Is Seattle The Most Repressed Big City In America?

So here we go. On Friday, I got all dressed up to attend “Seattle’s Sexiest Halloween Party.”

After living and attending events like this in cities like San Francisco, Dallas, and New Orleans, I was expecting several OMG moments. But alas, this is Seattle.

Disclaimer: I’m not trying to be a hater. I’m not trying to slam Seattle. I love this city, and worked hard to make it my home. And this is not a slam against the fine people who hosted the party. They did a fantastic job. It was a very professional event.

This is just a question based on my limited experience.

By way of comparison, at the Halloween ball in San Francisco, you will see people hanging from meat hooks and chains from the ceiling. We’re talking meat hooks through their backs. It’s one of those things you don’t forget. In Seattle, several women were tied up with florescent rope and swung around for a minute. Not bad, but my mind wasn’t blown either.

In New Orleans, you find yourself giggling at regular intervals while punching your friends in the arm. “Did you see that?” becomes the most popular phrase to come out of your mouth. I wish I could describe to you the many things that I’ve seen in the Big Easy, but alas, this is Seattle.

So why are things this way? In a city that bills itself as tolerant and open minded, why are we so reserved?
One person at the party who was having the same reaction to things that I was postulated that it is because Seattle is such a politically correct city. Well it could be said that San Francisco trumps us in that category and still parties like it’s 1999, so to speak.

Could it be that we, as a city, just don’t know how to party? I realize the irony of this – since I am not a huge partier. But I have lived in big party cities. When was the last time you had a friend or coworker come in on a Monday morning and say, “This weekend was CRAZY!” You hear that just about every week when you live in Dallas.

Maybe Seattle is an inherently judgmental city. We don’t really want people to push the envelope.
We want to pretend to be individuals, but in reality, we want to put on our hipster uniform and look down our nose at the people that actually are individuals.

My wife tells me that she feels “judged” by Seattleites when she does something as simple as wearing high heels. Libby, our producer, concurs.

So what is it Seattle? Are we repressed, we don’t know how to party, or are we just judgmental?