How to Flake Like a True Bay Area Local

Any newcomer to the Bay Area is likely to be met with a chorus of people happily informing them that everybody else who lives here is a flake. I’m not convinced that it’s a problem exclusive to us — short of living several lives simultaneously in different cities, I’m not even sure how you’d test that theory. 

I think no matter where you are, there’s a horseshoe effect when it comes to flakiness. Siblings and childhood friends know they have a long leash, and feel free to reschedule at the last minute because it’s unlikely you’re going to cut them off over it. New friends are just starting to incorporate you into their lives. Even if they like you, you can’t be very high on their list of priorities yet. 

To minimize flaking in your social circle, then, you really need a robust cross-section of relationships that are neither very old nor very recent. But who has time for that? We can’t all just sit around and wait for an old-growth forest with multigenerational tree networks to spring up around us. Especially if you just moved to the Bay, you need friends now, which means you’re going to have to adapt to your surroundings: You’re going to have to get a little flakier, and fast.