The Top Twenty Meanest Cities In America

[MrScorpio]

The top 20 meanest U.S. cities:

1 Little Rock, Arkansas
2 Atlanta, Georgia
3 Cincinnati, Ohio
4 Las Vegas, Nevada
5 Gainesville, Florida
6 New York City, New York
7 Los Angeles, California
8 San Francisco, California
9 Honolulu, Hawaii
10 Austin, Texas
11 Sarasota, Florida
12 Key West, Florida
13 Nashville, Tennessee
14 Berkeley, California
15 Dallas, Texas
16 Fresno, California
17 San Antonio, Texas
18 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
19 St. Paul, Minnesota
20 Manchester, New Hampshire

http://channels.netscape.com/travel/content.jsp?file=fte/meanestcities/meanestcities.jsp

Okay, maybe I haven't been there in 10 years, but I think that NYC is unfair.

Has it changed that much?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

1. Berkeley got real nasty inthe 90's. OnEdit: I just re-read it! I think

the problem in Berkeley is the Street people got pampered at one time. Maybe now people aren't as friendly.

[SeattleGirl]

2. Interesting...

One of my uncles was murdered in Little Rock, though I won't judge the whole city based on what two people did.

And I hate seeing Las Vegas on that list -- Love that city, and I'll be there on Wednesday!

[bliss_eternal]

5. I was there just over a week ago!

Hope you have a great time! :hi: Wish we had gone at the same time...I could have seen you in person!

[SeattleGirl]

6. Oh bummer!

Missed you by THAT much! Well, I usually go once a year, sometimes twice. Maybe sometime we'll be in synch!

:hi:

[bliss_eternal]

8. That would be cool! Planning to see any shows?

We saw Avenue Q!

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle. That's awful! :hug:

[SeattleGirl]

9. Three, in fact!

Thursday we're seeing "Legends in Concert" -- I've seen it several times before, and I really enjoy the show.

Friday we're going to see "We Will Rock You", a musical based on the music of Queen.

And Saturday, for my birthday, we're going to see George Carlin!!! My sister and I saw him a few years ago, and had a fabulous time!

And thanks for the hug. Uncle E was a big part of my childhood years, and it was pretty damned sad when that happened. :hug:

[bliss_eternal]

10. See you know how to do Vegas right!

If you're going, you have to spend the money and see the shows! I'm very jealous that you are seeing "We Will Rock You." Dh and I wanted to see it, but it was dark the days we were going.

What a treat that George Carlin will be there when you go!! The liberal MASTER! His shows are always great--you'll have a blast!

[SeattleGirl]

Well, I've been practicing for 10 years!

The first time I went was on my 40th birthday, 10 years ago. I've been back at least once a year, sometimes twice, ever since then.

When my sister and I saw Carlin, he did this whole riff on school shootings. As you can imagine, it was totally without sympathy. One of the shootings had happened at the school my daughter used to go to (Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon). She was in Seattle by that time, going to school here, but her sister still went there (she was late that day, thank God), and some of the kids who died were her friends. My sisters both work in one of the hospitals where the kids were sent, and it was a nightmare. But the sister who went with me and I are longtime fans of Carlin, and know when you see/hear him, you leave your sensitivities at the door. When he started his riff, we just looked at each other and cracked up, even though, of course, the actual shootings are in no way, shape or form funny. Thick skins are definitely necessary for seeing George Carlin!

[bliss_eternal]

13. Maybe not as thick as for Don Rickles...

LOL!

But I know what you mean. I just love him. The few times he says something that may hit a little close to home, are far outweighed by the great show he offers.

[WCGreen]

11. I saw George Carlin back in 1975 in Cleveland.....

He was fucking hilareous....

[SeattleGirl]

12. I have been a fan of his since high school

back when God was a little boy. :rofl:

[WCGreen]

14. And he was a wee lad, wasn't he...

[REP]

3. Meanest as Ranked by Nat'l Coalition for the Homeless

SF probably got listed because they stopped the cash hand-out program and instead have a housing program.

[WCGreen]

4. Sarasota, what they did to poor Pee Wee... And his Wee Wee...

[bliss_eternal]

7. I may get flamed for this--but Los Angeles should be higher...

Or maybe it's just me.

A city with a loose cannon, shooting people on freeways? That defines mean for me. Then again, can't lump a whole city by a few idiots.

The entertainment industry makes our city meaner than some, because of the unattainable standards of beauty, etc. Again, jmo...

[In_The_Wind]

15. I've lived in two of those cold hearted cities.

it damn near broke my heart ...

[madinmaryland]

16. Sarasota?

Grumpy and curmudgeony, but not mean. Everyone is too old to be mean!

[ornotna]

107. In Sarasota

If the police find a homeless person they are required to drive them to a shelter.(Unless the homeless person is drunk or unruly, then they go to jail)

[LynneSin]

17. THERE!!!! Philadelphia ISN'T a mean city

Although we do have obnoxious sport fans

[hyphenate]

19. Things were different there in 1986!

We went to eat at a restaurant, and found a tire slashed on the way out. Ended up having to spend an extra night in Philly because there was absolutely nothing opened at 9:00 on a Sunday night. Even the cops told us we shouldn't have been in that neighborhood!

[IntravenousDemilo]

80. Well, it CAN'T be. It's the City of Brotherly Love, after all. nm

[JVS]

86. I could hardly believe that that foul cauldron of evil was left out.

The compiler of the list will certainly be killed by a mob of Philadelphians who feel slighted by the ommision.

[hyphenate]

18. What do they mean by "mean"?

People ganging up on strangers? People hitting someone who asks for directions? People snubbing you for similar reasons? Business owners kicking you out of the store if you don't "look right"?

A better definition is warranted.


Edit: Read the article. That's really not that much to judge a city's "meanness" on. I would say that NYC has a reputation for being mean, but I find a lot of S. Calif. worse than mean, and just plain ignorant. (In terms of helping people, for example.)

[Sequoia]

78. That would be Orange County cities.

Certainly not the west side in Los Angeles County; Self-centered maybe, but not so mean.

[no name no slogan]

20. #19 St. Paul? MEAN?!?!

:wtf:

Somebody needs to quit doing meth before they put these things together.

I just moved to St Paul a couple months ago, and I have some of the nicest neighbors in the world. Within the first week, they invited me over for coffee, and asked me if I needed any moving help.

St. Paul is NOT mean. :grr:

[WeRQ4U]

25. We have GOT to be missing something here.

St. Paul and no Detroit??? Doubt it.....

[Rabrrrrrr]

108. Yes - what a lot of you are missing is WHO MADE THIS LIST

Jesus, read the goddamn thing.

This is the meanest cities based ONLY on how they treat homeless people, and was done by the National Coalition for the Homeless.

What the fuck is up with people not bothering to read shit?

This is like the umpteenth fucking thread just today.

[Az]

109. I've had threads like that

People see what they expect. Ya get used to it. Specially when you live in a city like Detroit that isn't mean.

:evilgrin:

[Left Is Write]

26. I'm with you.

I love St. Paul.

[Wapsie B]

55. I don't understand that at all.

:wtf:

[myrna minx]

69. I was shocked to see St. Paul too.

The people of St. Paul are wonderful!

[Ravenseye]

84. It's not mean people, it's how they treat the homeless

The top twenty listing really should read

"The worst twenty cities to be homeless in"

kind of different.

[no name no slogan]

90. still, the homeless have it better here than in a lot of other places

Even our Republican governor (hand-picked by Dick Cheney) has spent more money on getting the homeless into permanent housing. In the past five years, spending on the homeless has actually gone up slightly in MN, as opposed to most other states.

I would like to see their critieria, and what their experiences were. I'm not saying that being homeless in St. Paul is a cakewalk (far from it), but I am somewhat suspicious of how this report was put together.

[Ravenseye]

91. Agreed

I'd like to see more information as well. Just seems sort of random. What actual measures were used, etc.

[XNASA]

21. Honolulu & Key West both meaner than Chicago?

:rofl:

[Susang]

46. Ever been to Key West?

Fuckers will cut you if you don't enjoy that sunset! :scared:

[Sequoia]

77. Chicago used to the be the Candy Capital of the USA.

Home of the Atomic Fireballs! Yo! Wasn't that were Willy Wonka's factory was located?

Went into a huge candy store yesterday, what a kids dream it was. They had a Willy Wonka section with the original movie and signed photos of the kids and when they grew up too. I just had to hang around and watch it for a while.

[UrbScotty]

22. Wow, Detroit's not on there. (nt)

[WeRQ4U]

23. First thing I thought too.

St. Paul???? WTF. Detroit has GOT to be meaner than St. Paul.

[MrScorpio]

30. Detroit is the city of sweety-pies

That's where I come from, of course!

[WeRQ4U]

33. There are always exceptions....Then give it to us straight....

Detroit v. Minnesota Nice? Accurate assesment?

[MrScorpio]

38. I don't know Minn., But I do know Detroit

In Detroit, I remember being polite to each other in the street. If you walk down the street and say hello to a stranger, they'll say hi back.

Meeting and talking to strangers is nothing to be feared, but is pretty much expected.

If you're stuck on a patch of ice, there will be someone there to help give you a push.

Now when I left Detroit and took my Motown ways to Austin, Tx, many years ago, I would walk down the street and acknowledge other's existence by greeting them. All I ever got back were stares and expressions of befuddlement. No one ever said hi back.

I thought that the people in that town were the most unfriendliest people I had ever met.

I wonder whatever happened to that "Southern Hospitality" I heard so much about. It was explained to me by my boss, a Texan, that that was my first mistake; "This ain't down south. This is Texas."

Well, I guess that answers that question.

Anyways, looking back I recall that all my best friends in Austin actually came from back east or up north. They were people who shared my experiences about the place and thought that folks in Austin were pretty damned rude. Every single one.

Years later I found out that people down there and out west rarely talk to strangers (which I still think is strange).

Thank the Goddess, I'm living back east, I don't run into many rude folks from around these parts.

[WeRQ4U]

41. That's a nice perspective.

All everyone hears about is the high crime rate. You never hear about how the people, generally, are great people. My cousin moved there some time ago and loves it.

[Susang]

49. Detroit is one of the nicest cities in the country, period

And I've traveled a lot. I grew up in Detroit and live in Chicago now. Chicagoans are pretty nice overall, but Detroiters are the friendliest, most helpful people I've encountered. Every time I go back to visit, I'm just astonished at how nice everyone is.

[MrScorpio]

58. Amen, Sister

Detroiters are the nicest people there are

[IntravenousDemilo]

82. Mind you, Detroit is a border town,

and maybe some niceness spilled over the river from Windsor. Just a theory.

[Az]

104. Detroit is the city I am sitting in right now

Yeah we got problems. But we ain't mean. :P

[gollygee]

94. I've had a car break down in Detroit, I've been stuck in Detroit

I've been to Detroit many many many many times and people have always been incredibly nice.

[Left Is Write]

24. Nashville and St. Paul are both mean?

I find that difficult to believe.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. Milwaukee??? What the heck? I miss my hometown because people

are so darned cruel here in Detroit. :hi:

[MrScorpio]

53. If you go around Detroit sportin' Green Bay Packer gear...

You deserve what's coming to ya

[jane_pippin]

28. Milwaukee must now rename itself "Jerkwaukee." And...

How is San Francisco on the list? Everybody was nice to me both times I was there--even the crazy lunatics. It was a magical wonderland. Not like Jerkwaukee at all.

edit: my friend works with the homeless in SF--finding them homes, jobs, etc. He's nice--doesn't that earn any points?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

29. I've been living in NYC for a little over 3 years now

And I've generally found people here to be very nice and pleasant.

My friends and family have been surprised when visiting at how open the locals are to giving out directions, advice, etc.

If it was that mean, I wouldn't have stayed here.

[anarch]

31. I think you'd have to be homeless in these cities

to appreciate this poll. What I'd like to see is the list of the most homeless-friendly cities...could come in handy pretty soon here.

[sasquatch]

32. I can verify that Cincinnati is pretty mean

I have the mean streak to prove it too.

[grace0418]

34. I don't agree with many of these. But Cincinnati, surprisingly, I would

have to say is really mean. My best friend moved there a few years ago from Chicago (where I still live) for a job. She was worried about finding friends and good ethnic food but it never occurred to her to worry about the people. Seriously, we both have lived in some fairly rough neighborhoods in Chicago and we both have a pretty thick urban skin. So when locals warned her about what areas to avoid in Cincinnati we chuckled because Cincinnati is so much smaller than Chicago. However, when I went to visit her on several occasions I couldn't believe how openly hostile people were in that city. WTF?

In the couple of years she lived there she was threatened with bodily harm several times, she was tripped, pushed, and shoved- all while just trying to walk home from the store or work, totally minding her own business. Her husband was similarly harassed for no apparent reason. Her Vespa was stolen from her office parking lot in broad daylight. She found out later that her boss stopped parking in the lot and paid to park in a guarded lot because he'd gotten beaten once and mugged another time. She got to the point where she wouldn't walk around by herself after 6 or 7 at night. This is a girl with whom I used to go out dancing until 3 a.m. and then take the bus home.

She said she felt like white people hated her for being arty and therefore liberal (which she is but WTF?), and black people hated her for being white. She finally had enough and moved. She lives in Los Angeles now and loves it.

[sasquatch]

35. That sounds like the Queen city

They call it a northern city with southern charm because it's across the river from Kentucky. Sometimes though you get the worst of both worlds.

[grace0418]

40. I wonder why though.

Are race relations that bad? Is is economic? I suppose if you put a whole bunch of bigots in a city with a whole bunch of minorities you're going to have problems. I just was really surprised by it. Chicago has its race and crime problems for sure, but I've never experienced (in 13 years of living in the heart of Chicago) the kind of daily harassment she experienced in Cinci.

[sasquatch]

42. I think you said it right there in its description

You've got Kentucky briars who bring their neo-feudalistic ways, Opis Dei like catholics and all of the minorities against them. You have the Bavarian Germans(I myself am one) who seem to pull against all the others as well.

[grace0418]

67. Too bad. It's a very pretty area.

I love the rolling hills. I guess the the bigotry vs. minority backlash is a vicious circle. You thinking about moving ever? I want to move to the west coast. Not in SF proper, but somewhere in northern Cali.

[sasquatch]

100. Nope, it's my home, I'll fight to try to change it

[nini]

36. I'm glad to Frisco get called out for the phony ass place it is

And YES I said 'FRISCO' intentionally.


For all the 'liberalism' they are amazingly pretentioius and rude.

Yes, it's an amazinly beautiful city, but way too yuppie in a hippie kind of way.

[sasquatch]

37. Hey, I live near Cincinnati and SF is a fucking dream in every way

[nini]

39. If your dream includes numerous homeless , panhandlers etc..

then ok.

Yes, I know they're everywhere and SF is not the mecca of this problem, but in a city that prides itself on being ultra liberal and self righteous they sure haven't taken steps to fix that issue in their city.

I guess driving their SUVs comes first. That's another pet peeve of mind with them. Drive those big ass cars to the whole foods store to buy your organic foods.

My point is and will remain that there are so many people there who say they are better than others because of their superior liberalism but yet they don't LIVE it. I can't tolerate hypocricy.

I hope you get to visit the city often since you love it. Me, I'll pass. My last visit there was so annoying I'll never go back.

[Zomby Woof]

43. Frank pegged them back in '68

"Who Needs The Peace Corps?"

What's there to live for?
Who needs the Peace Corps?

Think I'll just DROP OUT
I'll go to Frisco
Buy a wig and sleep
On Owsley's floor

Walked past the wig store
Danced at the Fillmore
I'm completely stoned
I'm hippy and I'm trippy
I'm a gypsy on my own
I'll stay a week and get the crabs and
Take a bus back home
I'm really just a phony
But forgive me
'Cause I'm stoned

Every town must have a place
Where phony hippies meet
Psychedelic dungeons
Popping up every street
GO TO SAN FRANCISCO

How I love ya, How I love ya
How I love ya, How I love ya Frisco!
How I love ya, How I love ya
How I love ya, How I love ya
Oh, my hair is getting good in the back!
Every town must have a place
Where phony hippies meet
Psychedelic dungeons
Popping up on every street
GO TO SAN FRANCISCO...

Hotcha!

First I'll buy some beads
And then perhaps a leather band
To go around my head
Some feathers and bells
And a book of Indian lore
I will ask the Chamber Of Commerce
How to get to Haight Street
And smoke an awful lot of dope

I will wander around barefoot
I will have a psychedelic gleam in my eye at all times
I will love everyone
I will love the police as they kick the shit out of me on the street
I will sleep...
I will, I will go to a house
That's, that's what I will do
I will go to a house
Where there's a rock & roll band
'Cause the groups all live together
And I will join a rock & roll band
I will be their road manager
And I will stay there with them
And I will get the crabs
But I won't care

[jane_pippin]

47. You and I have had vastly different experiences then.

Everyone I know there rides bikes, walks, or takes the BART to get anywhere and plenty have moved there partly because they don't feel the need to drive, ever and there they don't have to. A few of my friends work for agencies that provide job training, drug counseling, and so on to homeless people. Another friend works with developmentally disabled kids at a school in Oakland. In short, everyone I know there does nothing but live their liberal values and they don't get all superior about it either.

I'm sorry you have a poor impression of the city and I'm sure my few examples won't help change that, but I think you need to rethink those blanket statements. (I also know that examples of a few people do not represent the policies of the city itself, but I did want to remind you that not everyone there cares only about driving their SUV's to the organic market.)

[nini]

56. Let me clarify.. Not ALL people there are guilty of what I am saying

There are good people everywhere who live their beliefs. The SF of 20 years ago is NOT what it is today.

If you really believe there is not a class of superior yuppified fakes who have saturated what was once a truly liberal city then I will not convince you of what I am saying.

I feel sorry for the true liberals there who truly want to make things better - I have full respect for them. But, there is a definite bad wind blowing through the city these days. I felt it and saw it on my last few trips there. It's becoming fake and the dominate culture is yuppie based - not what it used to be.

[Zomby Woof]

59. That happened to Seattle

It started when the fake liberals took over the Belltown neighborhood and its condos. Then they wanted to gentrify Pioneer Square next - the last bastion of old Seattle's working class and liberal character.

It's a creeping white death.

[jane_pippin]

62. I hear you. That makes sense...

I didn't mean to "call you out" or anything and I apologize if that's how it was taken/seemed. I'm not so naive as to think that that yuppified element doesn't exist, nor do I mean to discount your experiences. I guess I just wanted to reassure you that there are still lots of good people there trying to make up for the jerks.

[nini]

73. I understood where you're coming from . no offense taken

It's people like those you describe who are suffering at the hands of the snobs.

I do realize the snobs at least still vote right so that's good. They're just so freaking rude and hypocritical in life choices and attitudes. I don't really get it to be honest with you. :shrug:

[Zomby Woof]

57. Your statements are blanket too

You said "everyone" you know there lives their liberal values. Good. I am glad you are not friends with phony, upscale, limousine liberals, like the ones she encountered, often.

She experienced many things there that ran counter to the wholesome liberals you know.

I am sure your impressions are valid, but so are hers. Your mutual experiences do not negate each others' honest opinions.

[jane_pippin]

60. No, I understand that and I also said...

that I understand that just a few examples of people I know don't reflect the policies of the city itself.

I understand that I can only speak of the people I know and they don't encompass the whole city either. All I'm saying is that to be fair, we should recognize that not everyone there embodies the bad experiences described in the other post, just as not everyone embodies the good experiences I've had. That's all, no worries.

And I'm sorry to hear that anybody would mistreat anyone who is disabled anywhere, though I know it happens. My dad is disabled too and we've had some terrible experiences as well, but that doesn't make us think everyone in the city (whatever city it is) would do it.

[Zomby Woof]

66. We can all agree

There are assholes EVERYWHERE.

This thread still isn't as bad as the regional flamewars from GD, lol. :P

[jane_pippin]

68. Exactly...Man, those get out of control don't they?

I'm all about looking for things that bring us together, so let me apologize if my posts here momentarily caused some flames. Didn't mean to. :hug:

[Zomby Woof]

75. We're all grouchy

Until January 2009, unless another Repuke takes over. :hug:

[JVS]

87. So when are we going to the Hofbrauhaus in Newport?

I'll take the nati over frisco based purely on ability to ever own a home

[sasquatch]

101. You PM a day and time and I'll meet you there.

:hi:

[Taverner]

54. We're snobs here

It's true - and SF its especially true. Check this out:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_3091646

having said that, I still love it here.

[nini]

61. thank you... you see what I'm saying

that poor woman :cry:


There are many things great up there.. it's just not the complete liberal nirvana it's supposed to be.

[Taverner]

64. Liberal Nirvana, no

Best place for a liberal - perhaps.

Now it is true we're snobs, but on the other hand, when it comes to politics, 3 out of 4 will agree with you on most issues. Pot is practically legal, and you can go North to Mendo or Humboldt where it is legal.

Gay men and women can safely walk the streets - well as safely as anyone could in a major city. The women look good, the men look good and religious fanatics get their comeuppance....

However, try starting a conversation on the street in SF. Try it at a lunch counter. You'll get a couple one word answers and then they'll move seats.

There is no Liberal Nirvana (except maybe Amsterdam...)

[nini]

72. gay living is definitely one of the best points of SF

That's where they will get the superiority nod from me as far as gay acceptance etc. We all should follow the lead in that regard.

[MrScorpio]

95. Amsterdam, BABY!

Oh, I wish

[Sequoia]

44. California the meanest state!!?

No, Texas or Florida, or even Colorado are the mean states. Come on, Florida has all those child molestors and killers. Florida has to be up there since hurricanes always hit it. Right Pat Robertson? And Colorado....kids killing kids because of fundie adults and that warhead factory outside of Columbine.

If Cal is the meanest then it's because of our Nazi gov.

[Zomby Woof]

48. California is generally nicer than most!

I found WA state to be the unfriendliest. VERY passive-aggressive, not an overt hostility. Just very sullen and introverted people, afraid to speak their minds.

I lived in the south, and although there are many genuinely friendly people, there are also fake nice people, with lots of smarm and phony charm. Those tend to be the Repukes and Fundies.

I find L.A. and this area to be generally very friendly. I think the sunshine is good for our disposition. :-)

[Sequoia]

76. I agree, I've lived in all those places.

And Los Angeles is a great city with lots of nice people all around. Generally more open minded and tolerable than most. I couldn't get out of Spokane, WA fast enough when I lived there. I think it's the awful dreary weather that makes them the way they are, can't get out, locked in when the snow falls, etc. I live in No. Cal now and don't think they're as nice as those Southern Cals. Once again, must be the awful dark and rainy winter. The nicer people are the ones who are not locals...the locals are very obsessed with what generation they are. Seriously, it's like a badge. Who the hell cares. And raised in the south during the stormy Civil Rights era, they still whine about losing the Civil War. Get over it already.

Wish we all could be California Pals.

[GOPisEvil]

45. This is a single-issue list. Why not a more overall rating?

:shrug:

[BigMcLargehuge]

50. Manchester isn't so bad anymore

though we've had a rash of nightclub shootings in the last month.

[lildreamer316]

51. Memphis is SO MEAN.

Everyone except the ppl on Beale st. were HORRIBLE to me when I was there. Sorry, anyone from Memphis,but even in the grocery store they were RUDE.

[Sequoia]

81. My sister and her husband lived there and hated it.

[Taverner]

52. SF, LA and Berkeley

Yup - its true

Look I love it here, but I gotta admit, we're snobs . The fact that a homeless woman in Berkeley gave birth in a BART station during prime commute time and no one helped her was totally expected. People here are snobby and in their own world.

Take your most ardent Dem in SF and mention the homeless and you'll think you were talking to a neo-nazi.

[grace0418]

71. I know what you mean. HOWEVER, it seems to be a vicious

circle and I can see how some otherwise liberal people can get pretty frustrated. I love SF and have wanted to live in the Bay Area for years, and still do. But my last trip to SF about 3 weeks ago, I was pretty shocked by how bad the homeless situation had gotten. And I'm from Chicago, so I'm around panhandlers and homeless all the time.

During our trip there, I was asked for money countless times. Sometimes I had some, sometimes I didn't. I'm never rude though, I always treat the person like a human being. When I didn't have any money, though, several people got downright menacing. It freaked me out a little.

We stopped into a fast food place late one night so my husband could get a snack, and there was a screaming match going on between a homeless woman and the store manager. It was freaky. Afterward, the manager apologized to us and said it happens every night. He was wearing a cast, which he got when a homeless man bashed in the store window and the manager had to wrestle him to the ground to keep him from doing more damage.

Something is going horribly awry there, that's for sure.

[Taverner]

74. It all stems from the entitlements given to the homeless

And I might come off sounding like a freeper here, but when one is homeless in SF, you are given a check for $2000 per month. Not much, but it can be a draw from cities in the US where the entitlement is lower, or nonexistant.

Add to that a nice climate and a liberal populace that semi-tolerates the homeless and you see a system that can easily be taken advantage of.

Gavin Newsom is trying the "care not cash" program that gives out vouchers for goods and services instead of cash. I hope it works. If it does, it could be a model for other cities around the country.

[graywarrior]

63. I have witnessed the meaness toward the homeless in Sarasota

They are brazen about it. Wear it like a badge.

[Initech]

65. Little Rock ahead of Vegas? Wha?

[MrScorpio]

70. Why people in Detroit are so nice:

Look, we're a working class town. No need to be putting on airs, because we all know that we're all in the same boat.

We work hard and we play hard. We support our teams, win or lose and when they win, we know it's because of hard work. When they lose, we still love them, because we know that they did their best.

Detroit has a big heart and open arms, we welcome EVERYBODY. It has the biggest population of immigrants in the Midwest for a reason, because we love everybody.

We love our weird music, strange food and Hockey... and goddamnit, nobody will take it away from us.

We're proud, but not boastful, down to Earth kind of people. We know how to be polite to each other.

Others may look down us, but we don't care.

We're Detroiters and we love it.

[JVS]

89. AMEN. I'm from Pittsburgh, but I am always happy to visit Detroit

The best part is that the people who would be snobs all seem to prefer commuting from Ann Arbor to living in Detroit. Bummer for the Ann Arbor people who actually belong there, because having everyone who makes 80K or more in the auto companies live out there has to really fuck with rent prices.

[Craig3410]

79. You think NYC's unfair?

My state capital's #1!

:(

[NorthernSpy]

83. most of the meanest cities seem to be located in warm climates

Of the twenty cities on the list, only Manchester, St. Paul, Milwaukee, and New York get seriously cold in the winter. Interesting.

:think:

OTOH, Cincinnati might get fairly cold too. Nothing like St. Paul, though.

[KamaAina]

85. Oh bollocks. There's no way we can be on there.

People here get up for elderly people on the bus. They stop in crosswalks to let you cross.

Ninth meanest? Nerts.

I got yer meanest ranking right here, pal... :-)

[IntravenousDemilo]

88. I agree about NYC

In my experience, the citizens of Gotham have been, without exception, extremely nice to me. On one eight-day trip there in 1999, my wallet was stolen on the second day while I was at Splash, and as my bank card was in my wallet, I had no access to my account. So I had to make do with the $300 in travellers' cheques I had back in my hotel room. Problem was, without ID, it was hard to cash them (and I understand why), till this wonderful bank vice-president told one of his tellers to do so. And everyone else was truly sympathetic to my plight, even Spalding Gray, who (ironically) walked up to me on Second Avenue and asked "Why so glum, chum?" See, New Yorkers really DO care, and their reputation for rudeness is not deserved at all.

And then when I got back to Toronto, my wallet was waiting for me in an envelope in my mailbox. Either the thief had just taken the small amount of cash that had been in my wallet and dropped the rest in the mailbox, or some other New Yorker found the wallet and did so. Whatever, I love New York!

Mind you, I haven't been back since the summer of 2001, and I don't know if the terrorist attack changed New Yorkers' attitudes towards others, but I can't imagine it would change them that radically.

[sir_captain]

96. Yeah, not at all

if anything, 9/11 brought out the best in New Yorkers. The blackout two summers was amazing--no looting, no increased crime--it was like a big party.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

92. Having visited New York City as a tforeign ourist

I was warned quite a few times before I went that the people in NYC were rude and unpleasant. But when I actually visited NYC, I found the people to be lovely, friendly, polite and helpful and I actually felt more comfortable in NYC than I did in London. And, since coming home, I’ve talked to a number of friends who have said the same thing about their visits to New York

And, if St Paul is anything like Minneapolis, than it would definitely not be considered a mean city in my book. Minneapolis was one of the friendliest cities that I visited in the US

[MrScorpio]

93. New Yorkers are some of the greatest people on the planet

Thoughout my years in the service, I could always depend on New Yorkers to be my best friends and confidantes

Down to Earth, cool and smart

New Yorkers are the best

[La Lioness Priyanka]

97. i think sf is very cruel as far as the homeless go

which is weird cos in other ways in seems to be a much softer city than ny

[MrScorpio]

98. Cities should be judged on how they treat the most disadvantaged of us

It's an excellent gauge on how nice they are

[IntravenousDemilo]

99. Not just cities, either,

but also full societies and individual people should be judged that way. It's the only real gauge of a person's worth as a human being, how well he treats those less fortunate.

[Lethe]

102. dude, austin isnt mean

austin is like mellow, baby, ya dig?

furthermore, if anyone visits austin i will personally give them a hug, just to offset any preconcieved notions of hostility

and if you buy me a beer, i will give you unlimited hugs

[MrScorpio]

103. Shit, where we you in 1983?

That town didn't care for military types from up north back then

[Lethe]

106. i was blowing the candles out on the Garfield cake on my 4th birthday

i would have invited you, but i didnt know you were here

[Lethe]

111. Austin's rank comes from the "Anti-Camping" law they passed

i think basically it says that you cant sleep in public areas. screws a lot of the homeless.

[WindRavenX]

105. NYC is not mean

It's just hostile, and rightly so, towards idiots and, perhaps I'm being redundent, idiotic tourists.
NYC is where I call my soul's home; where I hope to live permanently after college (I basically live there on the weekends) and holy shit, I need NYC.
I'm tired of people trying to dumb down places. NYC doesn't let that happen and I'm sorry if people are taken aback at the reality that most people despise morons.

ps-

NYers are the most friendly people if you don't act like a tool or an asshole tourist.

[Rabrrrrrr]

110. GODDAMN PEOPLE - why don't you READ before you post?

In this whole 100+ thread, I saw only a SMALL handful of people who are obviously commenting on the article posted; the rest of you are commenting on SHIT YOU OBVIOUSLY NEVER BOTHERED TO READ.

For fuck's sake, do some due diligence, and pay attention. Read the goddamn article, and you will know that is based SOLELY on treatment of homeless people.

Fuck.

[Az]

112. There there Rabrrrrr

Its ok. Its just people being people. They know not what they do. Or something like that.

[Rabrrrrrr]

113. Yeah, well, it just pisses me off.

And it's embarrassing. We're supposed to be the smarter, more intelligent, more cultured party, and yet this simply proves that we have the president we deserve.

When even the "educated, elit liberals" can't be bothered to read a 100 word article before commenting on it, then it's no wonder that the country is going to hell. If even Democrats can't be bothered to read something that is well below a freeper reading level, then why should we be surprised when rightwing extremist fundamentalist Christian fucks take over the government?

[Az]

114. You should check the recent Scientific American: Mind

It has an interesting little article detailing how our minds are politically biased.

Its an interesting study. People are shown images of politicians or names so quickly that their conscious mind cannot percieve it but their perception can cue it up. It is immediately followed by a word conveying an emotional position.

They are instructed to press a button + or - as to whether they feel positive about the word or negative.

How they feel isn't the thing they are testing for. It is how long it takes them to decide how they feel about the word. Depending on the image shown just before they take longer to respond positively to a word like JOY if the image preceding it was of something dealing with the opposition.

We see certain ideas or images and we leap to conclusions. Its not just politics. It can be unlearned but it takes time and effort.

[MrScorpio]

116. Half of us are a paycheck away from being homeless anyways

It might as well be about everything else.

Besides, it goes hand-in-hand with other reasons as well

[SoCalDem]

115. Yay..California has FOUR in the top ten

:eyes: