thatsthepoem
7/21/2026
SAN FRANCISCO RISING is proper evidence that, no matter how much anecdotal evidence you can acquire from youtube in order to see through the particular, a proper synthesis of the whole - a view of the forest rather than merely its trees - is in fact a much needed view from somewhere objective to make sense of the amoeba of life. I've seen many such hours of youtube of people exploring the City "boots on the ground" - the struggles of its residence with drugs and crime, new small businesses and big tech - the good and the bad. But here we have what surely all residents, and those who live in and around the Bay Area, would confirm as something approximating the beating heart of the city. It is informative, not shying away from both elevating optimism and cynicism, while being inquisitive, trepidatious, jubilant, and at times shockingly empathic. The only glaring omission is that, perhaps as in reality, we do not truly formulate a vision of exactly who is in control and where the City is headed. Perhaps this is why the City has bore so many of the troubles as it has.
