What makes someone an Obecian? Do you have to sport ink or dreadlocks? Do you have to wear Jesus sandals or moccasins? (If you have to ask what Jesus sandals are you probably do not fall into the category of an Obecian.) Do you have to conform to certain bohemian ideals, listen to reggae and enjoy strumming a guitar on the street corner?
When I first moved to OB, I grappled with this question. I loved the label, and eager to become an Obecian myself, set about trying to define it. The obvious answer would be that you inhabit the neighborhood that is known to San Diego County as Ocean Beach. But I was quick to dismiss this argument.
After living in Pacific Beach for 5 years, an area I loved and was mildly reluctant to leave, I became well acquainted with the term “poser.” I can speak from experience that every neighborhood in America’s Finest City is full of them. Applying this term to OB, you could see how many residents, including me, would strive to be called an authentic “Obecian.” Did this make me a poser? In many ways, I failed to reach standards one might associate with the typical “OB” lifestyle. Convinced that physical residence alone did not qualify someone, I kept looking for a definition.
To define a label, stereotypes are often used. A ready stereotype was hard to apply when I observed locals in OB. I have heard residents here called “hippies” and colorful variations on that stereotype, but I found long-time residents that could be described simply as a friendly cat-lady. What then, was the common thread I could apply to the label I was seeking to define?
Strolling down Newport Avenue, I began to observe common traits among locals. I was struck by the friendliness of others. I would call it a certain open-mindedness or unwillingness to judge others. Smiles came easily and hellos were routine when encountering someone on the sidewalk.
Not only did their open, friendly manner suggest a lack of judgment towards others, but the fact that “Obecians” fill such varying roles of physically (again, the dreadlocks, the ink) seems to suggest that they are at ease with themselves. Although their looks and tastes may seem to clash at times, they are living in a relative harmony together.
Maybe the rest of the county can learn from this group we call “Obecians.” To learn that a label can by fulfilled in a positive way, in a widespread group that are common only in their unwillingness to judge; their unwillingness to judge others, to judge the world and most importantly, judge themselves.
What makes someone an Obecian? Do you have to sport ink or dreadlocks? Do you have to wear Jesus sandals or moccasins? (If you have to ask what Jesus sandals are you probably do not fall into the category of an Obecian.) Do you have to conform to certain bohemian ideals, listen to reggae and enjoy strumming a guitar on the street corner?
When I first moved to OB, I grappled with this question. I loved the label, and eager to become an Obecian myself, set about trying to define it. The obvious answer would be that you inhabit the neighborhood that is known to San Diego County as Ocean Beach. But I was quick to dismiss this argument.
After living in Pacific Beach for 5 years, an area I loved and was mildly reluctant to leave, I became well acquainted with the term “poser.” I can speak from experience that every neighborhood in America’s Finest City is full of them. Applying this term to OB, you could see how many residents, including me, would strive to be called an authentic “Obecian.” Did this make me a poser? In many ways, I failed to reach standards one might associate with the typical “OB” lifestyle. Convinced that physical residence alone did not qualify someone, I kept looking for a definition.
To define a label, stereotypes are often used. A ready stereotype was hard to apply when I observed locals in OB. I have heard residents here called “hippies” and colorful variations on that stereotype, but I found long-time residents that could be described simply as a friendly cat-lady. What then, was the common thread I could apply to the label I was seeking to define?
Strolling down Newport Avenue, I began to observe common traits among locals. I was struck by the friendliness of others. I would call it a certain open-mindedness or unwillingness to judge others. Smiles came easily and hellos were routine when encountering someone on the sidewalk.
Not only did their open, friendly manner suggest a lack of judgment towards others, but the fact that “Obecians” fill such varying roles of physically (again, the dreadlocks, the ink) seems to suggest that they are at ease with themselves. Although their looks and tastes may seem to clash at times, they are living in a relative harmony together.
Maybe the rest of the county can learn from this group we call “Obecians.” To learn that a label can by fulfilled in a positive way, in a widespread group that are common only in their unwillingness to judge; their unwillingness to judge others, to judge the world and most importantly, judge themselves.