This is in response to Jan Tancinco's Blog:
After reading your experience on the bus from Westwood to Downtown, I felt very enlightened and well informed about the public transport in LA. It was very interesting of you to compare this busing trip to the one in San Francisco (because I've never been there) and how the whole trip itself was more enjoyable than bus trips in SF.
And also this is very relate able to my busing trip in Orange County where it was much more pleasant than i expected. How do efficient do you think the public transportation is in LA? Would you say its comparable to the Public transportation in the South Bronx where their major made the best public transportation system in the world (Ted Talks: Green the Ghettos).
I often think what would happen if people would just driving automobiles in LA and just take the bus. The traffic would be less hectic because everything is planned out and the roads would just be filled with buses instead of individual cars. It would be like everyone is carpooling on one bus and it might even be more environmentally friendly.
All in all, Ii really enjoy reading your blog posts and hope you continue updating it!
OVERVIEW:
These past ten weeks have really shined a light on the social differences in cities and more specifically LA. I was able to see where people lived and why they live there. Why there are even differences in today's city and that's because of the Axis of difference. The center of LA is nonexistent even though i thought it was in downtown prior to this class. It is actually scattered around Los Angeles where people would gather for different venues.
Summary
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Downtown, 1st time
Week 3: Comment on Blog
Week 4: Orange county
Week 5: Walking
Week 6: Comment on Blog
Week 7: Bus
Week 8: LATimes Article
Week 9: Simply maps of two locations
Week 10: Comment and conclusion
Friday, December 7, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
Simply Maps (Week 9)
For this week, I'm going to do something a little different.
Instead of exploring the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, I will be looking at some data that i retrieved from Simply Maps from some of the areas I have frequented.
The first of the two picture is the percent of Asians in the orange county region and the second one is the percent of Caucasians in the orange county region. This kind of justifys my posts about the high number of Asians in the Garden Grove region of Orange county and the higher number of Caucasians in Huntington Beach than in the GG region. Notice how you can just place one map over the other and it will fill up, where there is a heavy region of Caucasins, there would be a lighter region of Asians. It really is interesting on how its not just evenly spread out at an even percentage everywhere but i think thats because of the accessibility to resources that not everyone can have to live everywhere. They must live where they can afford or somewhere nice if they can afford it (in this case in HB because its closer to the shoreline)
Instead of exploring the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, I will be looking at some data that i retrieved from Simply Maps from some of the areas I have frequented.
The Map above shows household income in the the south western part of Los Angeles to downtown. What I noticed first of all, is that there are basically three groups: the low class (0-61K a year), the middle class (61K-99K) and the upperclass (100K and above). Even though, in class we learned that class was not just your income but also the accessibility to resources and the levers of powers you have. In this case, this is how we will look at class. The western side of this map shows mostly the upper classes near the shoreline. This can be explain by the fact that nature has a terrain of meaning and a certain aesthetic value. Nature used to be this big, unknown and dangerous thing and the further away from it the more money you had to be safe. Now, Nature is wanted. people want to live close to the shoreline and only those with money can do it. On the middle side to the right side, there are middle class and lower class. We can say that the downtown portion of Los Angeles is the industrious part of the city and is quite far from nature and that this is why we can see why the region is mostly lower to middle class. Due to the standard perspective of environmental managing, this would lead all the environmental degrading sites in downtown, and thus the lower class would have to "deal" with it because they didn't plan it out with the environment as the higher priority instead of the economy, leading to environmental injustice. This would suit the idea in class of the geographic expressions and nature.
I find it unfair that the lower class can't live near the shoreline simply because they can't afford it. I feel that people should be able to live where ever they want and not deal with nature degrading sites just because they're in a low class neighborhood.
I find it unfair that the lower class can't live near the shoreline simply because they can't afford it. I feel that people should be able to live where ever they want and not deal with nature degrading sites just because they're in a low class neighborhood.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Axes of Difference: Class *LA Times Article Review* (Week 8)
This week, I will be reviewing a couple of articles from the local section of the LA Times website.
Below are the links to the said articles:
1. Unahppy Wal-Mart Workers Protest
2. Wal-Mart Protesters Arrested
Have you been inside a Wal-Mart or better yet a Super Wal-Mart? Those stores have everything, from fresh fruits and vegetables to electronics and furniture. You name it and you can practically guarantee that Wal-Mart will have it for you to buy. You use Wal-Mart as a store, not as a place of employment but for many others, this is their job. On the bright side they employ the weak, the old, and sometimes the unstable because they cannot find a job elsewhere. They give jobs to people who can't find them and this shines a good light on them.
But a bigger darker light overshadows that light. It has been reported that these workers do not have benefits that they would obtain from working anywhere else and on top of that, they are forced to work long hard hours at minimum wage ($8.81). I can't even begin to imagine their hours this week preparing up to the big event called Black Friday. Some employees were even belittled by their managers when they attempt to speak out about this atrocity and their horrible labor practices.
This leads us to the two articles from the LA Times about unhappy workers protesting on Black Friday. Employees of Wal-Mart attempted a peaceful protest outside of the Wal-Mart on Lakewood in Paramount. Some were even arrested after refusing orders from police officers to disperse. Of course, the president of Wal-Mart would deny such a protest and even claim that only 50 people of the group of protesters were even Wal-Mart employees and say that this is the biggest Black Friday Wal-Mart has ever seen (Dont believe that because there was nothing good on their ads, trust me I looked.)
This is related to the axes of the difference talked about in class; more specifically, this is the class category of axis.
In the class lecture, the professor talked about the factories as a site of an actual work site where surplus value is produced and seperation of class is reinforced, reproduced and continued on. These factories are oppresive and remind the workers that they are essentially different from the owners of the factories. I believe factories is not usable in this case but the Wal-Mart can been seen as a factory of its own. It's labor (not technically producing products but its service to sell products) produces a surplus of money that goes mainly to the owners of the store and the higher uppers. These workers at Wal-Mart turn into machine and are seen as different from the owners of the store. Their work habits are ignored by managers and not made optimally for the employees but for the employers who gain most of the surplus.
This leads to the social difference in class and hence the protest that happened outside of the Paramount Wwal-Mart. And even the president of Wal-Mart denies the protest having any affect on the company (because they're making so much and it was such a small protest in terms of all the employees of Wal-Mart) and does not even attempt to comfort the concerns of his fellow employees.
It is depressing to see social differences still have an effect in today's world but its expected in a capitalistic economy.
Below are the links to the said articles:
1. Unahppy Wal-Mart Workers Protest
2. Wal-Mart Protesters Arrested
Have you been inside a Wal-Mart or better yet a Super Wal-Mart? Those stores have everything, from fresh fruits and vegetables to electronics and furniture. You name it and you can practically guarantee that Wal-Mart will have it for you to buy. You use Wal-Mart as a store, not as a place of employment but for many others, this is their job. On the bright side they employ the weak, the old, and sometimes the unstable because they cannot find a job elsewhere. They give jobs to people who can't find them and this shines a good light on them.
But a bigger darker light overshadows that light. It has been reported that these workers do not have benefits that they would obtain from working anywhere else and on top of that, they are forced to work long hard hours at minimum wage ($8.81). I can't even begin to imagine their hours this week preparing up to the big event called Black Friday. Some employees were even belittled by their managers when they attempt to speak out about this atrocity and their horrible labor practices.
This leads us to the two articles from the LA Times about unhappy workers protesting on Black Friday. Employees of Wal-Mart attempted a peaceful protest outside of the Wal-Mart on Lakewood in Paramount. Some were even arrested after refusing orders from police officers to disperse. Of course, the president of Wal-Mart would deny such a protest and even claim that only 50 people of the group of protesters were even Wal-Mart employees and say that this is the biggest Black Friday Wal-Mart has ever seen (Dont believe that because there was nothing good on their ads, trust me I looked.)
This is related to the axes of the difference talked about in class; more specifically, this is the class category of axis.
In the class lecture, the professor talked about the factories as a site of an actual work site where surplus value is produced and seperation of class is reinforced, reproduced and continued on. These factories are oppresive and remind the workers that they are essentially different from the owners of the factories. I believe factories is not usable in this case but the Wal-Mart can been seen as a factory of its own. It's labor (not technically producing products but its service to sell products) produces a surplus of money that goes mainly to the owners of the store and the higher uppers. These workers at Wal-Mart turn into machine and are seen as different from the owners of the store. Their work habits are ignored by managers and not made optimally for the employees but for the employers who gain most of the surplus.
This leads to the social difference in class and hence the protest that happened outside of the Paramount Wwal-Mart. And even the president of Wal-Mart denies the protest having any affect on the company (because they're making so much and it was such a small protest in terms of all the employees of Wal-Mart) and does not even attempt to comfort the concerns of his fellow employees.
It is depressing to see social differences still have an effect in today's world but its expected in a capitalistic economy.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Bus Adventures!! (Week 7)
Today was the day i decided to take the bus! Now, in Orange County, most people dont take the bus or use it per se. just the people who do not have their own form of transportation for long distance travels, ie a bicycle or an automobile. So this was actually the 2nd time i took the local transit my entire life in orange county because i'm so accustomed to travelling by car. So i took the bus from my house to south coast plaza!
When entering the bus off of the corner of Euclid and Edinger, i noticed a couple of things. there was an elderly African american male bus driver as he took my money and kindly welcomed me onto his bus. The bus was as big as it was on the inside as it was outside. It was quite spacious with places to stand and places to sit. Big colorful comfy chairs to sit side by side with. It reminded me with my elementary years when i took multiple field trips on big yellow buses (even though this isn't the same) I sat down next to a Hispanic lady dressed in her cleaner uniform. i looked around me and tried to notice all the other passengers. All i saw were mostly Hispanics, Asians and a couple of elderly Caucasian folks on the bus.
"you have no idea why they put great big windows on the sides of buses, do you?
...
to humiliate the people of color who reduce to riding on them"
The movie Crash
This reminded me of Stuart Hall on the concept of race. And how buses are floating signifiers which are historically tied to meanings that are produced by communities at sometime and some place.
Members of society would have no reason to take the bus if they have their own car, but instead the members of the low class who cannot afford cars end up taking the bus. People who also might take the bus are people who cannot drive because they lost their license or are incapable of driving. These people of the low class end up being the minority of america.
When you think of the public transit bus, you think of the huge things that drive so slowly on the road and take too much space on the road. But then your mind also comes to who rides it and for most people they think of minorities who ride it. Blacks, Asians and Hispanics.
I'm glad i took the bus and was able to figure out this connection and how there is slight racism in the public transit. Because normally buses have big tinted windows for athletes or important people to ride it to hide their identity. But instead these have big fat clear windows so the outside can see inside and see what race is riding the bus.
When entering the bus off of the corner of Euclid and Edinger, i noticed a couple of things. there was an elderly African american male bus driver as he took my money and kindly welcomed me onto his bus. The bus was as big as it was on the inside as it was outside. It was quite spacious with places to stand and places to sit. Big colorful comfy chairs to sit side by side with. It reminded me with my elementary years when i took multiple field trips on big yellow buses (even though this isn't the same) I sat down next to a Hispanic lady dressed in her cleaner uniform. i looked around me and tried to notice all the other passengers. All i saw were mostly Hispanics, Asians and a couple of elderly Caucasian folks on the bus.
"you have no idea why they put great big windows on the sides of buses, do you?
...
to humiliate the people of color who reduce to riding on them"
The movie Crash
This reminded me of Stuart Hall on the concept of race. And how buses are floating signifiers which are historically tied to meanings that are produced by communities at sometime and some place.
Members of society would have no reason to take the bus if they have their own car, but instead the members of the low class who cannot afford cars end up taking the bus. People who also might take the bus are people who cannot drive because they lost their license or are incapable of driving. These people of the low class end up being the minority of america.
When you think of the public transit bus, you think of the huge things that drive so slowly on the road and take too much space on the road. But then your mind also comes to who rides it and for most people they think of minorities who ride it. Blacks, Asians and Hispanics.
I'm glad i took the bus and was able to figure out this connection and how there is slight racism in the public transit. Because normally buses have big tinted windows for athletes or important people to ride it to hide their identity. But instead these have big fat clear windows so the outside can see inside and see what race is riding the bus.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Comment Blog (Week 6)
Comment to Sonia Tran's Blog:
Hi there, your blog was certainly entertaining and enlightening to read.
However i believe that the bumps on the side of the structures that you describe may be more than for hobos but also for civilians who skate board along the side walks and would grinding with their boards on the side. The bumps would prevent any grinding action which would deface the surface of the building and hence lower the value of the building. this can also be applied to the carceral enclave in that it prohibits certain civilians from preventing certain acts that are damaging to the building. This isn't to say that the city of Los Angeles is against skate boarders in general, it is just saying that the building doesn't want to be defaced by skate boarders.
And as a resident of downtown, i can confirm with what you saw. The bright lights and lively atmosphere at one end of downtown makes the whole city glow, while the area that is populated by unhoused people seem to darken the mood and even make you feel insecure. However i am surprised to hear about the Hispanic shops because i thought that would be more in the Vermont district of downtown closer to USC. I would like to point out the shops are barred close or closed with metal garage door. this is not something I've seen in my home or even in Westwood, however they are made like this because crime must be frequent in this area and at night, there must be low police patrol and a high number of criminals. Glass doors wouln't stop a criminal from breaking into your store but a metal garage door would.
I really enjoyed your blog and hope to see more in the future!
Hi there, your blog was certainly entertaining and enlightening to read.
However i believe that the bumps on the side of the structures that you describe may be more than for hobos but also for civilians who skate board along the side walks and would grinding with their boards on the side. The bumps would prevent any grinding action which would deface the surface of the building and hence lower the value of the building. this can also be applied to the carceral enclave in that it prohibits certain civilians from preventing certain acts that are damaging to the building. This isn't to say that the city of Los Angeles is against skate boarders in general, it is just saying that the building doesn't want to be defaced by skate boarders.
And as a resident of downtown, i can confirm with what you saw. The bright lights and lively atmosphere at one end of downtown makes the whole city glow, while the area that is populated by unhoused people seem to darken the mood and even make you feel insecure. However i am surprised to hear about the Hispanic shops because i thought that would be more in the Vermont district of downtown closer to USC. I would like to point out the shops are barred close or closed with metal garage door. this is not something I've seen in my home or even in Westwood, however they are made like this because crime must be frequent in this area and at night, there must be low police patrol and a high number of criminals. Glass doors wouln't stop a criminal from breaking into your store but a metal garage door would.
I really enjoyed your blog and hope to see more in the future!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Inverted Quarintine (Week 5)
This week, I went to walk to visit my friends house at night. As I went to my friends house in Huntington beach, I had to walk through a couple of blocks to get to his home. The walk wasn't bad per se, the sidewalk was rather stable and not bumpy but kind of narrow (wide enough to fit 3 people walking side by side). Cars were blazing by in the night setting, brushing wind chills up against my body as I venture to my friends house. The sidewalks were poorly lit and there were no other people on the sidewalk beside me for the entire 3 block walk.To be honest, I didn't feel quite safe walking to his neighborhood even though the area isn't know to be high crime rate area and I frequent this walk but only during the daytime. Orange county is not much of a walking community, there are side walks but most people prefer their own automobile or the local transportation train.
When I approached his neighborhood, I waited for him as he went outside to open the community gate for me. This was one of two gates that allowed entry into his neighborhood. then it hit me why is there even a gate? whats he afraid of? A speeding gasoline tank running into his neighborhood of condos and bursting his whole neighborhood in flames?
It wasn't that. the white gate was served more than a practical value, it was also a symbolic value. Asides from protecting outsiders from getting into their high end neighborhood, it also stood for the high class that this neighborhood is.
This was an example of carceral Archipelago. How the urban planning was build to prevent public access and protect urban order for the home owners in that neighborhood. However i feel like this is such an unnecessary measure because regardless of how they construct their gates, they are still part of the bigger community, the town. And they should engage in their community and not allow the difference in class affect their relationships with others in the community.
I did feel much safer inside his neighborhood though. haaha. And i took pictures of his neighborhood as i walked around, and even though it was dark, I felt relatively safe.
The town of Huntington beach also reminds me of the Postsuburban California article in the fact that it is made as a utopia that is marketed as a middle class suburban utopia (like Irvine) and is known to be a Caucasian community that is pretty well off.
When I approached his neighborhood, I waited for him as he went outside to open the community gate for me. This was one of two gates that allowed entry into his neighborhood. then it hit me why is there even a gate? whats he afraid of? A speeding gasoline tank running into his neighborhood of condos and bursting his whole neighborhood in flames?
It wasn't that. the white gate was served more than a practical value, it was also a symbolic value. Asides from protecting outsiders from getting into their high end neighborhood, it also stood for the high class that this neighborhood is.
This was an example of carceral Archipelago. How the urban planning was build to prevent public access and protect urban order for the home owners in that neighborhood. However i feel like this is such an unnecessary measure because regardless of how they construct their gates, they are still part of the bigger community, the town. And they should engage in their community and not allow the difference in class affect their relationships with others in the community.
I did feel much safer inside his neighborhood though. haaha. And i took pictures of his neighborhood as i walked around, and even though it was dark, I felt relatively safe.
The town of Huntington beach also reminds me of the Postsuburban California article in the fact that it is made as a utopia that is marketed as a middle class suburban utopia (like Irvine) and is known to be a Caucasian community that is pretty well off.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Orange County! [Not the Horrible TV Show] (Week 4)
Remember that one show on the Fox network called "The O.C."?
It was about a group of Caucasian kids struggling with their first world first class problems. well let me tell you how it actually is. In the center of Orange County: fountain valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, we have a city unofficially called Little Saigon. The reason for its name is because there is a huge population of Vietnamese people in that area. I went to a high school in the area and out of the 1600 students, more than 90% of them were Vietnamese.
And a little bit south of that there is the city of Santa Ana which is heavily populated by latino's. I believe that only a portion of Orange County is Caucasian.
The reason I bring this up is because last weekend i went to orange county to visit my friend and I noticed the business center center near his house.
Within the center, there was a Vietnamese restaurant called Cali bakery next to an Mexican fast food restaurant called Alertos next to a KFC and Jack-in-the-box restaurant (AKA american restaurants) along with doctor's offices and small business in the area.
This brings up the point in class how everything is decentralized.. People were not just living in groups of their own ethnicity and instead were everywhere with everyone else. More open and tolerant of other cultures. Of course from a business standpoint I understand how having a Mexican restaurant in the center of a Vietnamese impacted town is a really smart idea.. because no one wants to be eating the same kind of food all the time.
I of course had to help myself to the variety of food in the available area.
This video is funny to watch and pertains to race. Dwight claims that the guy at his desk is not Jim, (his co-worker) because he is asian and Jim is not asian. Asian-Jim however commerates him for not being able to see race. On a serious note, Dwight was the perfect example of how race can be erased from this world. He was not able to distinguish the asian jim from the real jim (because of the well set up scenario) but if people were able to do that today, Stuart Hall's definition of race as a floating signifier would be erased (i'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind that).
It was about a group of Caucasian kids struggling with their first world first class problems. well let me tell you how it actually is. In the center of Orange County: fountain valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, we have a city unofficially called Little Saigon. The reason for its name is because there is a huge population of Vietnamese people in that area. I went to a high school in the area and out of the 1600 students, more than 90% of them were Vietnamese.
And a little bit south of that there is the city of Santa Ana which is heavily populated by latino's. I believe that only a portion of Orange County is Caucasian.
The reason I bring this up is because last weekend i went to orange county to visit my friend and I noticed the business center center near his house.
Within the center, there was a Vietnamese restaurant called Cali bakery next to an Mexican fast food restaurant called Alertos next to a KFC and Jack-in-the-box restaurant (AKA american restaurants) along with doctor's offices and small business in the area.
This brings up the point in class how everything is decentralized.. People were not just living in groups of their own ethnicity and instead were everywhere with everyone else. More open and tolerant of other cultures. Of course from a business standpoint I understand how having a Mexican restaurant in the center of a Vietnamese impacted town is a really smart idea.. because no one wants to be eating the same kind of food all the time.
I of course had to help myself to the variety of food in the available area.
This video is funny to watch and pertains to race. Dwight claims that the guy at his desk is not Jim, (his co-worker) because he is asian and Jim is not asian. Asian-Jim however commerates him for not being able to see race. On a serious note, Dwight was the perfect example of how race can be erased from this world. He was not able to distinguish the asian jim from the real jim (because of the well set up scenario) but if people were able to do that today, Stuart Hall's definition of race as a floating signifier would be erased (i'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind that).
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Comment Post (Week 3)
For this week, I will provide analysis and comments on this post by a fellow classmate.
I found his post really interesting because i have always driven across LA and never once used a bike as my form of transportation. The way he describes his experience sounded really relaxing and fun.. unlike the automobile commuter's experience.
The Ciclavia event was something I have heard about from my cousin, who lives in downtown LA at the Medici. and I think it's pretty nifty that a wide culture of people would come together for a bike route. This just shows the large amount of culture we have in LA and that people would unite for a good cause. This is as how the professor describes is the beginning of cities. Centralization through one idea or another is the fundamental start to a city in the past before the post modern metropolis. I believe the event is also a social event for people to get to know fellow cyclists and road sharers.
I wonder what other events would cause people to get together and then i realize protests are also a good example of people uniting under a good cause. Whether it be to protest UC tuition prices or even for union rights and better wages, people have come together for a while now and combined their beliefs to make their presence be known and their demands to be heard.
Perhaps I will indulge in this event in the future =]
I found his post really interesting because i have always driven across LA and never once used a bike as my form of transportation. The way he describes his experience sounded really relaxing and fun.. unlike the automobile commuter's experience.
The Ciclavia event was something I have heard about from my cousin, who lives in downtown LA at the Medici. and I think it's pretty nifty that a wide culture of people would come together for a bike route. This just shows the large amount of culture we have in LA and that people would unite for a good cause. This is as how the professor describes is the beginning of cities. Centralization through one idea or another is the fundamental start to a city in the past before the post modern metropolis. I believe the event is also a social event for people to get to know fellow cyclists and road sharers.
I wonder what other events would cause people to get together and then i realize protests are also a good example of people uniting under a good cause. Whether it be to protest UC tuition prices or even for union rights and better wages, people have come together for a while now and combined their beliefs to make their presence be known and their demands to be heard.
Perhaps I will indulge in this event in the future =]
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Downtown Travels. (Week 2)
Honk honk! Beep BEEP!
Surrounded.. I look around me and I'm surrounded by an ample amount of cars. It looks like a scene in an apocolypse movie.. where the locals try to escape the city's disaster.. but then you realize that this isn't a movie. This is Los Angeles traffic.. rated as the 2nd worst traffic in the United states (2nd to Honolulu Hawaii). Bumper to bumper as far as you can see in front of you and behind you, you want to go faster, you dont want to wait but you can't.. you can't.. you just sit there and go at cruising speed of under ten miles.. dreading every minute of this commute.. thinking of what you can do with all this time spent in traffic.
This is pretty much the condition of the freeways in the Los Angeles area but more specifically this is the 10 East freeway going to downtown from the 405. It is pretty much jammed packed at all times of the day with people going to or from work.
All this traffic gets you to think why it is like this. Why are the streets so congested as opposed to city. The answer may be as easy as saying its the 2nd most populated city in the United state. But it can also be as complicated as saying that it is due to high business numbers and similar interests in the city. With people constantly driving to get from place to place.. it would make sense why it is so packed.
I traveled from UCLA to downtown during the heavily congested traffic to spend time with my cousin for the first time ever and explore Downtown Los Angeles but more specifically the LA live center.
Here is a picture from his apartment that shows the downtown area (I don't remember that building's name)
This area becomes alive during the night. With flashing lights from the staple centers to the constant party atmosphere at the local private university. As the professor spoke in his first lecture of how the locals are in such a hustle mentality and state of mind. Where everyone has no disregard for each other and its just a dog eat dog world. You can see it near the LA live where there are local bars and even nightly basketball games at time. Where in this hugely populated city.. There is a huge sense of anonymity and no sense of respect for others because they are just strangers you will most likely not meet ever again in your life.
*EDIT 12/4/12*
After learning about neo-liberalism, and the Axis of Difference of class. The downtown area can be seen as a place to reproduce labor because as Marxian said: entertainment is needed for labor reproduction. Even if people work over 40 hours a week, its all okay as long as they get to go play at Disneyland or in this case at the staples center and watch the Lakers play their heart out!
Surrounded.. I look around me and I'm surrounded by an ample amount of cars. It looks like a scene in an apocolypse movie.. where the locals try to escape the city's disaster.. but then you realize that this isn't a movie. This is Los Angeles traffic.. rated as the 2nd worst traffic in the United states (2nd to Honolulu Hawaii). Bumper to bumper as far as you can see in front of you and behind you, you want to go faster, you dont want to wait but you can't.. you can't.. you just sit there and go at cruising speed of under ten miles.. dreading every minute of this commute.. thinking of what you can do with all this time spent in traffic.
All this traffic gets you to think why it is like this. Why are the streets so congested as opposed to city. The answer may be as easy as saying its the 2nd most populated city in the United state. But it can also be as complicated as saying that it is due to high business numbers and similar interests in the city. With people constantly driving to get from place to place.. it would make sense why it is so packed.
I traveled from UCLA to downtown during the heavily congested traffic to spend time with my cousin for the first time ever and explore Downtown Los Angeles but more specifically the LA live center.
Here is a picture from his apartment that shows the downtown area (I don't remember that building's name)
*EDIT 12/4/12*
After learning about neo-liberalism, and the Axis of Difference of class. The downtown area can be seen as a place to reproduce labor because as Marxian said: entertainment is needed for labor reproduction. Even if people work over 40 hours a week, its all okay as long as they get to go play at Disneyland or in this case at the staples center and watch the Lakers play their heart out!
Friday, October 5, 2012
What is this? (Week 1)
First of all, thanks for coming to my blog!
This blog will document my exploration of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area throughout the fall quarter of the Univsersity of California, Los Angeles in 2012. I will be exploring by bus, car, or feet the LA area and take notes of surrounding environment and people. Afterwards I will be providing analysis of the role that "social difference" plays in the city of Los Angeles and relate it to my experience.
In Geography 151, I am interested in how these differences came to be. Why are things are there differencs in differences.Why are there differences in class, race sexuality or gender and how did these come about? And how do we see the things we learn differences in today's world and possibly how do they affect us. This will follow my classwork and lecture from Geography 151. I would also be inputting my small insignificant opinion into each blog to voice my 2 cents.
So welcome to my blog and enjoy yourself!
This blog will document my exploration of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area throughout the fall quarter of the Univsersity of California, Los Angeles in 2012. I will be exploring by bus, car, or feet the LA area and take notes of surrounding environment and people. Afterwards I will be providing analysis of the role that "social difference" plays in the city of Los Angeles and relate it to my experience.
In Geography 151, I am interested in how these differences came to be. Why are things are there differencs in differences.Why are there differences in class, race sexuality or gender and how did these come about? And how do we see the things we learn differences in today's world and possibly how do they affect us. This will follow my classwork and lecture from Geography 151. I would also be inputting my small insignificant opinion into each blog to voice my 2 cents.
So welcome to my blog and enjoy yourself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)