Pages

February 4, 2010

Walnut Creek defined by Urban Dictionary

In several posts, I've been asking readers to share their views on how they view this fair East Bay suburb that they either live in or visit. What do they see for its future? Should it become more urban, or should it retain a sense of Mayberry?

Well, a reader has suggested a good place to find some answers to the question of what makes Walnut Creek Walnut Creek. It's dictionary, specifically, the online Urban Dictionary. This is a very useful resource for anyone in 2010, especially if you want to understand what your kids are talking about or you want to attempt to sound cool in front of your kids. (Good luck with that!)

Urban Dictionary is the place where you can find answers to such pressing questions as how to spell "beyotch," and what is "Grand Theft Impairment" (The 4-hour period of time that you cannot drive or function in society due to playing Grand Theft Auto.)

Anyway, it is, like Wikipedia, reader written and edited, so you have to accept that some bias and personal opinion will seep into the definitions. And, the demographics of contributors appear to skew younger. But here is how the authoritative Urban Dictionary contributors define Walnut Creek, California. There are 11 entries. I thought No. 5 was particularly insightful. Some excerpts (with spelling retained):

1. It's getting bigger and better. has a lot of stupid people. but the number of cool kids is catching up. : - )
2. Hella cool city in NorCal.
3. Population is filled with rich preps, wanna-be-ghettos, pretty girls, or really good skateboarders. All the kids know how to have fun, including parties every night, alcohol for illegal age, joy riding, and tagging walls. Corey Duffel (pro skateboarder) is from w.c.
4. The local high school is predominantly inhabited by:
(but not limited to)
--Rich kids who have adopted the Southern California surfer look and lifestyle, while still maintaining a prep sensibility. I.e. toting a longboard everywhere you go, wearing a parka, and flip flops, whilst inhaling a scalding starbucks frappuccino.
--Ghetto imitating white kids (most likely also rich)
--These fellows are a puzzling breed, while these lads are probably your former best friends from Walnut Creek Intermediate, the same ones who used to wear ac/dc shirts and had skater cuts. Somewhere along the transitory line between 8th grade and freshman beginning, they discovered Mac dre and keak da sneak, and all was lost. Now they spend their time getting hyphy on the weekends and before 1st period. While still trying to figure out why everyone stares in bewilderment at the length of their t-shirts.
Everyone else: Now apparently walnut creek has fostered itself a fresh crop of 'scenesters' 'hipsters' and the like.
--Whether these be confused children who gage their ears, and listen to 3oh!3 and norma jean. Or the guy who can't get over syd barrett, looks like lou reed, wears porkpie hats and rolls his own cigarettes, and has an affinity for all things vintage. There are reported sightings of both of these types throughout the charming township of Walnut Creek.
5. Walnut Creek is a city in the Bay Area with an amazing downtown, good schools, and fun things to do if you know the right people. While the downtown is famous for its high end stores like Betsey Johnson, it also has cool underground thrift stores.
6. Well, can't include this one, because it's a little risque--with references, for example, to teen sexual activities--for my supposedly family-friendly blog.
7. A pretty boring city filled with sluts and wanna-be ghetto people. at least it's close to fun places like oakland. lots of drugs in most of the schools here.
8. A s---- sack town that's full of police and dumb blonde socal people. The socal immigration started around the same time as the remodeling of the downtown area, which was a few years back (around '00). Before then, walnut creek was just a small quiet town. At that time, walnut creek also became a magnet for wiggers, thugs, brodys, beaners, and just about [anyone] around the bay area who could afford a BART pass. Basically there are no "locals" in walnut creek anymore.
9. An almost all white, small town with little to do but sample music at Barnes and Nobles.
10. Can't include this one either because of racist terms.
11. Nothing ever happens here and the local hang out is the small downtown area. None of the couples under 18 ever have sex because they are all to stupid and cowardly to do so.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like how WC acts like their shit doesn't stink and then 4-7pm everyday traffic is at a stand-still on 680N because of the North Main entrance. It's been that way for over 10 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WTF!!!!!???

Thank you Walnut Creek!

Anonymous said...

Hush... don't tell the kiddies Rossmoor is in Walnut Creek.

Anonymous said...

walnut creek is home to the greatest band of all time, black america rules you all!
http://www.myspace.com/blackamericablack

Anonymous said...

4:23,

Why not go all caps and bold with your entire message. Then you can REALLY get your point across.

By the way, all those people using the North Main on-ramp are going to other towns. Maybe some have jobs in Walnut Creek and spend their income in Concord, Martinez, or Fairfield.

I could use lots of explanation points but maybe you can get my point without the added emphasis.

Anonymous said...

I hate to see our wonderful town represented only by spoiled kid's comments made on a rather silly website where the whole point seems to be just how many childish words can be used with no control.

Makes you really proud.

Up3rd (and occasionally Chris Hendricks) said...

Write one well-crafted response for the Urban Dictionary, use no potty-mouth phrases, and then get a few thousand friends on Facebook to view the entry and give it a 'thumbs up' rating. At least you'll move potty mouth below the fold (I know... the children don't know what that phrase means...).

Masterlock said...

Urban Dictionary should be taken for what it is, ridiculous writing by sophomoric kids. Thus, the overriding emphasis on teen activities and the fact that the most recognizable figure is a pro skateboarder I've never heard of. Yawn.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Masterlock. UD is as much a joke, even to the kids, as MySpace. It's where the clueless kids go to find out what they're supposed to think. The posters are either clueless themselves or pranking.

Anonymous said...

The numerous references to sluts is so upsetting. Adolescent culture in the 21st Century is very misogynistic and it makes me ill.

Anonymous said...

It's easy to dismiss this as adolescent crap, but maybe those who do so should read between the words, like 4:33 p.m., and see what the words these supposedly clueless kids are saying. What their words reflect about their attitudes about their town, or themselves. Maybe we are raising a generation of sexist jerks.

I hear this kind of stuff from boys my kids go to school with. Of course, they don't know I'm listening. It disturbs me when I hear it, and I think it would be useful if more adults in our town knew how kids were treating each other.

Anonymous said...

"The numerous references to sluts is so upsetting."

Then stop putting make-up on your little girls when they're 4, stop buying them slutty clothes, etc...

Seriously. There wouldn't be so many references if you STOPPED BREEDING THEM.