On Parler, the Bay Area is a tragic hellscape that represents all that is wrong with the world. It’s a socialist, liberal haven of heroin, feces, and trash. The region, according to Parler users, is entirely under the control of Big Tech and the Deep State. Any politician that comes from the Bay Area, or the state as a whole, is subject to endless poisonous criticism. The focus on one particular state, and one region within that state, is a fascinating piece of the new social media platform’s makeup. It is indicative of a deep hatred of the ultimate blue state and one of its most recognizable areas.
What is Parler?
Parler is essentially a new version of Twitter, but without any rules, guidelines, or censorship. Everything goes on this website, including but not limited to, violent speech, racist speech, and obvious misinformation. This is the appeal for the platform’s users—they can’t get banned, no matter what they say. On Twitter, users will get banned or flagged for certain kinds of posts. No such regulation takes place on Parler. The website is undeniably geared towards conservative rhetoric, in part because of the lack of censorship and regulation.
Everything on Parler is political. It takes the political side of Twitter and amplifies it without entertainment news, witty remarks on anything outside of the political sphere. There aren’t any other kinds of commentaries. It’s all about conservative rhetoric, all the time, although there is the occasional dissenting voice from time to time. In terms of political scope, the whole thing is just a touch left of The Daily Stormer.
Parler and Bay Area Politicians
When it comes to California, and the Bay Area specifically, Parler users have nothing nice to say. This is especially true of Bay Area politicians. Besides Joe and Hunter Biden, and George Soros, arguably the most hated man on Parler is Gavin Newsom.
Newsom is the current Governor of California, and from 2004 to 2011 was the Mayor of San Francisco. He was born and raised in the Bay Area, and is forever associated with the region. He’s also one of the main villains in Parler discourse.
To be fair, even for the liberals of California, he’s not the most popular politician on the planet. Thanks to that French Laundry incident, Newsom is taking heat from all sides. The COVID-19 pandemic and his subsequent response have made Newsom a deeply controversial figure, not just on the far-flung corners of the internet. However, on this conservative social media platform, Newsom may as well be Satan himself.
The posts deriding Newsom’s every word and deed are incessant. A petition to recall the liberal Governor has picked up some traction, in no small part due to its circulation on Parler. While the movement seems unlikely to succeed, it is evidence of deep hatred for the man and his Bay Area values.
Not Just Newsom
Nancy Pelosi is another target for the user’s ire. She also happens to be Newsom’s aunt’s ex-husband’s sister-in-law, a relation that many users seem to think denotes some sort of nepotistic cabal from San Francisco that secretly runs California.
Her semi-familial relationship with Newsom is not the only reason that the right-wingers on this new unhinged Twitter facsimile hate Pelosi. She’s also the most powerful Democrat in our current government. This, to them, makes her the evil empress of all that is unholy. The attacks on Pelosi are just as numerous as those on her one-time nephew by marriage. However, the attacks on her take on an obvious misogynistic tone.
Pelosi moved to San Francisco in the 1970’s, and began her political career in the epicenter of the Bay Area. She’s represented San Francisco in the House of Representatives for decades. As such, whenever the Bay Area gets brought up, on Parler or on social media as a whole, Pelosi’s name is often part of those conversations. As a powerful Democratic politician, she’s seen to represent the liberal politics of a liberal city on a national scale—something that puts her in direct opposition to the majority of Parler users.
The intense vitriol directed at Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi often spills over to other California politicians. Bay Area native and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is also on the receiving end of attacks. Comments regarding her are often deeply, alarmingly racist or horrifyingly misogynistic, or both. There are often not-so-subtle references to acts of violence against these unpopular politicians, in addition to the regular insults and jabs. It’s what people like about Parler—the utter lack of censorship or rules of any kind.
The Bay Area and COVID-19
The Bay Area, and California as a whole, had an immediate and strong response to the pandemic with wide-sweeping restrictions and lockdowns. Now that cases are rising at an alarming rate, the state and region are once again on lockdown, with masked mandates and many businesses closed or almost closed.
Much of the commentary on the Bay Area that takes place on Parler stems from a violent reaction to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. Many believe that the entire pandemic is a hoax and that COVID-19 presents no real danger. Many users seem to claim that Bay Area politicians, and any constituents of theirs who support these lockdowns, are up to something nefarious.
Some think they are trying to crush the average small business owner in favor of Big Tech. Others think that they are simply completely incompetent and bungling the whole situation. Some claim that they are sadists that enjoy watching the common man suffer under the thumb of their lockdowns. The theories abound, but the theme is the same. The Bay Area is a haven for evil politicians and their terrible liberal games.
How The Bay Looks According to Parler
The overall impression of the Bay Area that Parler users put forth is not exactly a pleasant one. According to the vivid picture painted by various users, the Bay Area is all at once the land of Big Tech and their ill-begotten wealth and extravagance. It is at the same time, a haven for the homeless, heroin addled, and feces-covered. Reading these descriptions you would think San Francisco and its surrounding areas are akin to a complete nightmare.
What Parler Got Right About Us
Look, even a broken clock is right twice a day. There are certain talking points on Parler that contain grains of truth about the Bay Area and the folks who live there. The area has an enormous wealth gap. The wealthy are insanely wealthy, and the lower classes are certainly struggling. Increasing rent prices have driven many to homelessness. Just like almost every other city in America, there are drugs in the streets. Our politicians are not faultless gods, just like every other place in the world.
The Bay Area is far from a perfect place. However, most parts are in fact feces-free. While the region is largely seen as the bastion of progressivism in a largely blue state, it’s more diverse than that. There are a lot of progressive liberals in these parts, and progressive ideals largely drive the area, but not unilaterally. In San Francisco and the surrounding suburbs, there are a whole bunch of social justice warriors, but there are Parler users in there too. You just have to know where to look.
