California Culture: Circa 2000

[methodwriter85]

    Hey, Northface jackets look pretty hot on tall, athletic, preppy guys.

 

    What is it with North and South parts of states always hating on each other? In Delaware, Northern Delawareans make fun of what we refer to as "Slower Lower" Delaware, believing that they're all Nascar country music lovin' hicks. There's a distinct difference between the accent in Northern Delaware vs. Southern Delaware...they've got a drawl going on that we don't.

 

   Speaking of rivalries...I've always wondered...is it true that Florida and California has some kind of rivalry going on? It would make sense- they're both coastal states with lots of sunshine.

 

     Comparing California to Florida? There IS No Comparison

 

     State rivalries are fun. Unfortunately Delaware is just too small to have one with another state.

 

     Isn't there like massive hatred between Kansas and Missouri, Mark?

Edited January 26, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

That's a reasonable criteria.

[B1ue]

Northern and Southern California have widely divergent cultures, racial mix, language mix, political mindsets, historical population trends, industry, and economic priorities. And even *that* is a super over-generalization Northern California. The rivalry you're talking about is relatively young; LA was relatively undeveloped at the time San Francisco was the anchor for the entire Western North America. The much bigger divide within the state is between the more rural Northern and Central California against the combined coastal urban areas. *That* is a powderkeg waiting to be lit. San Francisco vs LA; I think we just like rubbing it in that they aren't top dog anymore, and they refuse to admit that might possibly be the case.

 

I have honestly never heard of a California vs Florida rivalry. Maybe Florida feels there's one? If approached by someone with that attitude, I don't think I could stop myself from patting them gently on the head and saying "Aren't you just precious."

 

Unless you're talking about Disney franchises. They certainly are winning on that score.

Edited January 26, 2014 by B1ue

[Mark Arbour]

Northern and Southern California have widely divergent cultures, racial mix, language mix, political mindsets, historical population trends, industry, and economic priorities. And even *that* is a super over-generalization Northern California. The rivalry you're talking about is relatively young; LA was relatively undeveloped at the time San Francisco was the anchor for the entire Western North America. The much bigger divide within the state is between the more rural Northern and Central California against the combined coastal urban areas. *That* is a powderkeg waiting to be lit. San Francisco vs LA; I think we just like rubbing it in that they aren't top dog anymore, and they refuse to admit that might possibly be the case.

 

I have honestly never heard of a California vs Florida rivalry. Maybe Florida feels there's one? If approached by someone with that attitude, I don't think I could stop myself from patting them gently on the head and saying "Aren't you just precious."

 

Unless you're talking about Disney franchises. They certainly are winning on that score.

 

God, that was funny! :funny:

[methodwriter85]

 

San Francisco vs LA; I think we just like rubbing it in that they aren't top dog anymore, and they refuse to admit that might possibly be the case.

 

I think Los Angeles is top dog in terms of industry and population, but San Francisco is still top dog in terms of being a cohesive city with a distinct, legendary culture. Isn't Los Angeles mainly just suburbs and industrial towns knitted together by expressways with one relatively small urban core? As Tim put it, L.A. is the proud anti-city. There's actually this interesting book, called Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, which delves quite a bit into how fast food and suburban sprawl of the Greater Los Angeles area came hand in hand.

 

Anyway, speaking of Los Angeles, Buzzfeed is running a quiz called:

 

Where In Los Angeles Should You Live?

 

I got The Valley. Which is fun in one sense, because I fucking LOVED Valley Girl. But I also really hate suburban sprawl, which I grew up in as people in Philly and New Jersey started moving down here to take advantage of the low taxes in Delaware. Unless the Valley isn't actually a suburban sprawl area? Wouldn't they actually be kind of dense at this point? Older suburbs usually tend to develop walk-ability with mixed-use areas at some point. That's what happened in my surburb, Bear, and what seems to be happening in the small farming town-turned-Philadelphia bedroom community Middletown.

 

In any event...

 

 

I kinda figure the accent is totally different now, but man, that song still remains hilarious. "Like, OMG. Like, totally. Encino's like so bitchin'."

 

I remember watching The Bling Ring, and thinking that the depiction of Calabasas with the whiny vocal fry accent made me think of a modern-day Valley Girl. Only the colors were a lot more muted.

Edited February 14, 2014 by methodwriter85

[B1ue]

Since you've brought it up:

 

http://alexcastle.net/2014/01/17/san-francisco-is-eating-itself/

[methodwriter85]

Since you've brought it up:

 

http://alexcastle.net/2014/01/17/san-francisco-is-eating-itself/

 

     Mark, your move.

 

     I do kinda wonder what SF would look like if they hadn't clamped down hard on skyscaper development- on one hand, all these great early 20th century houses and buildings might have gotten knocked down. On the other hand, you'd probably have better affordability. Washington, D.C. has a similar problem.

[Mark Arbour]

This is nothing new.  The same hand-wringing happened in the 90s, and in the mid-2000s. 

 

The problem is that San Francisco is so awesome, everyone wants to live there. 

[methodwriter85]

    I wonder if eventually San Francisco will have to give in to Manhattanization and start building more skyscapers. It sounds like people are very NIMBY about them in SF:

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/04/11/san_francisco_zoning_needs_more_density_and_tall_buildings.html

[methodwriter85]

   Speaking of Manhattanization:

 

Festivities Planned for New Wilshire Grand 20-Hour Concrete Pour

 

    Pretty cool- L.A. is getting their second "super-tall." (That means over 1,000 feet.) It seems like there's renewed interest in building American skyscapers again, which is pretty cool. I remember after 9/11, there was talk about how the skyscaper was going to become obsolete in American life.

[methodwriter85]

   Hey, Private Tim, I wrote this blog about the Bode Miller custody battle that's spanning California and New York, and made mentions of the Jason Patric custody case. I'd be really interested in having you comment on the blog, being that you seem to know a lot about family court/custody laws.

 

   Blue, I'd also like you to comment if you have an opinion on it, as you seem to have personal experience with California family court.

Edited February 23, 2014 by methodwriter85

[B1ue]

You're possibly asking the wrong person in me. My background is strongly matrilinear¹, my initial reaction was something along the lines of "what rights does this bozo think he has?" before I remembered he actually did, technically.

 

I can see why the family court in California awarded him custody though. A married couple with a clear parental tie, a stable financial situation, and round-the-clock caregiving available, would on paper be a better fit than a fulltime student, however temporary that situation actually is for Ms. McKenna. The only weird thing is the precedent set by the New York judge. I can't imagine why she'd do that, or why she phrased herself in such a manner.

[methodwriter85]

You're possibly asking the wrong person in me. My background is strongly matrilinear¹, my initial reaction was something along the lines of "what rights does this bozo think he has?" before I remembered he actually did, technically.

 

    Your thoughts, Private Tim? (I remember he gave off the impression that he very much believes in paternal rights.) This does seem to suggest a shift, whereas before women were generally always given primary custody; that's not so clear-cut and dry anmore.

 

    I personally think the case is fascinating because of the context in Bode Miller's life- his wife had a miscarriage, and he lost a brother called Nathan "Chelone." The wife clearly seems to be treating Sam as a replacement for the baby she didn't have, and Miller's insistence on calling Sam "Nate" is kind on bordering on pathological.

[methodwriter85]

   Mark, I think we need to have a character invest in San Fransisco real estate.

 

So This Housing Flier is Depressing

 

   Over $2,500 a month for a studio? DAMN.

[methodwriter85]

Bring Blockbusters Back To California With Increased Film Incentives

 

I think it's interesting that the California film industry has ceded some ground. It's been pretty cool to hear about the rise of the film industry in Georgia, Louisiana, and Pittsburgh over the past decade.

 

I do think its kind of funny that there are movies or t.v. shows that are actually set in California but filmed elsewhere- the first two seasons of Teen Wolf filmed in Georgia, and the show Graceland was filmed in Florida. I'm so used to seeing California locations double for other places. Like, you know, Simi Valley doubling for Minnesota prairie land.

[PrivateTim]

Bring Blockbusters Back To California With Increased Film Incentives

 

This is massively hilarious.

 

Hollywood liberals, who never met a "soak the rich" tax they didn't love, flee CA to avoid the work regulations, high taxes and rake in special tax break available only to them, even exporting jobs to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Cracks me up.

 

Build it with tax incentives

[methodwriter85]

This is massively hilarious.

 

Hollywood liberals, who never met a "soak the rich" tax they didn't love, flee CA to avoid the work regulations, high taxes and rake in special tax break available only to them, even exporting jobs to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Cracks me up.

 

Build it with tax incentives

 

Eh. I do think it's cool that Pittsburgh is becoming a popular filming location- it's a beautiful city. The scenery is just gorgeous.

 

So do you not have an opinion on the Bode Miller custody case? Should it be decided by New York only, or does California have jurisdiction? Is it fair to say that his baby mama "shopped" for a more favorable jurisdiction by moving to New York at 7 months pregnant? You seem to me like a very pro-paternal rights guy, so I thought you'd have an opinion on it.

[methodwriter85]

Los Angeles NightFall

 

 

Also:

 

Southern California's Road Back

 

Los Angeles's population is still growing, so you can't call it a rust-belt, but I wonder if it will ever hit the point where it can't grow anymore and begins to stagnate. If L.A. stays a pro-low density city, it seems inevitable that they'll hit a wall. Suburbs can't expand indefinitely.

Edited March 19, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Matthew k]

Los Angeles's population is still growing, so you can't call it a rust-belt, but I wonder if it will ever hit the point where it can't grow anymore and begins to stagnate. If L.A. stays a pro-low density city, it seems inevitable that they'll hit a wall. Suburbs can't expand indefinitely.

 

LA is not pro low density. Downtown LA is the hottest, fastest growing area in So Cal. They are converting more and more old buildings to loft space, building new high rises and mixed use including the very tony Ritz Carlton Residences.

 

Santa Monica has gotten very dense as has Irvine and Newport Center. Younger people are deciding condo/apartment living is pretty nice; no yard work, resort like amenities and built in social network.

[methodwriter85]

LA is not pro low density. Downtown LA is the hottest, fastest growing area in So Cal. They are converting more and more old buildings to loft space, building new high rises and mixed use including the very tony Ritz Carlton Residences.

 

Santa Monica has gotten very dense as has Irvine and Newport Center. Younger people are deciding condo/apartment living is pretty nice; no yard work, resort like amenities and built in social network.

 

 

    Cool to know. I know that historically though, as Private Tim once put it, L.A. was the proud anti-city, while San Francisco was the dense Euro-style city, hence why SF has the more iconic skyline. Los Angeles has been defined by being an never-ending sprawl of suburban housing.

 

     I remember reading this interesting book, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, which traced the development of Los Angeles's suburban identity through the rise of McDonald's.

 

     Here's another article I found though about Los Angeles's changing identity, that asks the question, "What is the new identity for a city whose entire life has been marked by its ability and desire to endlessly expand?"

 

No More Play: Los Angeles on the verge of a new era

 

    I wonder if there will come a time when they'll start tearing down the single family homes in places like the Valley and turning them into mid-rise or high-rise apartment/condo buildings. That could be interesting. How NIMBY are people in Los Angeles? (Houston seems like they'll allow anything, while San Francisco seems farrrrr more NIMBY.)

[methodwriter85]

   So is this like how Coastal surfer kid types dress now?

 

 

    I feel like the funky tank tops, usually with graphics, have been pretty popular this decade...I think this guy kinda is a good example of the "2010's look" that I'm thinking of with this. The only thing he's missing would be a tattoo sleeve or ugly chest tattoo.

 

     I had a moment of clarity, when I was checking out the clothing at American Eagle, that I really can't stand what's in right now. LOL. That made me feel very old. American Eagle was my favorite clothing store when I was in my mid-teens to early 20's, and now I can't stand the stuff in there. I think the details for male clothing right now have gotten "fussier" compared to the minimalist mid-90's to mid-00's. In my opinion, I really liked circa 2005 clothing, with the pastel polos, the cargo shorts, and the layered t-shirts. I thought it was the most flattering part of that decade.

Edited April 10, 2014 by methodwriter85

[PrivateTim]

   So is this like how Coastal surfer kid types dress now?

 

No, that is how posers dress.

 

Here is how surfers look in CA.

 

[PrivateTim]

And this.

 

[methodwriter85]

     Nice, Tim. Maybe that look above is probably just more of a "bro" look than a surfer look. I've seen a lot of guys rocking that look- the EDM types, in any event.

[Mark Arbour]

     Nice, Tim. Maybe that look above is probably just more of a "bro" look than a surfer look. I've seen a lot of guys rocking that look- the EDM types, in any event.

 

When I saw that pic that you posted, my initial reaction was that it was a guy from the Midwest or the East.  I didn't notice the Florida marking on there until later.  Must have been distracted by something else.   The divide between California and Florida is really even bigger than the distance between them.  As a former Californian, I think that's a good thing.