Best of D.C. 2009

Name a neighborhood, there’s a Listserv catering to its problems, pet projects, plumbers, and pizza-delivery options. But for all the pop the city’s largest Listserv, Cleveland Park, has to offer the casual lurker (Anyone got a kidney? Or know a good Hannah Montana impersonator? Or have a contractor who can build an in-house elevator?), it’s closely followed by the antics over at groups.yahoo.com/group/AdamsMorgan. Unlike the Cleveland Park board, Adams Morgan’s Listserv is unmoderated. That lack of censorship leads to a certain sense of...hostility. There’s hostility toward immigrants, hostility toward people who are hostile toward immigrants, hostility toward Yes! Organic Market for its crappy produce, hostility toward people who consider organic produce something to get hostile about (“First world concern,” retorts one proletarian user). In Adams Morgan, where nearly 2,500 are members, it gets personal. Fans of online feuds can find both the nuanced variety (ANC Commissioner Bryan Weaver vs. Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham) and the out-loud monkey-screeching kind (Madam’s Organ owner Bill Duggan vs. everybody else) among posts on recycling, rats, and rents. Adams Morgan’s Listserv may sometimes lack the helpful, boosterish vibe that keeps people loyal to its larger, better-known counterpart in Cleveland Park. But much like the neighborhood itself, on Adams Morgan’s message boards, there are always some shenanigans going on.