The Cultural Hub of the World
We all know what Los Angeles is. It's a machine. Pumping out enough tropes, stereotypes and stories for the world to consume on a daily basis. These Hollywood products dominate an enormous amount of social discussion. Whether its celebrity gossip, the newest Marvel film or the latest hit by Bruno Mars, Los Angeles is responsible for a lot of what the rest of the world views on a daily basis. While this might be a conceited idea, I do believe our city has an inflated impact on modern life, socially, politically and economically.
As we talk about the troubled past of LA and the various times of strife it has gone through, how do you think that has been reflected in pop culture, either of that time period or today? From what I know, LA is thought of as that City Upon a Hill. A land where you go to chase dreams, aspirations. A land where you can be yourself. Where a small, country girl, waitress can go and proceed to create multiple hit singles. Where an aspiring actor can go from catering for people, to having people catering for him, with hard work, persistence and dedication. I truly believe that LA is a thought of a modern day American Dream. Is that still true though? Has that ever been correct or only a lie perpetuated by the city? In regards to the lack of water in the LA River, several movie scenes ( as listed here https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/7-epic-movie-scenes-shot-in-the-la-river/) have been exploited for use in movies. How does LA represent itself in media, knowing it has the power it does? Does it hide its less perfect characteristics in favor of something that perpetuates a stereotype? Connecting back to the Locust and Banham, does LA's architecture phony and merely a Hollywood set or does it tell an untold story about the history of social powerhouse? Is LA even thought of as a City Upon a Hill? Am I stupid? These are questions to ask when reflecting upon LA's significance to the World.
I agree with you that LA is one of if not the most influential city in the world in terms of news as well as pop culture. There have been countless times that the strife LA has had to go through has been reflected in pop culture both today and many years ago. Since LA is the center of pop culture, there are many bands that sing/ rap about the issues in LA during the time period. An example of this is NWA, who rapped about the many issues with the black community and police brutality leading up to the LA riots. Their albums became a huge part of pop culture and rap history in general. I believe that Los Angeles is thought of a modern day American Dream, and it is possible for this city to be such... for a a very fortunate few. With the rest of the 99.9999% of the population that don't get so lucky and make it big it is merely a fantasy city. The idea that LA is an American Dream is never correct and only ends up being true for a few lucky people. I believe that while the architecture of LA does not tell a story, I can not agree that it's merely a Hollywood set. The architecture is where many people live and decide to make their house, so it really represents a lot about the citizens of Los Angeles. I honestly had never thought about it, but I'd say that Los Angeles is typically thought of as a city upon a hill.
ReplyDeleteFor a long time, people believed they could attain the American Dream by coming to Los Angeles. In a way, this vision of prosperity and success still attracts many newcomers to the city—they truly think that their hard work will open up opportunities that will allow them to eventually buy or reach their happiness. And for some, these opportunities do arise, while for others, they never appear. One of the biggest goals for L.A. is to draw in people with money who would be willing to invest in the city and thus attract more people—and the media is used to capture the attention of wealthy investors and individuals across the globe. But just as the city would much rather flaunt its celebrity gossip and advertise famous events happening than describe the immense poverty in certain parts of the city, people would much rather read about who was spotted wearing what brand on Sunset Blvd. than the devastating number of homeless people sleeping on sidewalks each night. Newspapers, magazines, and all forms of media carefully pick and choose what information to present the outside world with so as to perfectly tailor their image of Los Angeles. While there are countless sources referencing and describing the tragedies and issues in L.A., majority of these are directed towards Angelenos rather than others—so, I think the media does try to hide the less perfect characteristics of the city (details that might not seem as attractive or appealing) so as to perpetuate the image of Los Angeles as a lively, interesting city that has a lot to offer. I believe that the city’s architecture, while often resembling a phony Hollywood set (such as dingbats, as described by Banham, or the countless different huts and villas built in Pinyon Canyon described by West), does reflect L.A. history and interweaves the influence of different eras, social classes, and cultural differences. And although Los Angeles is most definitely an icon of the world, I don’t think I would ever call it a “city upon a hill.” (by the way, you are not stupid!)
ReplyDeleteLos Angeles has definitely always been present in all forms of media whether through song or portrayed as a "paradise" in movies. While I'm sure there are instances when LA has been portrayed negatively, for the most part the "Hollywood, beach, sun, wealth, success, Beverly Hills" vibe is usually the one seen in the media. It is because of this influence that people view it as a city upon a hill. I also believe LA is thought of as an American Dream, but whether it fulfills this role is debatable and only true for some. There has been success, and many actors have gotten and continue to get their start here, but it is only because they are publicized that we know about their "dreams coming true in Los Angeles". In this way, I don't think it's a lie, but I also don't think it's the whole truth. The question of whether LA is a place where dreams are fulfilled or where dreams go to die, remains. There is power tied to living, working, or just being in LA, and I think the media takes full advantage of this. I do think in some instances, the less appealing characteristics are hidden from view. For example, in many portrayals of Downtown Los Angeles, only the flashy skyscraper business lifestyle is shown. The very prevalent poverty and homelessness issue within the city is often ignored, leaving people with a fantastical image of Loa Angeles, unaware of what the reality is.
ReplyDeleteLA is not only Bruno Mars, the Hollyood sign, and dreams; it is also beautiful weather year round, its the beach, its different cultures, it is a dream! But its also raging fires and poverty and water dripping away. The media tells stories of the Kardashians. The whole world tunes in to the new episode here Kim has a panic attack during Kourtney's birthday vacation. The media also tells stories of people taking cover in their swimming pools as the fires in Northern California creep up to their homes and steal their belongings. But does the whole world tune in to that? I think because of how LA has been built up, people who admire it only want the "surface-level" stories. People who do not know the history of water devastation and the LA River would not know that the iconic car race scene from Grease takes place in what is supposed to be a river. People do not want to learn the history of LA, they want to know about Ke$ha's new hit single. LA is like New York in the sense that people go their to chase their dreams: LA is for screen, NY is for the stage. As a performer, I have heard the stories of struggling actors/actresses who are nannies and waiters auditioning every day. The thing is everyone wants their dream so badly that they are willing to spend the time trying over and over again to get it. I also think that people living outside of LA know that fame does not come overnight, but the chance, the slim slim chance, that they might reach stardom is enough to try. I do not think that LA encompasses the American Dream, but I also do not think the American Dream exists anymore since the America varies drastically across its different states.
ReplyDeleteJust as other people and cities do, LA wears a facade. The city is afraid of losing its reputation granted by Hollywood, the people, the architecture, the geography, and everything integral to the idea of Los Angeles. Although advertisements exclusively show positive images, please allow me to use this metaphor. If LA were shown in an advertisement, that ad would show depictions of families enjoying the beach, biking along the coast, a group of friends would be enjoying a meal in downtown, a couple hiking in Runyon Canyon. Although these are all images that represent LA in a mostly true way, it is not everything that the city is. We are not all dreamers, and those of us who are rarely achieve our goals. Poverty, ecological disasters, and a ravishing drought are omnipresent in LA, but, for the most part, hidden behind the success the gets pumped out of the city. That is just the way that LA operates. As you stated it, we are living in a machine. The power that this facade create is innumerable, and it perpetuates the machine ideology. Because of this, I do believe that LA is a city upon a hill, but this is a city that is almost impossible to reach. The hill is steep and slippery, and those who reach the top, the city, are not guaranteed success, but only a chance at it. For this reason, La does not represent the American dream, because success in LA is not a right but only a privilege.
ReplyDeleteI would say that across the country La is still thought of as a magical place where anything is possible and were dreams come true. I don't believe that this is the Los Angeles that we still live in though. Los Angeles is truly a cut throat city I wouldn't go as far to say as New York but not everybody can just move out here and be successful. Also I believe that with the gentrification process people who may be moving out to Los Angeles may in fact move out here and may not even live in La and this is the fake factor that I believe goes along with Los Angeles. The media portrays LA as a city that is run by and celebrity filled and as there may be a large amount of stars that live here, in you common day it is nearly impossible to see one. An interesting piece that has to deal with that though is that although you may never truly see celebrities, you will see a lot of people trying to stunt or act like they are. For an example of this spend a day on rodeo blvd. You will never see a celebrity, but what you will see is a whole lot of people driving fancy cars and trying to act like they are. The only correct thing that has ever been consistent about Los Angeles is the fact that in order to reach everything you need to drive. Driving I believe is the only constant fact about Los Angeles in the fact that no matter how rich or poor you are, you will need a car to be mobile. I wouldn't say that LA is a city on a hill because there is still a lot about the city that needs to be fixed ranging from its metro system to is efficiency. I do however believe that Los Angeles is an important city to the world based upon how much the city offers as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe L.A. depicted in film usually shows wide boulevards and palm trees, mansions in Beverly Hills or L.A. suburbs like Pasadena, sunsets at the beach. While there is architecture like this, there is also other architecture that film does not show. With different styles of architecture often come different lifestyles. The ones depicted in film usually correspond with a wealthy lifestyle. The "architecture" that we see at common tourist places, like Universal Studios and Hollywood Blvd. is very commercial: bright lights, big signs, joy rides, fantasyland sets. The Hollywood Sign is big and clear, its brand seen from the Griffith Observatory, which lets tourists view a sweep of L.A.'s lights and mountains, rather than the details of its neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteThe architecture and corresponding lifestyle that tourists don't see as much are in the neighborhoods south of the 110 and 10 freeways. The characters of those neighborhoods, of Highland Park, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, South Central, Huntington Park, Inglewood, etc., form their own "social powerhouse," but not in the flashy, media-driven, profit-driven way that the places mentioned above do. These towns don't fit within the entertainment stereotype of L.A., and that's why they are neglected. The "untold story" is in those neighborhoods.
I think that especially in this time where social media is so prevalent in our society, Hollywood and Los Angeles are considered the epitome of the American Dream to people who don’t live here. I can see that from a distance Los Angeles seems like the city where you become famous, find ultimate success, and live your happiest life. I think the idea of Los Angeles is different for people who are natives to the city and have first hand experience of its with its challenges. I have gone to camp in West Virginia for six years of my life. where the majority of campers and counselors are from Pittsburgh or Columbus. When I tell people that I’m from Los Angeles it is as though I am famous and live in a huge mansion in Beverly Hills and spend my days walking along the streets of Hollywood with my celebrity friends. In reality I am not famous, I do not live in a giant mansion in Beverly Hills, and I do not have any celebrity friends. People who don’t live in Los Angeles have a misconception of the lifestyles that people have in the city. In terms of the LA River, I think that Hollywood and the media exploit the seemingly underrated natural resource of Los Angeles. I do not think that the architecture is Los Angeles is necessarily “phony” but I do think that the diversity of the people contributes to the diversity of the architecture. As with most cities, the architecture reflects those who live there. In Los Angeles there is a myriad of different styles that contribute to the society as a whole. I think that many people come to Los Angeles to seek success and fortune but besides a lucky few, they find themselves disappointed.
ReplyDeleteLos Angeles has become one of the most famous and popular cities in the world. I would also argue that Los Angeles has supplanted New York as the hub of the American Dream because of its weather, the beach, Hollywood and a false perception of the city. Through my visits to my mom's hometown in Osceola, Iowa, I have seen this false perception of the city on a grand scale. Many people in Osceola have only seen Los Angeles through movies or the media, and their perception of Los Angeles consists of Rodeo drive, Studio City, Hollywood and the beaches. They don't think of the areas of extreme poverty. They don't think of the industrial areas. They don't think about the suburbs where many of us live. Why? Because no one talks about it. When my cousins from Osceola visited for the first time, they were surprised to see that Los Angeles was no different from other major cities. They realized that the movie industry and the media created an entirely false perception of the city. Looking back on it, they, along with me, discovered that Los Angeles represents but does not fulfill the American Dream.
ReplyDeleteLos Angeles does not represent itself in the media, people within and outside Los Angeles do. Different people represent it in different ways, creating the images of Los Angeles we become familiar with. For example, Hollywood has a history of framing Los Angeles in a legendary way. The place where dreams come true, where actors flourish, and where the sun never isn’t shining bright. But at the same time, there are many negative representations. The L.A riots, traffic, pollution, high real estate prices, and even depictions in movies like Crash show a side of Los Angeles that is by no means perfect. Los Angeles is only a city on a hill to those who decide the positive images outweigh the negative, which is what guides its appeal. The impact it has outside of the city is large, but not absolute. Yes Los Angeles has a lot of industry, and Hollywood has had a large cultural impact, but so have many other places. Los Angeles does have unique appeals, but those change for whoever you are talking to. Los Angeles’s architecture is a good way to analogize this. The fact that the architecture is so diverse reveals an expectation of Los Angeles that is by no means stable. It is not phony that our architecture can be goofy and abstract, it reveals an inconsistency in Los Angeles’s impact. The ridiculous houses in “Day of the Locust” reveal a desire to affirm whatever image someone wants no matter their ability or money. The diversity of architecture in Banham's book shows that this sentiment is not all that guides people’s time in Los Angeles. He makes clear that there is not one architecture in Los Angeles, even hinting that it is a poorly planned city. That heterogeneousness shows that Los Angeles’s does not reflect a singular image onto the world.
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