A Geological Metaphor
At the beginning of the school year, we were asked to set goals for the class and ourselves. One goal I set
for myself was to learn something unique about Los Angeles every day; something that is true of LA,
and not true of anywhere else in the world. We have asked questions and searched for answers in books,
podcasts, cultural sites, and each other. It is the distinct character of Los Angeles that makes our city so
exciting. These traits and how they shape LA fascinate me most.
We recently spent time talking about Los Angeles and its environment. We read about various
topographic features, natural resources, and our tumultuous geology. When giving her presentation to the
class, Ms. Dunham informed us about tectonic plates and the role they play in LA’s landscape. One thing
that struck me during her presentation was that a portion of Southern California (LA’s portion) is on a
different tectonic plate than the rest of the continental United States. Los Angeles is on the Pacific
Plate, and the rest of the United States is on the North American Plate. As a result, the San Andreas
Fault Line divides California and literally places LA on a different plane than the rest of the country.
I am interested in how LA’s geological divide might act as a metaphor for Los Angeles’ figurative
separation from the rest of the United States. Los Angeles is often lauded as a divergent city because of
its environment, history, culture, infrastructure, and diversity. Is this truly a unique place, separated
from the rest of the country by our societal attitudes, or is this just an example of Angelino
exceptionalism; another way we put up the facade that we are “different”?
Regarding the tectonic plates, Los Angeles is literally moving in the opposite direction of the rest of
the United States; we move north as the North American Plate moves south. Can this also function as
a metaphor for Los Angeles’ relationship with the United States? Perhaps we are not moving away
from the US, but maybe we are moving in different directions. Los Angeles is physically divided from
the United States by the San Andreas Fault Line, but are there any social divisions that exist? Is there
anything that we have learned from our reading (Twilight, Confessions of Women from East LA,
articles on the founding of Los Angeles, Land of Sunshine, There Goes the Neighborhood, etc.) that
either supports or disputes that we are figuratively set apart from the rest of the country.
For clarification, I am not hoping to evaluate the rhetorical device, but instead, whether or not
something we have read, learned, or heard about either proves or disproves that there is a division
between Los Angeles and the rest of the country. This divide could exist culturally, socially,
historically, ethnically, or not at all. Is there something that truly sets us apart, or do we just like to
tell ourselves that there is?
I think Los Angeles is truly a unique city, but I do think there is a certain amount of Angelino exceptionalism involved. Los Angeles is diverse in many aspects and in comparison to other cities of similar size, it is among the most diverse. When traveling to cities outside of the United States, like Beijing, I rarely see a non-Chinese person. But when walking through Los Angeles, places such as Chinatown, Koreatown, or even Little Bangladesh, I can see how much more diverse Los Angeles is in comparison to other cities. I have heard many stories from friends and family about assumptions people from other places make about Angelinos. I have heard countless stories of people being asked questions like, “Do you see celebrities everyday?” or “Do you live super close to *insert celebrity that owns a house in Los Angeles*?” Because of the opportunities Los Angeles offers, many non-Angelinos regard the city as one like no other. California is the fifth largest economy in the entire world, with many thanks owed to Los Angeles. From an outsider’s perspective, Los Angeles seems like an ideal city. From the spectacular weather, to the amazing opportunities, the rich history, and the diverse environment, Los Angeles appears to be one of the best places to live. And even after living in Los Angeles for my entire life, I still regard Los Angeles as an “ideal city.” However, along with the division between Los Angeles and the rest of the country, there is also a division within the city of Los Angeles itself. This is evident in the “There Goes the Neighborhood” podcasts where efforts to gentrify the city are put on display. Although never stated explicitly, the efforts to “revamp” the city involve pulling minorities out of their homes and escorting in wealthy white people who can afford the new prices. While driving through Los Angeles with Rory, I could see such stark divisions between groups of people. On one particular street, there was a particularly large group of homeless people and lots of run down buildings, but directly across the street and the over the freeway were business people walking in and out of big white buildings with large glass windows. Freeways, like the one I mentioned in the previous sentence, are similar to the San Andreas Fault in that they both act as dividing lines between one place and another.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Los Angeles does differ from most of the nation as well as the world. However, a facade does exist; Angelino exceptionalism places Los Angeles on an unreachable pedestal, a pedestal that is not rightfully rewarded. There appears to be an “awe” factor of living in Los Angeles from an outsider’s perspective. Through socializing with volleyball players from all over the nation, I have noticed a trend: people assume that Los Angeles is all beaches, movie stars, and riches. From the people who live in Los Angeles, we know this not to be true. Even Pasadena has some assumptions made from outsiders. My club volleyball team contains players from all over Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Pasadena, La Canada, San Marino, and Sherman Oaks, and because I live in Pasadena, my teammates always assume that I am surrounded by wealthy, white families. We know this to be another wrong generalization. I am not denying that a lot of Pasadena, especially the environment that I am exposed to, is comprised of wealthy, white families, but what the outsider does not see is the poverty-stricken side. This side is never highlighted through the media, which is often times the only thing that the outsider sees. Los Angeles would not be the city it exists to be today without the media’s portrayal.
ReplyDeleteI don’t particularly see the fault line as any sort of division between LA and the rest of the United States, neither metaphorically nor literally. I think that the San Andreas Fault and the associated mountains are simply just mountains, and after all, they existed before LA as a city did. I think that the idea of LA being vastly different than anywhere else in the United States is a mindset unique to Angelinos, in the same way that residents of other cities tend to be proud of where they live. LA is a big city with diversity and a natural landscape, but it is not the only city in the US that fits this description. I think it is true that we gain a lot from living in LA as opposed to in the middle of nowhere in a 300-person town, but I think that saying that LA is separated and possibly “moving in a different direction” than the rest of the entire country is a bit of a reach. I of course think there are social divisions - the price of living in LA alone is so much higher compared to other places that people’s ideas of wealth and the actual lifestyles that people live greatly differ from other places, which can cause a blindness to the way a lot of the world live. I just think that trying to use preexisting landscapes as a metaphor for divisions, when I don’t see LA as being physically separated at all from the rest of the united states, is not a connection I can make. I think that there are some differences between LA and other places, just like you can find differences between any two things, but I think that the idea that LA is totally unique and not at all like other places is just an example of misguided superiority.
ReplyDeleteI think that Los Angeles is truly a unique place; however, with that being said, I think that lots of cities are unique. Los Angeles is unique in the fact that there are so many different cultures and immense opportunities. I sometimes take for granted that I can attend an array of events, within the city, such as the Into Action festival I attended where I met Dolores Huerta. If I were in a smaller city, I don’t know how accessible these types of experiences would be. Los Angeles is also unique in the fact that in terms of different terrains, we have a little bit of everything. We have the beach, the desert, the mountains, the snow, and more all within an accessible radius. I don’t know of any other city that has that.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you can say that Los Angeles moving in the opposite direction of the rest of the United States is a metaphor. Los Angeles, in addition to the state of California, tends to rebel against societal norms set by the rest of the country. For example, when I was at a Target in Maryland the cashier asked me if I wanted a plastic bag. I immediately responded by asking if it cost any money. He looked at me like I was crazy, and it was then I realized how Los Angeles is very unique in the fact that plastic bags are viewed with contempt and if you wish to purchase a bag from a store, it costs 10 cents.
I think there are definitely social divisions that exist in California. I find that people from wealthy neighborhoods tend to only stay in their neighborhood and resist exploring different, less affluent parts of Los Angeles. Additionally, little things like the quality of the roads can reveal how much more importance the government places on different neighborhoods in Los Angeles. For example, I notice that when I am driving in Bel Air the roads are very smooth and well kept; however, when I drive in Boyle Heights, the roads are often broken up and old.
I think that the fact that people took the time to interview various different people with unique perspectives for the “There goes the neighborhood” podcast shows that there are many Angelinos who care about causes that may not even be affecting them. However, in other cities im sure theres people like that as well.
One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about what sets Los Angeles apart from other cities in America (and from America as a whole) is LA’s distinctive car culture. Although that might sound like a rather niche aspect of the city to target in this discussion of LA’s broader idiosyncrasies, if you really think about it, car culture and cars themselves seep into almost every aspect of life in Los Angeles — both human life and non-human life. Cars are not only essential for (convenient) transportation in LA, but they also play a uniquely significant role in Angelenos’ social lives, professional lives, family lives, recreational lives — the list goes on and on. Although it is certainly not financially feasible for many, ultimately, you need a car to live in LA. It’s practically a requirement in this city due to our inefficient public transportation system and the costliness of society’s newer forms of “public” transportation (Uber, Lyft, Lime scooters, Jump bikes, etc.), especially for longer commutes. LA’s freeway system — which is an enormous part of the city’s car culture if not the epitome of it — almost entirely shapes the city’s geography, real estate system, and general ecosystem. Millions of tons of cement slice through rolling mountainsides, cities and neighborhoods are squished in between bordering freeways, and housing prices rise and fall in a manner that’s sometimes exclusively dependent on proximity to a freeway. A neighborhood that was focused on in the podcast, “There Goes the Neighborhood” was LA’s Rampart Village. How I see it, it is no coincidence that this neighborhood lies just South of the 101 freeway. If you analyze the neighborhoods that have been gentrified or are being gentrified, they are all areas that are relatively close to one or more freeways. Lincoln Heights is near both the 5 and the 110, Highland Park lies in between the 134 and the 110, and Echo Park leans up against the 101. The opposite is true for the majority of LA’s wealthier areas. Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills — both extremely affluent areas of the city — are about as far as you can get from a freeway in LA. This goes to show that freeways might be the epitome of LA’s car culture, but, ideally, no one wants to live near them. Overall, Los Angeles is a city dominated by cars. Cars are everywhere, and they impact almost every part of the city, which, at least in my experience, is not true for any other American city.
ReplyDeleteTo me, something that really sets Los Angeles apart from any other city is its dual reputation of being both perfect and absolutely suffocating for budding artists. For as long as I can remember, the most famous (or infamous) region in LA has been Hollywood, known as the home of countless superstars but also as the place where careers are put to death. If Los Angeles was solely known as a cemetery for new musicians, it wouldn't be the hub of diverse music that it is today. Whether it be rap, indie, or practically any other genre, there is always a community that you are able to cater to. The range of cultures in Los Angeles is so broad that if an artist is willing to stick with their craft and roll with the punches, they will find themselves overwhelmed with support. Within my group of friends, it is fascinating to see how unique everyone's taste is-- project this onto a city-wide scale and it is easy to see how there truly is a place for everyone. This creates a cycle of ingenuity: the more accepting we have been to artists, the more we allow them to shine, and, with their newfound popularity, the more they can use their platform to inspire others to push boundaries and explore new techniques and sounds. From Snoop Dogg to Metallica to Etta James, it's clear that Los Angeles has been the origin of fresh sounds that eventually end up shaping the music world in major ways.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the fact Los Angeles physically zigs when the rest of the united states zags due to the San Andreas fault and does function as a metaphor for our city's relationship with the rest of the united states. In Twilight the idea that LA was a ticking time bomb ready to explode due to the circumstances that plagued the city before the trial of the police officers who beat up Rodney King and resulted in the LA riots were something not seen in any other city in the US. Unemployment and the large disenfranchised population of African Americans in a major metropolitan city served as a recipe for disaster. Twilight illustrated this divide between the rich and the poor, black and white, and how the police treated black residents compared to whites through many different stories and perspectives from different characters. Maxine Walter's story in Twilight serves as a perfect example of how different perspectives from LA can be compared to the rest of the country. She fought the president on how the problem of the LA riots can be solved pushing for less brutal police, more job opportunities, and safer housing, while the rest of the country who was represented at the President's meeting discussing the issue of the riots pushed for less effective and important issues.
Although it shares some similarities with other American cities, Los Angeles is one of kind. It may not rank as the most diverse city in American, but I have yet to see another city that possesses sections of different cultures for people from different backgrounds to feel at home and allow others to experience a “taste” of a different culture. In a way, Los Angeles is comparable to Epcot at Disneyland as you can experience several cultures without having to travel far distances. Even though Los Angeles may be special in many different ways, it would be unfair to say it is moving away from the rest of the United States (metaphorically). Los Angeles is undeniably similar to other large cities such as New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Dallas. All of these cities have a bustling downtown filled with skyscrapers and a residential area, but they are also extremely diverse and even share the same political beliefs (for the most part). Moreover, all of these cities have that special something that makes them different from any other. Los Angeles is special in its own way, but I think it would be unreasonable to say it is divergent.
ReplyDeleteI think that Los Angeles is very different from many places in the United States, but I also know it is very similar to other large cities in the United States. People have stated that things that set Los Angeles apart from other places are the job opportunities that the city offers, the diversity of the city, and how liberal the city is. I believe that the things listed above make LA different from most of the nation but do not actually make Los Angeles unique from other big cities in the country. As for job availability, according to USNews.com, Scottsdale in Arizona is the place with the most job opportunities, and Los Angeles does not even rank in the top ten. As for diversity, according to Statesman.com, the most diverse city is Houston and LA ranks eighth. Lastly, it is been proven that major cities often vote in favor of the democratic party. These statistics prove that other major cities have the same traits that people believe make LA unique. Yes, Los Angeles is different from most of the nation, but that is because most cities in the nation do not have a large population.
ReplyDeleteI've often times heard the generalization that the United States is a melting pot for all cultures, ethnicities, and races. This statement is utterly false as a wide variety of American states are not diverse. Whenever I hear the invalid statement that the US is a melting pot, I hear it coming from fellow Angelinos. Experiences like the melting pot statement have made it clear to me that there is a blatant disconnect between Los Angeles and the rest of the United States. Los Angeles is able to boast diversity unlike most American city (with exception to cities like Houston, NYC, and Jersey City). Los Angeles is also home to many booming industries and major companies. The Mediterranean climate of Los Angeles also tends to differentiate the city from the rest of the United States. While arguments can be made to invalidate my previous points, there are parts of Los Angeles culture that is unique to Los Angeles. For example, the Film and Television Industry is huge in Los Angeles. Also, Los Angeles is one of the few major cities in the US where the majority of its inhabitants (not including children) drive in and around the city. People often times revert to public transportation, walking, or biking in cities like Chicago, NYC, and Boston. This is not at all the case for Los Angeles. Lastly, Los Angeles is known for having a huge population (I know NYC is too).
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ReplyDeleteI am of the belief that Los Angeles is one of our nations more unique metropolitan areas. It has a grand history of persevering through challenges and becoming a better place to live in as a result. People in LA have been the first in the country to solve a multitude of urban problems. From the first sworn female police officer to the first paramedic rescue ambulance to the first manufactured skateboard, local individuals and organizations have set new standards in a variety of industries. I could go on and on; such basic things like SWAT teams and Hula Hoops were born here. And the more interesting aspect to investigate is the "why". All of these innovations, and many more, were created here in response to community needs, desires, and/or expectations that were not being met. Sometimes I think this insistence on an excellent standard of living comes from us being spoiled by where we live. It is extremely easy to live in Los Angeles County (if you make above a certain income) with such a diverse menu of geographies and cultures just a congested freeway ride away. Plus, weather is almost never a factor that alters daily life. As a result, Los Angeles residents have learned to voice their discontent, and fight for the change they wish to see in their communities. For this reason, people sometimes ridicule Los Angeles (and California in general) for being "too different" from the rest of the country. From grocery bags to plastic straws, so many often overlooked parts of our society are entirely different from the average US town. Consequently, I would agree with the San Andreas Fault metaphor; Los Angeles is just too different. But I think I like it that way.
ReplyDeleteSetting Los Angeles apart as a uniquely diverse, beautiful, star-stricken, temperate, opportunistic, fill-in-the-blank could work to deny the similitude of our city to the rest of the country in realities of race, ethnicity, gender, and class. Despite Los Angeles’ geographical divide from the rest of the country, it is not immune to the very American xenophobic, racist, elitist, and sexist tendencies. Our consistently blue shading may hide divergent political influence on the city. It’s important Angelenos don’t fall for their own stereotypes (wealthy, easy-living, golden, Utopia).
DeleteNow I’m feeling the need to backtrack and recognize the importance of major cities with large immigrant populations. Microcosmic communities in a harsh landscape can mean a home away from home. The strength of Los Angeles’ charm over me may depend strictly on how optimistic I’m feeling on a given day. Not a very strict guideline at all. But when we idealize this golden state for its weather and heterogeneous population, I wonder what else we are looking at through a gilded lens.
Los Angeles is a city like no other, but I don't necessarily think that "divides" it from the rest of the country. Every city has its own traits, the things it is known for that make them different. Los Angeles would probably be characterized by its lack of seasons, variety of people, environment, and cultures, large population, and, for lack of a better word, ~vibes~. I think it's hard to divide LA from the rest of the country because it encompasses such a great amount of cultures, opportunities, ideas, and environments. It has so much, so while aspects may differ from other places in the United States, there is bound to be at least one thing that links this city to others in the US. Whenever I visit another part of the country it doesn't feel the same, but it doesn't feel different enough to denote a division. As a resident of LA, I am more apt to notice how my home varies from everywhere else. That being said, I am very conflicted by this question because while I believe Los Angeles is incredibly unique and special, I wonder if my view of the city is skewed by the fact that I have lived here my entire life. I am curious by how the rest of the country sees LA. What is their perspective on the city I call home?
ReplyDeleteLos Angeles is one of the most unique cities in the world, containing people of various cultures, ethnicities, beliefs, and religions. Due to this, Los Angeles is already very different from many cities in the country. In Los Angeles alone, there are many differing neighborhoods, such as Chinatown or Koreatown, that provide Los Angeles with a rich culture and diverse population of people from all around the world. Along with this, the tourism aspect of Los Angeles sets it apart from everywhere else. Los Angeles is viewed as the capital of the movie industry. This alone brings massive amounts of people and popularity to Los Angeles with only New York City rivaling Los Angeles with tourism, popularity, and cultural diversity.
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