What we talk about when we talk about hating DC

Over the past few months I've spent a good deal of time here explaining myself, noting that "I don't really hate DC." It is true that I don't loathe DC the way James or Rusty did. I'm not itching to get out of here, ready to accept some destination such as Columbus, Ohio as superior to the District of Columbia.

That said, though, we all have our reasons to hate DC. Let's be honest, it's not that hard. There's a reason why people read this site, and it's not just because they want to hear my musings on DC politics. There's good reason to hate DC. It's especially easy for the young 'transplants' to hate this city, and most of them end up leaving. Generally, I'm shocked that I've stuck it out here for as long as I have, and by the day it seems I'm well on my way to staying put for the long-haul.

I was in the mood to put together a list, so here's a look at a few common "I hate DC" statements.

I can't find a good job. It's absolutely true. If you moved to DC straight out of college or grad school, you are not going to land your dream job out of the gate. Unless people commonly refer to your father as Senator or Former President, you will not be changing the world before age 25. Deal with it. While you may have gone to Brown (hey, it's a good school, right?) and always been told you will be President one day, that day is not today. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

You have no friends. You moved here straight out of college, and maybe your friends all went to New York. It's extremely difficult for many people to make friends in this town. Generally, the only people who will speak to you are homeless people, those ACLU canvassers, and maybe someone who is trying to get in your pants. Here's a tip, if you want to make friends in this town get a job in the retail or service industry. I don't care how many "non-profit professionals" meet-ups you go to, you aren't going to come away with a good group of friends.

There are too many homeless people. There is a significant amount of homeless people in D.C. Not only do you have the city's local population, but you also have people (sadly, especially veterans) who come from across the country to the nation's capital. Walk through Chinatown on a Sunday morning and you'll likely have at least one person shove a Veterans' Administration ID card in your face, asking for $14 to buy a bus ticket to Harper's Ferry. Don't worry, the DC Government has added a whopping negative $20 million dollars for homeless services this year. (Yeah, see what I did there, that's called "political communication." Maybe you'll make some friends and land that dream job after you get an MA in it from George Washington University.)

I want a one bedroom apartment close to the Metro for $800/month. Everything in this city is expensive. If you are moving to DC from any other major city in the United States (except maybe New York or San Francisco) prepare to pay amounts you never imagined possible for accommodations you would have previously laughed at. Oh, you had a one bedroom apartment near Wicker Park in Chicago and only paid $900? You want to live near U Street now? Double that and that's about what to expect. If you want to live near anything fun or a Metro station, you'll need a better job.

What do I do with my car? The Metro sucks. If you live in the District, it's going to be a bitch for you to park your car. Especially since you don't want to change your residency to DC, and you live in a group house with six other people and no dedicated parking spots. Also, the Metro likely is far away from where you live and doesn't always go where you want it to. It's also delayed a lot. Get DC tags for your car, and learn about street sweeping schedules. Better yet, ditch the car, and learn the buses. After a few years, you'll likely resign yourself to the fact that you'll spend a whole lot of time waiting.

The government is so corrupt. Again, absolutely correct. The same could be said, likely, for other cities but that's not particularly an excuse. The Government of the District of Columbia has many, many problems and it's unlikely any sort of earth-shattering reform will happen any time soon. It would help if more of the "young, idealistic" types got involved at the local level, but even so that's not enough people to unseat Jim Graham or Adrian Fenty. Only increased demands for transparency and something better will help, and that will take decades. In the meantime we'll continue to shake our heads at the fact that governments are perfectly able to pull money straight out of their asses to pay for all sorts of military equipment, while local jurisdictions have to kick battered women out of shelters because of decreased tax revenue.

There's a lot to hate about DC. It's a cliquish town that's easy to move to but hard to make your home. A good deal of people who gripe about DC are the ones who still consider themselves outsiders. I started reading this site when I was still a student, and I didn't know if I'd stay in DC. It's been seven years now, and I'm still here. There's plenty of things I hate, but with each passing year I begin to understand why people say "if you hate it so much, why don't you move."

It's not that we love DC, but more that we've come to accept it. It's the nation's capital, and in theory, a place full of promise. We were promised a city on a hill but instead ended up with a dream deferred. It's no easy task to make the District of Columbia your home, but when you do, you'd like it if some people could show it just a little bit of respect.

That includes both 'transplants' and 'elected officials.'