San Francisco Welcomes You!

Humor, Rob Goldstein, San Francisco
Art by Rob Goldstein
San Francisco Welcomes You

A poster of Donald Sutherland from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978

Yes, that weird guy with the camera is me.

Scott McKenzie – San Francisco
Community Audio

18 thoughts on “San Francisco Welcomes You!”

    1. Rather prescient. The 1978 Body Snatchers was a remake. Both films use the loss of compassion and empathy as a metaphor. In the 1950’s it was a metaphor for communism and in the 70’s a metaphor for corporate mass conformity. The poster of Donald Sutherland is on prominent display in a shop window in the Mission District. The Mission is ground zero for the battle between lifelong residents and people who recently arrived to take jobs in the tech industry. I don’t know that this is any different than previous shifts in population. Gays were also accused of pricing families out of the Castro.

      But one does sense a tone of condescension in the way airbnb describes residential neighborhoods like the lower Haight: This artsy little niche below Haight-Ashbury shares a similar eclectic character, but its bars and restaurants offer a more intimate (and less abrasive) vibe. Although it still sports trendy hotspots with slightly seedy allures… Seedy allures? The lower Haight is not an artsy little niche, it’s a place where people live and raise families. airbnb gives a similar description of the Mission District: “The Mission District’s multifarious corridors comprise an invitingly seedy melting pot of cultures, cuisines, and cool kids.” a seedy melting pot of cultures? Do they mean schools, family owned businesses, a public parks and restaurants? If this is the attitude of the new arrivals then I’m not surprised that people who have lived and worked here all their lives are offended.

      It’s like an Invasion of mass conformity in which everyone who is different is treated with condescending curiosity.

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      1. Wow, Robert, I am amazed by all you know and by all the background thoughts you have. I need to read it again because there is a lot of information in your reply. Thank you for taking the time! That’s awesome!

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