Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 9

I posted this on Meaghan's blog because I am familiar with Newport and thought it was interesting that she noticed these neighborhoods from a different perspective being on the water. 

"Hey Meaghan,

I love your point about the "Utopian Ideal" because when I see Newport I think of the exact same thing. Well, I didn't prior to taking this class, but now I can't help to notice that Newport was/is a site of leisure for all of the workers of those companies when it was being developed. I feel like it directly represents Pastoral Capitalism where the city is a tool for reproducing labor. The slide on Pastoral Capitalism asks "Where do you put all the workers you're exploiting? How do you keep them alive and reproducing?"--suburbs--communities.

My biggest question is why do you think there are pockets of low income housing in certain areas. I notice the area in Costa Mesa that is low income housing and its like it's there because its right next to the freeway, and the higher income people don't want the noise. In fact the richer people are by the Santa Ana river and big parks where you could see it be very tranquil. The low income area there is stuck between the Ocean, the River and a business district in Irvine. So it seems like they're purposely stuck there because the good views and pretty neighborhoods are always the higher income housing. Also, the only way out of that neighborhood is the freeway and one other street that crosses the river. This seems like an example of the Carceral Archipelago where urban design is used to restrict certain people from certain areas.

Either way, go Bruins, and good luck with your Rowing."

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 8

I posted this comment on Jose's profile because it was about Westwood.  I really know Westwood because I've been around it for 6 years so I had a question;  \

"Hey Jose,

I really liked this post. I've never been to the Claremont area but have friends from high school that ended up going to college there. I had a prior understanding that it was an area engulfed by private schools, and good schools to say the least. You gave a good description of the areas but one thing I wanted to know is what kind of people are walking around. You noticed that people around Westwood are driving fancy cars. My argument would be most of those people don't live in Westwood and are either passing through on Wilshire or are working there.
I loved your comparison of crime rates; it was an interesting fact and something that is very nice to know. Do you think Westwood has a low crime rate because it is a college town? Like do college kids get a good reputation of not stealing other people's things? One other thing as well; in Westwood there are a handful of grimy looking people that look like they are on drugs. These are people that are constantly seen walking the streets; and we don't know if they have a home or what not. Is it justified to think that they have a part to do with the crime rate? My friend would always be afraid walking by them...is that a sign of how we perceive inequality?

Good post though, really informative."

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 7

Hey guys,

I went to the beautiful, the majestic, the incomparable Malibu, CA.  Not just the Malibu near the University of Pepperdine, but about 20 minutes North of that.  The final destination was a cool little beach cafe called Paradise Cove.  My girlfriend was in town, and I found it as be a good excuse to see the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in all of its glory.

Being from San Diego, I have been acquainted with the PCH and its relevance to the hora that coastal California maintains.  However, I had never been north of Pepperdine before.  This trip made me think a few things.

I couldn't help thinking about how beautiful this place was and why everything was upper class specified: shops, stores, and most of all houses.  There was even a humungous American Apparel store right on the water that was compiled of large glass windows and had their heavy price tags right in those windows.  I saw a bunch of isolated beaches to where you could only park in either a meter parking or a flat rate parking lot.  I also noticed that there was seemingly only one way in and one way out...the PCH.  I know there are a few ways to get into Malibu, but these are concerns.  There is obviously the north and south entrances that both come from wealthy areas.  But the entrances from the east also come from wealthy places, like Agoura Hills and Calabassas.  You can come from those places or from the infamous Sunset Blvd.

This got me thinking about the Carceral Archipelago concept.  In Malibu's case instead of architecture to restrict public access, they use the geography in the Santa Monica mountains.  They strategically put roads into Malibu from middle-upper class neighborhoods which restricts access from lower class neighborhoods.  In this way, I see difference between places like Malibu and places like Compton (where I initially visited) as completely unnatural.  I feel like it was specifically divided like this and strategically segregated so one economic class wouldn't interfere with the other.

Along with all of this, I got some really good brunch and had a wonderful morning at Paradise Cove in Malibu.

Shwayze- Buzzin a.k.a. Malibu music

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 6

I posted this as a comment on Jose's blog because I saw that it was about Hacienda Heights (which I've never been to) so it intrigued me. 

"I liked your blog posting here especially because I've never been down to Hacienda. I feel like I got a good picture of what it is like so I appreciate that. I noticed a few things that maybe you could've elaborated on however.

When you described eating at the restaurant that there was an influx of Asian people I really wanted to know why? Why don't Hispanics or African-Americans eat there?

Also you said that to live there you have to be of the same ethnicity and well off financially. To me this seems like you are saying you HAVE to be Asian to live there you know what I'm saying? This again brings up the question why? Why are most people Asian in the town? Does the income come along with the culture of Asian people? Lastly I would've loved to see you say something about if it was a differentiated place both within the city limits and within the neighborhood.

Good job though Jose. Stay up man"

Blogging Social Difference in L.A Week 4

I posted this on James Lee's blog because I thought the post was pretty bland.  It seemed like he wanted to describe things but ran out of time and just stated instead of delving into the topics of the class.

"This was a good post man. The only thing I have to say is that I really wanted you to elaborate on the things regarding our class. I thought a lot of things you said were just touching the surface of what could've been said. You stated you were amazed by the layout of the city but failed to elaborate on it. Perhaps you could've talked about how Downtown is laid out. Does it abide by the Chicago school model? Centralized business? I've never been down there so what you wrote gave me a good visual perspective of what it was like but I really wanted to know more because it is an interesting place.

Another thing I think you could've elaborated on was how Latino Americans were prevalent in China town. Is that because it seems like China town is disrespectful to China as a whole? Is this an example of the great diversity Los Angeles has? And does this difference play a role in China town?

Good work man. Keep it interesting"

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 3

Hey guys,

I wanted to talk about this beautiful scene here in Long Beach.  When I first moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago, I thought one or two things about Long Beach, Snoop Dogg and Sublime.  I got a good picture of what life in the LBC was through their music, so I decided to check it out.

One thing that I did not know about Long Beach until this week was that it is a huge man made port.  Ships come in and out of there all of the time, and while it ruins scenic walks on the beach, it provides support and plays a major role in the growth and stability of Los Angeles as a whole.  Another thing I realized while down by the harbor is that this is a central part of Los Angeles even without being the actual center.

We talked about in class on Wednesday about how in the post-metropolis cities like Los Angeles, there is no centralized place.  L.A. is completely decentralized because of the rise of such technologies like the automobile.  Long Beach harbor wouldn't have a job if we couldn't transport materials that are shipped in to the outer reaches of the city.  Los Angeles was greatly effected economically by the automobile but it is also definitely the city that live and dies by the single passenger auto commute.  What mesmerized me was the fact that here, on the southern tip of the Los Angeles county line, was this city in its own right.  There is a downtown Long Beach, which is in L.A., and that blows my mind.

One more thing I noticed while driving down to the harbor is that though Los Angeles as a whole does not abide by the rules of the Chicago University definition of a city, Long Beach does, in a way.  The Chicago model of a city was centralized by the CBD (central business district).  In L.A. this is not the case, but in Long Beach, there is a downtown where business is centralized with the port being right there, and the residential housing follows the model.  Near downtown Long Beach is lower income housing, and if you go East before the 405 there is very middle class/upper class neighborhoods.  Also, if you go South, there is a few really wealthy neighborhoods.  So, even if ALL of Long beach's business isn't downtown (which a lot of it is), the residential neighborhoods follow the Chicago model where the lower income housing is closer to the CBD and as it spreads out the wealthier people begin to settle.

Thank you and I leave you with links to the music that told me to come visit Long Beach:
Again; WARNING; some of the lyrics are vulgar...if you don't like curse words, DON'T LISTEN!

Snoop Dogg- Who Am I? (Whats My Name)

Sublime- Doin' Time

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 2

Hey guys,

I wanna tell you about a little trip I took in my 97' Toyota Camry this Wednesday before class had started.  I went to what is commonly accepted as "the hood".  I went from the 405 S to 105 E and kept going East until I hit Alameda St., went south on Alameda St. and went straight through the heart of Compton, CA.

I didn't go to Compton just to check it out, I went there to buy a t.v.  That's right, a 50 inch, old school flat screen with HD that a guy was selling on Craigslist for 250 dollars.  He lived in NE Compton right by the 105 and said it was a good t.v. but he was too old to lift it up and get it out of his house.  So, naturally  me and my roommate were inclined to try and see if we were big enough and strong enough.  This train of thought landed us in the heart of Compton, in a 50 y.o. African-American's living room.  His living room floors were purple shag with a shiny gold stripper pole right in front of his fireplace, with only a t.v. to accompany the pole.  This was a clear sign of cultural differentiation.  And I want to delve further into this differentiation.

After talking to this man for a little while, I realized I had seen living proof of what Durkheim said about man being double.  According to Durkheim, "Man is Double", and there are two beings in him.  1) An individual that goes his own way; and 2) a social being.  This man said he was born and raised in Compton, from a low income house and went to schools growing up where there were gangbangers and thugs.  I could tell by his stripper pole and his whole vibe of the living room that he was a social guy.  But, he also stated that he never got into the gangs, and I think it's because Durkheim is right in saying man is two beings in one.  This man was a very friendly, personable and had two kids in the Cal State university system, which he even stated was a huge deal around his parts.  You could tell he still like to hang out with old friends and be around people like him, but had obviously went his own way in life.  He had a good job at one of the factories in West Compton and had raised his kids well enough to get them into college.

After we got the t.v. and said goodbye to our new friend, we head back west on El Segundo Blvd. to see the other side of Compton and simply to travel somewhere in which we have heard a lot about but had never seen.  We hear about Compton through such folklore like hip hop and gangster rap.  They imitate a Moral Society in the way have symbols and stories synonymous with the surrounding culture.  A culture much different from the culture around UCLA.  The difference between UCLA and Compton were extraordinary.  The billboards didn't have a model with Gucci shades on, they had numbers for bail bond companies, for example.  It is a good example of the cultural diversity Los Angeles has.  I also noticed that there it was an extremely populated with what looked like 1 or 2 bedroom houses, all with very little backyard.  I can see this causing a problem, and from what I've heard through music and film folklore the Modern Differentiation and Material Density have definitely created social complexity through spacial issues, and crime.

What I saw in Compton was cool because it truly showed Durkheim's cyclical interpretation of a city filled with differentiation like we have here in Los Angeles.  It starts with density, which brings on complications, which leads to differentiation.  Because Los Angeles is so densely populated there are parts with major complications with crime, pollution, and space (traffic).  This is part of the reason why it is a city with so much differentiation, which is also why I love it here.

Here's some of the music that made me want to see what Compton was like in the first place.  Head up though some of this is really vulgar and descriptive.

Eazy E- Real Compton City G's

 Guerilla Black- Compton

N.W.A.-Straight Outta Compton

Kendrick Lamar- The Relevant