City of Angels 2017-18

Looking back on the year, I think our biggest debates and most interesting discussions as a class have revolved around gentrification. I have always been slightly confused about the topic of gentrification because I do not know where the line is drawn between the development of a community and gentrification. Is it possible for a community to develop/evolve without the label of gentrification being tagged to it? Is it possible for a community to change without risking the loss of its citizens? No matter what, communities will continue to change and shift as time goes on, and I am interested in all of your opinions about the effects of these changes and ways that possible negative impacts can be limited.

Recently, I have been fascinated as to how different forms of protesting are used in order for citizens to get their voices heard. From marches, to sit ins, to riots, to speeches, and everything in between, there are tons of forms of protesting (both peaceful and not) that have been seen in Los Angeles. Almost everyone involved in the protests are hoping for change, but not all rallies result in such. What do you think are the most effective or ineffective means of protest in Los Angeles as well as our own community? When writing your response, please include your experience at different protests that you have been a part of and/or knowledge about specific protests that have happened in Los Angeles as evidence to support why you think that form of protest is effective or not.

Throughout the past few weeks we have discussed various types of cancer during class including ovarian, colon, and lung cancer. In Susan Sontag’s “Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors”, cancer is described as being a shameful and evil disease. Sontag explains, "Thus, a surprisingly large number of people with cancer find themselves being shunned by relatives and friends and are the object of practices of decontamination by members of their household, as if cancer, like TB, were an infectious disease.” It is a disease that people do not want to associate themselves with especially since the strongest association it has is death. Sontag describes the link between cancer and painful feelings, including the harmful effects of having repressive emotions. Words such as “ill-omened”, “abominable”, and  “repugnant” are brought to the senses when talking about cancer. What does Sontag say about cancer in relation to TB? What are the associations that she believes cancer has? Are...

During a jam packed fun weekend, I had the chance to meet a number of different individuals. A question that is usually, if not always brought up in the conversation you have with a new person is the question “where are you from”. As I say LA like I usually do if the person is not from here, one of the first things you hear from there afterwards is wow, or lucky! I am curious in determining why this is? Is there anything special about Los Angeles or anything about me from LA that is worthy of a wow or lucky? I would also love for the class to also reflect on their experiences with living in LA and if there has been anything they have done or want to do that they couldn’t do anywhere else but Los Angeles. Thanks!

Turner's last post analyzed the role freeways play in the division of neighborhoods by race/wealth/class/socio-economic status and questioned whether the placement of these freeways was purposeful. He also considered how these borders might have or might still lead to the spread or containment of diseases in a single place.  As we move into our second podcast focusing on public health issues within our cities, I have considered how all our neighborhoods connect. We are all analyzing the public health trends within our individual areas, but maybe there is potential to collaborate. If certain public health issues overlap across neighborhoods, we might be able to find out more. Considering this in connection with Turner's post, my question is this:  Are there certain public health issues or epidemics that are similar across neighborhoods (historically or modern day)? If you think there are, are there any specific examples that you know of? Are these potential illn...

Here are a few questions that I’m hoping our dialogue will address/ connect (no need for each person to answer all; textual evidence requested): Does Countryman find a home in his body? Where, if anywhere, does he find home?  How does Countryman work through struggle and how do other characters help him along?  Through Sontag, we’ve looked at how associations and representations of AIDS turn into weapons against certain groups. Can we continue to dive into how Countryman’s experiences reveal this process or challenge its power?