Why? Because you don't know anything about the history of this town? Or because you don't know what a metaphor is?

In real life there are no metaphors, only results. That's why.

Bloody brilliant! But I guess I already knew that you don't know what you're talking about; I've read some of your stories...

Josh-

If you have to have a long history to be worthwhile, where does that leave The Stranger?

Also since you only value results and not metaphors, I expecet all your future writings will rely soley on similes.

"Wah! Everything in this town is soo NEW!"

Yeah, I really miss the caste driven East Coast and Europe where stagnation reigns.

Here's a metaphor for you: Josh is like a douchebag.

I guess that was more of a simile. Nevermind.

I don't get it. Would Josh rather live in Seattle in 1978, when it wasn't quite as fun or conducive to smart-assery?

StrangerDanger,
Yeah, those 100 year old subway systems are really stagnating.

Horatiosanzerif,
Honestly, I don't really get it either: But damn, you guys are so easy to bait.

Honestly, I don't really get it either: But damn, you guys are so easy to bait.

I guess in lieu of anything else commentworthy on slog you guys gotta do SOMETHING to beef up site refreshes...

I was just in NYC this weekend and do have to stay that if nothing else, at least the air in those tunnels definitely is stagnant. I lived there for a couple of years and could never do it again. Too much energy is wasted merely getting from place to place and really getting nowhere. Why live out someone else's history when you can create your own here?

Geezus, people. Why the hostility?

Seriously, it is kinda funny to see something date stamped that recently. Seattleites really show their insecurity when you present anything that even approaches critisizing the town.

1978 was the year that Josh ran blubbering from a dog that sniffed his shoe.

Josh is full of contradictions and little originality.

We got Erica and now a rising star, Eli.

Time to call the P-I again, Josh.

The subway? That is all you got? Shoot, I almost thought I was going to get a fresh look at at those stodgy folks. Swing and a miss!

Well, Josh, don't forget that housing in NYC and SF and other cities with fine city transit is impossibly expensive, a few thousand dollars a month expensive, and that's more or less a direct result of the density that you champion.

Hey Josh Feit, eat shit, and here's why:

You came in here and made a snide post regarding the history of Seattle, which you implicitedly admit was just a reason to fire up comments on the slog. That's fine, I'm a stranger reader, less ad revenue means less stranger, something I am against.

Then you come in here and make an even snider comment about how you got exactly what you wanted from your shitty, snide comment.

Good for you, but here's this: lots of us grew up here and Seattle is fucking FAR FROM EVERYTHING. We're not stupid, Josh, and we read books, but your sexy allusions to everywhere but here (not referring to the post at hand, necessarily, but in everything you write about the city for the stranger) are fucking rude. They have been fucking rude for years (I'll cite examples if you wish), and even though I'm sure your neighbors like you and politicians want to deal with you, everything you ooze in your writing reeks of condescending asshole.

Because you're a confrontational asshole who understands testosterone, you must get this. Read your articles and read your contributions to slog: you are a boy from out of town who came here and started telling us we should follow the law-- no dogs in bars! no smoking in restaurants! More mass transit! Civility always! Even if my brand of civility isn't compatible with the city that I chose to move to, chose to work in, and chose to criticize.

Lots of what you say, people emotionally connected to the region cannot help but agree with. Indeed, our history is young, but the area is very "live and let live" and liberal. Sans Poulsbo, of course.

But when you treat us like trash and tell us what to do, especially when you do it in a condescending way (admittedly, this is sometimes what makes you provocative and interesting to read), you alienate me and you alienate lots of people. And the prevailing opinion among people that I know is that the stranger is a rag full of delightfully readable young writers who identify with each other and each other alone, or other people in the ARTS who moved here from out of town (quick poll among your staffers: who knows why Wenatchee is called Wenatchee without consulting wikipedia? Madrid is excused since she grew up in the PNW).

I'm not saying this to be antagonistic. I'm actually hoping you find it useful, or maybe you will ignore it altogether. The Stranger is clearly making a move towards national prominence in the last year and for stranger fans it makes us beam with national pride. Some of you, you came from other places and you really do know what's best for us from an informed planning perspective.

But the snobbery about our history, it pisses me off. Suddenly, I'm identifying with Emmett Watson, who my parents taught me was a stick in the mud curmudgeon. It's like, I guess you don't get me: there is all kinds of history I learned about in books. But being emotionally involved with the place where I grew up, I guess I am stupid compared to you since my history only began in the 1800s.

Congratulations, I guess.

Now how will Josh come back from all of this?

First, he will love the topic. It's all about Josh! Josh on Josh on Josh!

Josh, it's only February. What will you do without the Monorail?

He won't. Whenever more than two people make a point he abandons the comments section.

I do find this sort of ironic, given that the Stranger champions sacrificing old buildings to the gods of density so developers can build overpriced out-of-scale yuppie anthills in pretty much every issue.

You want the sort of history they have back East (and, for that matter, to turn Seattle into NYC and/or Chicago), by all means, move back.

Hell, I grew up here and I don't have a clue about the history of Wenatchee's name.