Many people think the tech boom is changing cities around the Bay Area whether if gentrification is helping the cities improve through renovations, there are also negative effects that come with the new economy. The article “Is San Francisco Losing its Soul?”, published by Zoe Corbyn, consists of interviews from San Francisco residents about their view on gentrification. Corbyn starts off the article by interviewing Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who “complains of a ‘soulless group of people’, a ‘new breed’ of men and women too busy with iPhones to ‘be here’ in the moment, and shiny new Mercedes-Benzs on his street. The major art gallery in central San Francisco that has shown Ferlinghetti’s work for two decades is closing because it can’t afford the new rent.” The new renovations are the reason why SF’s population is increasing, and so is the rent. While gentrification is welcoming youths and hipsters, communities are being destroyed.
Although the tech boom may be causing changes to the city, Corbyn also included Stewart Brand’s point of view, who thinks “history is being made again in the city…Brand is convinced that the injection of so many young people with technical skills, money to play with and no family ties will spawn new ideas in San Francisco, a well-heeled, much needed creative renaissance.” Gentrification raises the cost of living and pushes out families, but residents should consider new ideas because this movement may be a chance for business and neighborhood improvements and more job opportunities. Overall, Zoe Corbyn method of using ethos and logos is very effective in persuading his audience that gentrification has a positive effect on the economy, but, the author lacks details when it come to pathos.
Are there Facts?
In the article, Corbyn uses logos to explain “In one sense, San Francisco is thriving. The unemployment rate is just 4.8%, compared to 8.3% for California as a whole.” With the new businesses, residents are able to find jobs in different fields. Whether it be working with technology or in a modernized cafe, opportunities are opening up for residents that may need a little help. Corbyn also states, “In January, the mayor responded to the growing pressure, urging people to stop demonising tech workers while announcing a seven-point housing plan which includes a target of 30,000 new homes by 2020, at least a third of which will be affordable.” These statistics is an example of logos because Corbyn gave readers a chance to see the comparison of improvements and the estimation of what to expect in the near future.
Is Zoe Corbyn Reliable?
Ethos is used when Corbyn explained, “It isn’t as if San Francisco hasn’t seen a tech boom before. Silicon Valley’s dotcom boom of 1998 to 2001 also led to significant displacement in San Francisco. But this latest one is focused on the city and visibly changing it faster.” As a researcher, Corbyn is aware that there were other events that caused San Francisco’s economy to boom. He is informing readers that although this tech boom is currently one of the main focuses in today’s society, San Francisco should be well aware and familiar with replacement. His usage of stating that this gentrification period is changing faster tells readers that he is able to compare exactly in which ways the waves of change of 1998 to 2001 is different to the waves of change now.
Are readers affected?
The author then uses pathos to describe that, “San Francisco-based street artist Eclair Bandersnatch…says so many of her friends have moved away that she feels like an anomaly.” As this quote is the only emotional appeal throughout the article, readers feel sad for Bandersnatch because she is now left out. If the author presented more emotional information, it would be more effective to readers about how they should feel towards the renovation movement.
Before reading this article, I was siding with those who think gentrification has a negative effect on the bay area because of how rapidly the communities are changing. Living in Oakland, I always see new buildings being built and remodeled houses in a “ghetto” neighborhood, listed for thousands on the market. Reading this article allowed me to be more open minded with different chances gentrification may bring to Bay Area and also more aware of how the new economy is poorly affecting long time residents. The methods that Corbyn used in this article allows his audience to learn about both sides of the story, instead of one.
Works Cited
Corbyn, Zoe. “Is San Francisco losing its Soul?.” The Guardian. The Guardian, 23 Feb. 2004. Web.
