An article I wrote about dating outside my normal liberal bubble elicited some strong opinions about the Bay Area. If you haven’t read it yet, you can check it out here:
After it came out, I posted the article on the OkCupid subreddit as a way of gauging what other online daters thought of the experience. Other than some frustrated rock climbers calling me a “condescending bitch,” forum users had some whacky, occasionally offensive and often spot-on observations about life in the Bay Area. Here are some observations that reveal what the rest of the world thinks of us:
Only the wealthiest can afford to live and date in the Bay Area.
Anyone with a “real” job in the Bay Area must commute to major cities from far afield.
Living in the Bay Area is worse than living in New York City.
There is a strong hip-hop culture in the Bay Area, and therefore there are neighborhoods where poor people live.
There are a lot of Asian “high achievers” in the Bay Area, but the women here want to date only a “white guy.”
In conclusion, apparently we’re a bunch of wealthy people who are difficult to date, and women want to date only rich techies. And the rest of the world isn’t sure if we have poor people. Or something.
