting to them takes
a 90 minute round-trip drive.

Sometimes you're heads down on code, and you just want to refuel and get out
to clear your head, so you jump in your car and drive a couple minutes to a 24
hour drive-through to grab some food. Not possible here. Sure, you can hit the
Jack in the Box on Geary, which does have a parking lot, but that can be
perilous.. Or, you might need to pick up some RAM or a new HD.. The Fry's in
Palo Alto was 10 minutes away from my last home.

The SV has evolved the support the tech lifestyle.. and it will always be more
friendly and efficient for many of us. Day to day living is generally easier
for most. The schools are significantly better for your kids, too. SF is, and
will always be SF, such as it is.

------
kmfrk
Valleywag version (blocked from HN submission):
[http://valleywag.gawker.com/startup-stud-hates-homeless-
peop...](http://valleywag.gawker.com/startup-stud-hates-homeless-people-ugly-
girls-and-pub-1150802451).

~~~
titlex
This post was on the home page then randomly dropped to the bottom of the
second. Considering the amount of upvotes and the time it was posted this post
should have still been on the home page.

~~~
anu_gupta
Yup, bit strange how a post about a YC founder has plummeted into obscurity so
quickly. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.

~~~
gergles
Stupid personal drama about some random person who has the most tenuous
connection to this community (as far as I can tell he's never posted nn or
engaged with HN at all) isn't interesting or noteworthy. That's probably how
it's dropped off so quickly.

~~~
crgt
You would characterize being a YC founder as a tenuous connection to HN?
Really? Huh.

------
rdl
The funny thing is he is mostly right on his 10 points, just not phrased in a
very sympathetic way.

If I could live in Switzerland or New Zealand or Seattle (ideal), Vancouver BC
or Vancouver WA or Austin or Hong Kong (ok), or Berlin or Prague or other EE
or Reno or Las Vegas (tolerable), and raise money/hire/meet people/etc as
easily as in SFBA, I'd be on the next fucking plane. As it is, SFBA is
tolerable only because there is Bay Area outside San Francisco.

------
zeruch
Shih is shrill, but the response is also. A lot of his criticisms are based in
a kernel of truth for a lot of people (especially the public transport, the
nightlife and the bicylists), and while he may have intended satire, the
delivery was caustic and withering. I can find parallel complaints for almost
any major metropole.

------
calbear81
This was published on my birthday so I thought it would be good to reflect on
the same points:

1\. Public Transportation - The MUNI is definitely one of the worst run
transportation systems for a large city but I find that having a city that's
only 6 miles wide means that I can find other means of getting around
including biking, walking, getting a Lyft (Uber if I must), and occasionally
catching a MUNI train which I find much more reliable than MUNI buses which I
avoid at all costs.

2\. Parking - See #1. If you have a bike, you will get places much faster than
in a car. In terms of parking, you can use apps like SFPark to find open spots
and garages. The prices are pretty ridiculous so I tend to find more happiness
in walking or biking around.

3\. Weather - The variable weather means a bunch of diverse microclimates all
around the city and beyond which makes for amazing hiking and exploration. I
love going from sunshine to dense fog as I cross the Golden Gate bridge and
then back to sunshine again on the other side, it reminds me of the
awesomeness of nature.

4\. Start Up Guys - I don't disagree that there's more to life than the
startup scene but I don't think there's anything wrong with people who have
found something they are so interested in that they can't stop talking about
it. Bask in the energy and excitement that they have, there's nothing wrong
with that.

5\. 49ers - My understanding was that San Francisco is a great place for guys
especially since there is a significant part of the male population that is
off the market. Other guys I've talked to have found the same thing. In terms
of girls who are "4's" behaving like they are "9's" is more due to the fact
that people here probably don't focus as much on looks alone like they might
do in other places. Girls who have high self esteem and have a good sense of
self and self-worth should behave like 9's because they are. Who are we to
judge?

6\. Homeless People - Pretty good way to reinforce stereotypes about homeless
people by painting them all as drug addicts and alcoholics. You know why they
are the "craziest"? It's because many of them do have mental health issues and
as a society based on our past and current policies have failed to adequately
address the situation. I'm sure you're inconvenienced by the homeless folks
who remind you that there are those less fortunate but you might want to take
it as a constant reminder of how good we have it and to enjoy all the niceties
that we take for granted in everyday life -- like a hot meal and a roof over
our heads.

7\. Crime - The Tenderloin is R-O-U-G-H, no doubt about it but it's one of the
only areas of this prosperous city that working class families can afford to
live in. Fear mongering keeps folks away and further isolates the area and
introduces more likelihood of crime. I'm excited that Sunday Streets this
weekend will be in the Tenderloin so folks can see that there's more to the TL
than crime and addicts. Eat at some great restaurants in the Tenderloin
including the original Lers Ros (better than the Hayes Valley location),
Turtle Tower and other awesome places.

8\. Nightlife - It's certainly no New York but there's plenty happening in SF
and yes the 2AM close time does suck but if you know where to go, the party
lives on into the night. What I love about nightlife is that it's not just
clubs and bars, you can find a diverse range of activities in SF, from poetry
readings to spoken word slams to BDSM lectures to Jersey-Shore style clubbing.
There's something for everyone. Just make sure you pre-plan how you're getting
home (psssst! try making a friend and crashing at their place near downtown
instead!)

9\. Cost of Living - I can't argue about this one but I do feel that living in
San Francisco should cost more especially when you consider the amazing beauty
all around you. Cross the bridge and you're in the Marin Headlands where you
can hike along the Pacific Coast with hundreds of miles of trails within
minutes of a major city. 3 hours away and you have world class skiing. 2 hours
south and you have world class golf. 1 hour north and you're at the epicenter
of wine making in the New World. Outside of New York and Vancouver, where else
will you find an urban park as large as Golden Gate Park to enjoy? It's an
amazing confluence of culture, food, arts and nature.

10\. Bicyclists - Do I stop for all stop signs? Not really but I always slow
down to a crawl and look both ways before crossing. Bicyclists definitely
should do a better job of observing the rules of the road but I also love that
this city is so pro bicyling with bike lanes and a positive bike culture. The
drivers here are also waaaaaaay more respectful about sharing the road which
makes biking here much safer than in New York and Los Angeles. I love that the
city is so compact, you can see so much on a bike in just a few hours.

TLDR; Yeah, some things suck about SF but look on the bright side and explore
all the awesomeness around you.

------
001sky
Ad hominem much?

~~~
rhizome
Ad hominem doesn't invalidate the criticism, it just means it speaks to the
character and/or credibility of the person being criticized.

~~~
001sky
Yes, I know. But there is nothing in the Athor's atricle that warrants the
personal/character attack. To illustrate, lets take a look at this list of top
10 reasons to hate SF, from another author circa 2006:

 _Top Reasons Why I Hate San Francisco:

1\. NO LEFT TURNS

2\. The lack of parking

3\. The plentiful supply of homeless people

4\. Hills, hills, hills--good for views, bad for safety

5\. Frequent events/protests/parades/festivals that snarl up traffic for no
good reason whatsoever

6\. The atrociously cold weather

7\. The nutball politicians who run the joint

8\. The crappy public transportation system, which only seems functional in
comparison to the even worse nightmares in other cities. Being the smartest
retard ain't something to be proud of.

9\. Every miserable night on the town I've ever spent in SF, which seem to
devolve into a Sisyphean quest to find "the" right bar or nightclub

10\. The smug, self-satisfied attitude of residents who are convinced that
they live the greatest city in the world. It's the people who claim to love
the environment, then commute to jobs in San Jose that really burn me up.

Flame away, SF residents!_ [1,2]

3, 6, 8, 9, 10 Are basically similar points that are made, apparently quite
often. There is nothing clever/witty to be gained by trying refute these
points out of hand, or being a bully to anyone who raises them (ie, like by
smearing their reputation, etc).

[1] [http://chrisyeh.blogspot.com/2006/06/why-i-hate-san-
francisc...](http://chrisyeh.blogspot.com/2006/06/why-i-hate-san-
francisco.html)

[2] [http://whysfreallyisthatbad.com/](http://whysfreallyisthatbad.com/) [op-
cit]

~~~
rhizome
The whole post is a character attack on himself. Total own-goal. I suppose in
that way, criticism can be seen as a distasteful pile-on.

~~~
001sky
[http://whysfreallyisthatbad.com/postlude/](http://whysfreallyisthatbad.com/postlude/)

~~~
rhizome
I didn't read all the comments, but that one's no better. Point the first: the
second sentence. Point the second: why isn't she dating the guy she's talking
to, the _stud_ , the one she's getting along with so well? Why not even
address that? A whole bunch of Fundamental Attribution Errors dressed up in
blinders.

