Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 10

This week’s post will be the last one for our project. I hope you have enjoyed reading about the different places in the Greater Los Angeles Area. To conclude this ten-week project, I decided to write about the city of West Hollywood. This is a very unique city located in Los Angeles County, and within the city it is very diverse as well.

For the first part of my visit I spent it walking around the vicinity of the Beverly Center prior to entering the shopping mall. I walked around looking at the residential area, the stores, and I also had lunch at a nearby restaurant called “Nonna’s Empanadas,” where they sold a variety of empanadas with dozens of flavors ranging from salty to sweet, including flavors such as Blue Cheese, Kimchi and also Chocolate Dulce de Leche. I noticed that the streets were very clean, the buildings were a bit older but well maintained, nothing special stood out for me, and there were very limited street parking. As for the multitude, the people seem to gather closer to where the shopping center was located, once removed from the fast food franchise and chain stores, there were less pedestrians to be seen.

Afterwards, I walked to the Beverly Center for a quick stop. On my way there, the brief 2 block walk, I encountered 3 homeless people. It is always shocking for me to observe the proximity between the poor and the wealthy and how even though they are on the extremes of the socioeconomic ladder they coexist in the same area. As I walk through the entrance passing the valet service, I see the numerous luxury cars parked indicating the class level of the people shopping at the stores inside the Beverly Center. The first stores I see when I get off the elevator are Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabanna, Coach and others. Moreover, inside the mall people were dressed extremely well most of them wore high end brands. Through the stores people shop, the cars they drive, the brands they wear are all “floating signifiers” that when seen tell a certain story about the person as we learned in lecture. These are stories society uses in order to organize our reality, to be able to put people into groups and have an idea of their background. Of course, these “floating signifiers” tell a general story, a stereotypical reality that is not applicable to everyone, but they are the details we grasp to form a general impression of someone.  Most importantly, these “floating signifiers” have a changing story, in other words, what they mean today was not the same 40 years ago nor will it be the same 40 years from now.

One of the main “floating signifiers” we learned during lecture was race, a concept discussed by cultural theorist Stuart Hall. Since race is not a physical division among humans, nor is it a scientific proven fact, all race is a society implanted “floating signifier” to put humans into different groups. Another “floating signifier” we touched upon in lecture was the concept of gender since it is a characteristic with a story attached. However, according to feminist theorist Simone De Beauvoir, “One is not born a woman, one becomes one.” The idea that we are not born with a certain gender, but throughout our lives we decide what type of person we want to be. According to Judith Butler, “Gender is not an essence, it is performed.” This brings me to the second part of my trip to West Hollywood, which took part during my drive down Santa Monica Boulevard. The 2002 demographic analysis reported that 41% of the city's population is made up of gay or bisexual men. Driving on Santa Monica Boulevard, I definitely noticed many rainbow flags raised which represents the LGBT pride, and also there were more gay couple holding hands on the streets. I especially thought the lecture on gender being a “floating signifier” was very relevant to this week’s trip. The idea of two men or women walking down the streets holding hands and sharing kisses would not have been accepted a few decades ago. Back then the idea of being a man did not entail having a relationship with another man, but as time passes and history changes so does the meaning of being a man. Therefore, when we see two men together, as gender is a “floating signifier” and the story is socially constructed, we can automatically accept the notion that they are a couple and the concept of homosexuality. Perhaps, through different mannerisms, ways of dressings or other details, we are able to get an impression that would not have been the same in another generation. As the significance of being a woman has been able to evolve throughout history, allowing women to have more rights and votes, as well as the rights and acceptance of homosexuals, hopefully in the future these progressions can also be applied to race. It is certainly a more difficult obstacle to overcome, since the history of racial differences is very ingrained in society and it is also one of the most conspicuous human characteristics that enable society to differentiate people, we also need to be reminded that in reality race does not exist and we are all equal. As one of the most progressive cities in the world, I hope Los Angeles is able to conquer this barrier soon.

Joseph Gordon Levitt's take on Los Angeles

Today I came across this article shared by a friend of mine on Facebook, which was a link to Huffington Post reposting an article from Los Angeles Magazine titled, "Joseph Gordon-Levitt, LA's Local Boy, Talks Favorite Theaters, Freaking Out And Singing In The Car."
After reading it, I thought to share it on my blog because it pertained to the topics we talked about in lectures, and I thought it was interesting to have the perspective of a celebrity on Los Angeles. He briefly talks about the different neighborhoods in Los Angeles, from South Central to Silver Lake, he compares it to New York and he also mentions the changes the city would have seen if public transportation would have been better implemented. He does not go into depth about any issues, which makes this a light read about the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 9

This week’s post is in response to Mitch’s Week 2 post on his visit to Compton, CA.

Hi Mitch,

I was very intrigued by your post since I have never visited Compton myself; it was very interesting to read your experience. There were many aspects you mentioned that I thought could be tied into this week’s lecture on nature in the urban area. Like the blog post mentioned in the post, Compton is definitely considered “the hood” or “the ghetto” where people from lower income classes reside, not as well maintained neighborhoods and typically have higher crime rates. There tends to be less criteria and considerations for the urban planning of these types of neighborhoods, especially for “nature” or “green area” such as parks, courts, etc. In addition, these places have more factories or plants in the vicinity that are harmful to the health of the residents. In this case, it seems true of Compton since the person who was selling the T.V. had stated that he worked in one of the factories of the city. Despite these existing factories, there is no “nature” to counter the harm caused by them that allows residents to lead a healthy life. Majora Carter mentioned in her “Greening the Ghetto” TED talk that when the air is polluted and their surroundings are detrimental, no one wants to be outside, no one would take walks or runs, which in turn becomes a deleterious lifestyle. Additionally, these houses have limited green space, which the blog post described as little backyards. I assume these conditions do not encourage outdoor activities either.

Some may argue that the concept of “Going Green” is not necessarily a priority in these neighborhoods because the community has much more important issues to worry about. Or low income housing cannot afford to be green. However, in a couple of articles I read online that seems to be the contrary. In Planetizen an articlewas published titled “Greening the Ghetto,” which brings up the idea how low income housing can also be green. In fact, it is actually a concept that is being implemented. The article also includes a comment made by Jeffrey Richardson, Chief Executive of Imani Energy Inc, one of the few energy companies working with communities in South Los Angles, saying, “There's a tendency to not seek out communities like these. There's the idea that people here don't get it, don't want to get it and can't get it when it comes to green.” This also goes back to the idea that the culture is quite different in these neighborhoods, and the idea of “green” is not yet formally introduced. A resident of South Los Angeles said in an interview with Los Angeles Times for their “Green revolution comes to urbanneighborhoods” article that without exposure to green ideas and projects, she hasn't really paid much attention to becoming more eco-friendly. It is certain that it is not due to lack of motivation that greening projects were not implemented sooner. A hairdresser from South Los Angeles said in the same article, “I don't know too much about green, but I'm willing to try anything new." Perhaps if there were more projects on greening South Los Angeles, residents would have a better grasp of it. And it seems that is the direction community organizers are heading in, as they begin helping turn their often neglected neighborhoods into more sustainable places through broad volunteer greening efforts.

After reading these articles, I came to the realization that it is not the different culture within these communities preventing any past greening projects, but the assumption by corporations and urban planners that low income neighborhoods would not want these projects is what has been hindering them. In spite of having bail bond companies’ billboard instead of Gucci shades propaganda as described in the post, their socioeconomic and cultural difference should not be reasons for these neighborhoods to be neglected of environmental improvements in their communities. As Majora Carter said, “No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other. Unfortunately, race and class are extremely reliable indicators as to where one might find the good stuff, like parks and trees, and where one might find the bad stuff, like power plants and waste facilities.” Therefore, many benefits can come from the implementation of these greening projects, which were mostly listed in Majora Carter’s TED talk. These projects would help a range of issues from allowing healthier residents’ lifestyle and improving children’s health to lowering crime rates and enabling the betterment of these neighborhoods.

 

 

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 8

This week’s blog post will be a response to Peter Do’s Week 4 post on the O.C. Orange County! (Not the Horrible TV Show) I thought it was an interesting comment about how Orange County is actually much more diversified than what people perceive. I do agree with that on a certain level, but I would not go as far as to say that there is only a small percentage of Caucasians in Orange County. I think that the O.C. is starting to become a bit more diversified; however, it is still very segregated. Discrimination is still very prevalent in this area; especially towards the African American population who make up less than 2% of the O.C. population.

 

In a recent article in the Los Angeles Times titled “Blackfamily flees O.C. city after tires slashed, racial taunts”, it was reported that an African American family was victim of hate crime in Orange County that they had to flee the area and move elsewhere. This reinforces the ideas presented in Massey’s and Denton’s article “The Continuing Causes of Segregation” that the isolation of the African American community is achieved through racist attitudes, private behavior and institutional practices.

Some theories argue the reason for segregation is because of the economic disadvantages presented in the African American community; however, it seems that when there are people who want to move up their socioeconomic status by moving into better neighborhoods and integrate, there are actions to discourage that. In this case, a family, whose father works as a police officer in Inglewood and the mother works at the Los Angeles County Sherriff, was victim of racism and hate crimes after moving to the O.C. in 2011. Therefore, despite their ability to afford a life in Orange County, the neighborhood was not accepting of it through hostility. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Times article reports the Orange County Human Relations Commission indicating the African American population as frequent target of racial discrimination in the area. Situations like this also disprove the idea of self-segregation, which is a theory that blacks only live in neighborhoods that are largely blacks inducing high levels of segregation. Some may argue that this is an exception since there are not many similar news reports, however, I think the reason is due to safety reasons, which is why this family decline to state their identity.

It is surprising to learn that these issues still occur in the present day, decades after Massey’s and Denton’s analysis and theories. Even though many circumstances are better, I am still surprised that this type of hate crimes would still occur in such a diverse place like the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. California though known to be a more liberal state, Orange County is definitely an exception and like Massey and Denton mention in their article, “…large majorities of whites agree that people should be free to live wherever they want to regardless of skin color, most would not vote for a community law to implement this principle, and most would not want to live in a neighborhood where more than a small percentage of the families were black.” In other words, in theory people are accepting of diverse neighborhoods, but in practice their choices are much different. This is an issue society needs to improve on in order to move forward, because American cities cannot remain segregated, especially with the diverse cultures in this country. Therefore, although Orange County is becoming more culturally diverse, this diversification is not including a growing African American population.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 7

This week’s trip was to visit a place I have never been before, and the destination I chose was Newport Beach in Orange County since one of my roommates is from there. The drive took about an hour from UCLA to Newport Beach, heading south on the 405. When driving off the freeway, the first view was the “Back Bay” as it is called by locals, allowing for quite a scenic view with the city is located right alongside the coast.

Newport Beach is definitely a more automobile oriented city, other than joggers there were not many pedestrians on the street. Driving through the neighborhoods did have a more suburban feel to it. My first impression was of the well maintained overall feel of the neighborhoods. They were situated in peaceful areas, with tall trees and had a bit more variation of houses than in my previous suburban trips. The houses seemed to all be at least two-story high, and most of them had a front or back yard or had a nearby park, which allowed for more natural space in the area.

There were also different types of communities; some of them were gated and private, while others were more family-oriented. The residential area I visited was setup in a manner that facilitated access to schools, churches, as well as stores such as Ralphs within walking distance. The gated communities definitely stood out as well, especially when driving by with their ostentatious gates and houses with much fancier décor. These details were indicators of it being an area for a more affluent demographic when compared to the cities I had previously visited.

Moreover, another detail that stood out to me was the Spanish words use to denominate streets. My curiosity led me to inquire my friend about me, and she informed me that it was due to the historical Spanish influence in that area. However, this is a changing phenomenon with the development of new neighborhoods and streets.

I also had the opportunity to visit other parts of Orange County to have a better understanding of the city. These places included Fashion Island, Balboa Board Walk and “El Ranchito” restaurant in Corona del Mar. These were more commercial areas, which allowed me to interact with the community. The first place we went was Fashion Island, a higher-end shopping center located in Newport Beach, which contained renowned brand name stores. I would describe it as a mélange between the “Westfield Century City Mall” and “the Grove.” I was informed that this shopping center has been constantly renovating and bringing in better known stores in order to maintain its high class status, which has definitely been achieved. Many people come from neighboring cities to this center, making this place more of a destination than a local mall. The Starbucks at this shopping center even offers Valet parking to its clients, and there were innumerable of Louis Vuitton bags that were counted, seem to establish the type of place it is.

Later on, we went to Balboa Boardwalk and took the ferry to the peninsula as well. We walked for about an hour, just observing the different houses and their unique holiday decorations. Most houses put in a lot of effort to maintain the boardwalk culture, while other houses serve as holiday rentals for people who want to live right by the water. There were many yachts parked in front of the houses, as it seems there is a big sailing and surfing culture in the area. I also noted that a large number of houses carried Trojan Flags, which as my friend informed me, is due to the large USC community. Afterward, we had dinner at “El Ranchito,” a Mexican restaurant in Corona del Mar. The restaurant was nicely decorated and had a homey atmosphere. After visiting these different places in the O.C., I certainly noticed the demographics, which consists of a majority of Caucasians and a high number of Asians as well. I noticed a lesser percentage of Hispanics, while African Americans were definitely only a select few. Due to the demographics and socioeconomic status of the region, Orange County is a very politically conservative place.

However, it seems that there is an increasing number of immigrants coming to the O.C. According to the Los Angeles Times’ article “O.C. center for refugees gets expansive new quarters,” St. Anselm's Cross-Cultural Community Center helps people from many countries adjust to life in the United States with diverse offerings that include marriage counseling and personal finances. This indicates that there are more people from different cultures arriving to the area and this could start changing some aspects of the Orange County community.

Furthermore, I do agree with the readings from Rob Kling, Spencer Olin, and Mark Poster, especially the section titled “Orange County as a Subject of Inquiry,” It talks about the future of Orange County and the direction it seems to be heading with a developing technological hub and the migration of other businesses to the area. This creates a different identity for Orange County as it is not solely a suburban rural area, yet it is not entirely urban either. This will be an interesting place for social scientists to analyze and further determine what will become of Orange County and we should definitely keep an eye out for it.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 6

Due to elections this week my blog will take a political focus, and I will be talking about my experience in District 39. District 39 is a congressional district comprises of parts of different neighborhoods including Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, La Habra, Buena Park, Fullerton, Placentia, Yorba Linda, and Chino Hills. This district is located about 36 miles away from UCLA, heading eastbound. 

My experience with the 39^th Congressional District has been much more interactive than with my previous my trips throughout Los Angeles. I decided to volunteer for a congressional campaign in that district, in order to gain another perspective into suburban life in Southern California, as well as to have to opportunity to be on a campaign. Since my participation was so close to Election Day, my role consisted of knocking on registered voters’ doors to remind them to vote.

The neighborhood I was assigned to was in a nice area, I would say of average income as the houses all seemed to own 1 or more cars yet they were not necessarily luxury vehicles. The neighborhood seemed quite safe, even at night, to be walking around from house to house. This area is more family oriented, however, the families I encountered ranged in age and ethnicity as well. There were young families in the area, with newborns to toddlers, as well as grandparents with their grandchildren and retirees couples living there. 

The ethnic makeup from my personal encounters consisted of Asian, Caucasian and Hispanic households. Some of them were first generation immigrants, while others seemed to be second or third generation. The reason for this observation is due to the limited or lack of language skill in some households when answering the door or when trying to communicate with the volunteers. There also seem to be a correlation between ethnicity and political party affiliation, which brings me to one of the most interesting observations made, which is the existence of extreme political views within the same neighborhood. Some families would refuse to hear us out when we tried to provide them any type of information, while some others were polite when discussing opposing views. This neighborhood also seemed a bit more involved with local politics. The people were aware of their voting location and were willing to compare different policies and platforms prior to making any decision. 

Interactions with each household were slightly different than the other. I recall a lady who was very private about her political decisions that made sure to tell me that the vote is confidential. Some voters were receptive to the information we were providing, while some were firm on their stance and beliefs, even if some of the information seem to have come from negative advertising and was not entirely accurate.  

This congressional election was special and important to the 39^th Congressional District because due to their recent redistricting there had been an addition of neighborhoods, creating a even more politically contrasting district. Now the 39^th district encompasses liberals and conservatives that support opposing policies, which will make it difficult for an even representation.  This concept led me to realize how through decisions made through electing representatives and stands on proposition shape many of the policies that will be implemented, and that also influences the movements society experiences. From reading Neil Brenner’ and Nik Theodores’ article, “Cities and Geographies,” it downed on me that neoliberalism being urbanized is consequence of shifts in policies and societal views. Therefore, the choices we are making during elections have indirect consequences in geography, economy, policy, social issues and more. Therefore, it is critical to have an understanding of our choices as these are the actions that can change or influence the issues we study in class.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 5

This is a response to Patrick Soulages blog post on Brentwood. http://patricksoulagesblog2.blogspot.com/2012/10/week-2-brentwood.html

This was a very interesting post for me to read, as I thought to write about Brentwood myself, but instead opted for responding to someone’s thoughts on Brentwood. My experience in Brentwood differs from what you seem to talk about, although I do agree it is a more affluent neighborhood when compared to many other cities in Los Angeles. However, from my perspective and past outings to Brentwood, I find it more of a recent graduate haven or more the Westwood for recent graduates. It seems to be the city where most Bruins gather afterwards, and it is filled with people in their twenties and early thirties, giving it a very young vibe. In my opinion, Brentwood is a cleaned up version of Westwood in a sense. This is definitely not a generalization of Brentwood, but from what I have been able to observe.

Walking around the streets and even asking friends who currently live in that neighborhood, it seems that everyone nearby is around the same age group, yet they are benefitting from the real life experiences of affording better homes and a improved quality of life. There are also many distinctions from the life led in Westwood to the one in Brentwood. For example, grocery shopping in the Ralph’s located on Bundy Drive is an entirely different experience compared to the shopping experience at the Ralph’s in Westwood. Red cups and ping pong balls are no longer on display every aisle in the supermarket or hanged next to the beer. The streets are in much better conditions as well, no longer filled with trash all over the sidewalk or overflowing dumpsters with beer cans and pizza boxes. The apartments are also nicer, the buildings are kept in better shape and they are decorated with better style.

Moreover, overall the lifestyle chosen by the residence of Brentwood seem much healthier as well. I do not recall seeing many fast-food places near the area, and during the day I see many people jogging in the residential area.  I also went to their Sunday Farmer’s Market set up near an elementary school, and the street was filled with shoppers as many couples and young families arrived to purchase their weekly groceries. Many of these people were in gym clothes either coming or going to work out. These images made me feel that perhaps people in this area were more careful with their health than in other places, as these were not details that stood out in other places I have visited.

Having said all that, I also acknowledge that certain parts of Brentwood are definitely not affordable by recent graduates, such as the Brentwood Country Club where many celebrities are sighted coming in and out of. In addition, I do agree it is a zone where people move out to, especially when we consider the concentric circle discussed in lectures. If we consider Downtown LA, or Wilshire to be the center due to the locations of various world renowned companies as you mentioned, then Brentwood would be the zone where people moved on to when they rose in the socioeconomic status.  It is interesting to observe the great difference between cities in quality of life and neighborhood “status” even when they are located in such proximity that going from one street to another can be from a poor area to a wealthy one.

Brentwood is an interesting city to explore and I would say its demographic is a mixture of young adults and young families, while there are also many celebrities located in these areas as well. I enjoyed reading about your experience in Brentwood, which has made me curious to learn more about the other aspects of it and perhaps I will also visit the Brentwood Country Mart as well.