Although it's sorta not in line with the HN rules to introduce downvotes as a conversation topic, I'll just say that mere observation of the problems in SF used to face way more downvoting. I was not a popular guy years ago when I was honest about why I promptly left SF after finishing school there. Now I get upvoted when I talk about SF because it's all out in the open so much that mainstream news articles discuss the crime, the urban decay, the feces, the drug use in broad daylight, the homelessness, etc.

Those left who are still apologizing for SF have either never experienced anything else or are in denial.

Trust me, it breaks my heart the extent to which SF has let itself go. As bad as it was a decade ago, there was still a lot to like about it and it was a fun place to be as a young guy. I criticize SF because I want to love it, not because I hate it.

As much as there's also a lot to criticize about places like New York and Los Angeles (my hometown), they really have nothing on San Francisco in terms of social issues. Yeah, LA probably has the largest homeless encampments, but in my whole life I've rarely or never have seen what can be seen in SF. SF is the only city in America I've been to so far that's featured drug use in public parks during broad daylight, huge packs of rats running around, fentanyl zombies that actually resemble fictional zombies, elevators covered in urine, poop smeared on walkways and walls, gutters overflowing with rotten restaurant food, gangs spraying graffiti with bystanders around and no fear of being caught, and of course public displays of nudity (and occasionally other distasteful displays).

It's really amazing what the human mind can be conditioned to accept. We can become accustomed to anything.