Can’t a tech bro catch a break?
A live dating show that has made stops in Seattle sheds a little bit of light on how tech workers in the city are received, according to a new report from Axios Seattle.
Allison Goldberg, comedian and host of “Love Isn’t Blind,” says that when she introduces a contestant who is a software engineer, the audience boos.
“I’m sorry, are we booing a man with a job?” Goldberg said in the Axios story. “I live in Los Angeles, where I would love to meet a man with a job and benefits.”
The insight offers unscientific, but at least anecdotal proof that Seattle has never really come to terms with its tech-fueled identity crisis.
Decades into the city’s growth into a tech hub, the tension between Seattle’s blue-collar, artsy roots and the high-earning tech influx remains palpably unresolved. Even as software engineers and Amazonians make up a massive slice of the local population, the cultural friction lingers.
Tech workers are an easy, almost reflexive punchline for local audiences who still harbor a little resentment over skyrocketing rent, gentrification, and shifting city vibes. GeekWire witnessed another version of tech roasting several years ago when the comedy show “Socially Inept” was in town. And we’ve documented anti-tech messaging in graffiti and stickers across the city.
“Love Isn’t Blind” is aimed at singles who are tired of swiping. “F*** the apps,” it says on its website.
Men compete on stage for one “lucky bachelorette” — but the men are not allowed to speak. Instead, Axios reports, “Goldberg searches their phones, calls their moms and rifles through their Notes and AI apps while the audience waves literal green flags to show approval.”
Goldberg, whose show tours the country, also said the contestants and audience members in Seattle skew smarter than average, with more software engineers and Ph.D.s than most cities. Maybe that just means more booing.
Tech workers, or any other brave singles, can apply to be on the show or nominate a friend. “Love Isn’t Blind” returns to Seattle this Friday at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center.
Go cheer for a geek!
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