In late July, a San Francisco Chronicle reporter’s photo of a legion of older, white people attending a neighborhood meeting regarding the towering housing development planned for the site of the Marina Safeway became the latest touchstone for rancorous online debate about San Francisco development.
These old people, we were told by charming internet housing warriors, are the reason your monthly rent exceeds the asking price of a decent used Lexus. These obstinate old people are the reason you can’t afford to live here.
Before we dissect this broad claim, it warrants mentioning that community meetings like the one depicted in the snapshot that launched a thousand quips are now merely a repository for performative outrage: Thanks to state law, resident complaints can’t really derail housing developments anymore. The online blowback? Reciprocal performative outrage…