The world according to San Francisco

As Homer Simpson once said, "It's funny cause it's true!" The World According to San Francisco (Thanks, Ted Weinstein!)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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John Markos O’Neill

The map seems to imply that San Franciscans are more consumerist than everyone else, which we aren’t. Also, many of us are actually *from* some of those other places/products, and when we go back, we can actually pass among the inhabitants of, say, “Jesus Land,” as locals.

The reason we don’t leave San Francisco is not that we are unaware of the existence of other places. We don’t leave because San Francisco is awesome. Our friends and relations all want to come and visit us here.

Also, we have no money left to travel after paying for housing.
- Anonymous
  
  Boy is this true. I had to leave because of the job situation and the high cost of living but there really is no place on earth I would rather live than the Bay Area.
- Anonymous
  
  This map is how native san franciscans see the world…. henceforth you don’t count….. although I’m sure you’re a very enlightened and great addition to the city as most people who choose to move here are….. the only thing that bothers me is better burritos, every sf native should know mexico has no burritos.
jenjen

No way does SF think Mexico is the land of better burritos. Noplace in the world, galaxy or universe does anything better than SF.
- Teller
  
  You are correct about burritos. SF would never cede that. Tamales, however, are a different story. And forget Roosevelt’s.
Doctor Popular

Would have loved to see Italy represented entirely by a bottle of Fernet.
winkybb

I found this quite amusing. But “Jesus Land” would be better named “The Jesus Lands”. Just feels more condescending, somehow.
DrPretto

Funny but at the same time offensive and ignorant.
Example: Latin America = Cocaine?

Mexico: Aztecs, Mariachi, Tacos, Chilli
Cuba: Salsa, Tobacco, Fidel Castro
Panama: The Panama Canal
Colombia: Coffee, Cumbia, Vallenato.
Venezuela: Petroleum, Chavez
Peru: Machu Pichu, Nazca, Incas
Chile: Most developed country of Latin America
Argentina: Tango, Malvinas, Futbol, Maradona (80s)
Brazil: Rio Carnival, Samba, Capoeira, Futbol, Pele

Latin America economies should be a lot better than they are right now, but they are not. CORRUPTION is the answer. Many times, because the governments serve (as Puppets) to international organizations and get down on their knees in front of rich countries and their pressures.

Every country in the world have good and bad things,nothing is perfect.
- Anonymous
  
  i don’t think you really get it my friend.
UncaScrooge

Statistically speaking, the San Franciscans being mocked here would view the world through the lens of booze and literature. San Franciscan drink and read, drink and read, and drink some more. So this map is about 50% accurate. I thought it was funny anyway.
Shoomlah

So wait, why’s Antarctica temporary? Global warming can’t melt a solid land mass, and that’s the only thing I can imagine this is referencing.

-C
- Brainspore
  
  Wait, there’s a factual inaccuracy on this thing? Keen eye!
John Markos O’Neill

I may not be a native San Franciscan, but I made two.
Neon Tooth

I would think that SF’s yuppies would at least give Chicago a shout out as: “This American Life” land or something.
Anonymous

That’s a fun map! Of course I would make a few changes:

- Australia would be “Roos and Koalas”
- Japan would be “Hybrids”
- Canada would be “Tundra”
- Tibet would be carved out of China and marked “Free Tibet”
- The rest of China would be “Contaminated Plastic”
- Mexico would be “South Texas” or “Buffer Zone”
- Switzerland would be “Tax Shelter”
- France would have a spot for “Perrier”
- Alaska would be “ANWR and Palin”
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Having lived in SF for 25 years…
  
  - Australia would be ‘Lifeguards’
  - Japan would be ‘Tansu’
  - Canada would be ‘Mounties’
  - Otherwise undesignated territory would just be labeled ‘Uncut’
  - Anonymous
    
    Hmm, I think I see which part of your anatomy is making that call! ;D
Anonymous

First, no San Franciscan ever goes to Walmart and there are no Walmarts in SF. China should be “Better Dim Sum.”

Second Japan should be “Better Sushi.”

Third, Cupertino should be listed as “iPhone home.”
- Anonymous
  
  The idea of labeling “China” as “Walmart” is to convey that San Franciscans think of China as the origin of all of Walmart’s goods.
  
  And you’re wrong about sushi. Sushi is no big deal in Japan–comparable to sandwiches in America. San Francisco is truly the world’s sushi center.
- Teller
  
  Anon 7: It means where Walmart stuff comes from – not that we shop there. Dear God.
muteboy

I don’t see Burning Man or Palm Springs on there.

Pretty funny (and true) – but you could do a similar map for pretty much any other metropolitan area on the face of the planet.

To paraphrase the young prince in ‘The King And I’: “Your map is wrong! Siam is the biggest country in the world!”
W. James Au

In Jesus Land there needs to be a tiny red dot for Austin labeled “Whole Foods/SXSW”.

Outer Outer Sunset is pretty fucking funny, except that label should be on the Canton province in China, not Japan. Dude, have you ever *been* to the Outer Sunset?

Where’s Hawaii? You could label that Better Pot/Jack Johnson.
ackpht

Seems to me some folks are downright eager to take offense.

I had to check the “no Walmarts in SF” statement, and… it’s true. There’s a half-dozen across the bay, but none in SF or down the peninsula until you hit Mountain View. Curious.
Anonymous

I don’t think anyone in the bay area is about to cede Tahoe to any other state.
brix

conspicuous absence of palestine/israel: deliberate?
- Anonymous
  
  What is this Israel/Palestine you speak of? Are they trending brands of alcohol I haven’t heard of yet? -SOMA
W. James Au

San Francisco’s main reality filters are: Left-liberal politics, foodie-ism, *and* high tech/geek culture. The first two are covered but I’m seriously seeing a lack of the third category in this map. For starters, Japan should be relabeled “Nintendo/Hello Kitty”.
Anonymous

I think this is unfinished, that’s why England is a Union Jack, Antarctica is temporary…

Italy = Fernet is spot on for SF (made me laugh), and most of us know that Smirnoff is an American vodka.

Native Californians know that burritos are Mexican/American creations, and that they are not indigenous to Mexico so “better burritos” is not an accurate San Franciscan view. Also, I hate to break the news to my fellow San Franciscans, but with few exceptions, burritos, and other Mexican foods are better the closer you get to the Mexican border.

To nail the San Francisco jealous sibling view of New York, “NYC” should read “Not better than SF.”
Clemoh

Hahahaha!

Look how ignorant America is everybody! Hahahaha!!
Gendun

Maybe I just hang out in the right neighborhoods, but I’m not seeing the booze thing.
AllisonWunderland

Majority of American high school students can’t find the USA on a world map.
- Anonymous
  
  Made up stat?
Rabblerous

I love that everyone who has commented is a San Franciscan who is totally willing to be poked fun at, but won’t stand for inaccurate or feeble insults. I can see people thinking this is hilarious or even offensive, but it’s actually neither because Homer, it really isn’t true.
Teapunk

Heineken? WTF?
Maybe that’s the joke: Americans are so funny they think Heineken is a German beer.
But then again: Anything is better than the classic Nazi Pervert label.
Yay Heineken!!!
- Marcel
  
  No, actually, that whole area is Dutchland.
  
  In other words, Amsterdam.
Anonymous

“North Beach East” I love it!

Why is Jolly-Old just a flag tho? Maybe that’s a dig at British culture, they have nothing to offer us?
Anonymous

This is a great map but a wrong title! It is more of a reflection of large majority of U.S.
echolocate chocolate

As far as I can tell, most San Franciscans think of Canada as kind of “North California”.

Also, where is the giant wall of fog covering half of the city?
Anonymous

Nice to see they got the intersection of wine and weed correct.

Yes, [insert out of town visitor name here] that’s the smell of fermenting grape pumice out behind the winery. Yes, we have skunks in town, but that’s not what skunks smell like.
brerrabbit23

NYC got in a time machine, went back 20 years, and now wants it’s corny map back.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/21121
Anonymous

I’m gonna make a map labeling the USA as “Little Britain” and see if I make as many people get offended by it :-)
BasilGanglia

As a native of San Francisco, and specifically the Mission, I have to add that NO San Franciscan would ever say that Mexico has better burritos than the Mission.
Anonymous

Funny, Funny Funny! Except people in Australia don’t drink Foster’s because it’s crap so we export it to you guys and the Poms.
Anonymous

Love good beer,gourmet sausage and 100 MBps.
Anonymous

actually, I think of the USA as Canada’s underpants… When you look at Canada from the right…
Anonymous

Man, reading these comments make me want to live there – what an incredibly goodhumoured bunch of people you delightful SFers are! No wonder it’s such a wonderful place.
turn_self_off

Heh, i suspect this map is made in a kind of “what is the first thing you think about when i say…” way.

The norway = blonds thing is both funny and tragic…
shoesoul

LA is better.
Eric Rodgers

I’d think the ongoing rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina should warrant adding New Orleans to the map, but others may differ…
giax

That’s sometimes how it feels to read boingboing or even watch any mainstream medias such as TV in US. Or for the TV stations the only two places that exist are Cali and NYC.
While the preconceptions and stereotypes aren’t always as strong as on that map, they seem to have forgotten the lands of mail order brides and imported women – Ukraine and Philippines at least.

But generally, yep, those proportions in the world view seem quite accurate for boingboing’s coverage of anything. That SF- and Cali-centricness was sadly the thing that kept me away from the site for a few years.
Lucifer

I don’t see a big arrow pointing to Cupertino or China where the iPhone comes from.
Anonymous

Clever and fun!

Now wouldn’t it be awesome if we could each add our suggestions to the map, and create a HUGE one with everyone’s input!
Anonymous

“Heineken”?
WTH?
Heineken is not even a german beer, its dutch. Germany could read as “Where the idea for the Munimetro came from”, or “Good cars, yet failed to build Hybrids at a large scale”.
- Anonymous
  
  Exactly what i thought.
  i would prefer europe as “metric land”, cause everything americans bring to a science fight is, well, stuff like fahrenheit…
  you can still use your volume measuresm, but at least have to decency of using metric units. everytime i read a american blog post it is a pain in the ass to imagine something like 22 foots 12 inches or whatsoever… start doing stuff right. first you get your units right, then you can start making the world a better place, if you can’t resist. fu!
  also: i am drunk. even more fu!
CapnSoggy

Pretty damn close to correct.
Incorporate the above boing-er comments (Black Rock City, tech-centric points, China details, Mexico, etc)
Booze wise, outside Fisherman’s Wharf an order of Fosters or Smirnoff would be laughable. We know about Victoria Bitter, Skyy is local.
Plus we know Russia is the home of Oil Gangsters and abandoned Soviet military facilities.
Tahoe/Sierra is our outdoor playspace.
San Francisco should be much, much bigger!
deaneaux

@Eric R: New Orleans definitely deserves its own place on the map, clearly separated from Jesus Land. SF should pay homage to it’s older sister city, the birthplace of Jazz where culture seeps into the soul instead of being purchased with a credit card.