La Controversia de La Lengua
It is a sad day, my friends. Mission Local reports:
Every revolution has its line-in-the-sand moment. For one architect south of Cesar Chavez, the moment came when locals — and even allegedly some city officials — started using “some hipster name” to refer to the neighborhood: La Lengua.
Mission Local recorded Harlan Hoffman’s constructive criticism:
- “That stupid name really got everyone listening.”
- “You would think the really hipster types would like it, but they didn’t.”
- “It’s not the Inner Mission, it’s not the Outer Mission — it’s its own thing,” Hoffman said. “We don’t know what to call it yet, but it will certainly not be La Lengua.”
Am I a hipster? So I am a hipster. I contain multitudes. Deal with it.
Harlan, here’s what you don’t get — La Lengua doesn’t care what you think. La Lengua just… is. We didn’t try very hard, and La Lengua took off. We are having fun.
You seem angry, Harlan. But the more you try to hate on La Lengua, the stronger it will become.
Here are some suggestions since you didn’t actually suggest any names to counter the mighty power that is La Lengua:
- Harlandia
- Hoffmanistan
- Mishlencia
- Valission
- Harlan’s House of Happiness
The tongue is pointed at you, Harlan.
Burrito Justice 
So odd. I wonder why the name of the neighborhood makes him so angry? Is it because it’s in Spanish?
Are these a bunch of colonialists? Respect La Lengua!
Good attitude. I’d say it’s pretty typical of true La Lenguans.
The Hofbrau? Hot boiled tongue sandwiches and ice cold beer–what’s not to like?