OK. Anyone who really believes I cried for an hour last night over those accuations of anti-rich prejudice must really be lacking in the irony detection department. A lot of things will make me cry. Critical email is not one of them.
I’ll state this for the record and for the irony-impaired: I do not hate rich people. What I hate (and I feely admit this) is the tendency of some affluent individuals to believe their financial success gives them license to behave like assholes. If I’m prejudiced, however, it’s against assholes. Not against wealthy people. Assholes come in all shapes, sizes, and incomes. The problem is that assholes with money can do more damage and thus are far more visible targets.
And franky, I do get more pissed off when an asshole in a new BMW pulls out in front of me than I am when an asshole in a 1988 Geo Metro does the same thing. If the asshole can afford a BMW, he can also damn well afford driving lessons. This may be prejudice. Too bad. I don’t care.
I will close by saying that San Franciscans now have my conditional permission to be well-off financially and to drive whatver car they so choose. But they’d damned well better behave themselves, beacuse I sure can write some hateful email.
All other prohibitions against gentrification, Disneyfication, and the re-election of Willie Brown still apply…