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"