Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 7 - Response to Thomas Schulz

This week I decided to respond to one of my classmate's posts. I chose a post done by Thomas Schulz about Los Feliz.

Here is the link to his original blog http://themetropolitanglide.blogspot.com/2012/11/jane-jacobs-you-were-right.html#comment-form

A copy of my response:

Tommy:

I thoroughly enjoyed your post about Los Feliz. I thought that it was very entertaining that you had such a story behind picking to visit this place. However, I am glad that the couple suggested that you visit this area because it was cool to hear about. I really liked how you compared the salon in Beverly Hills and the bookstore in Los Feliz. This comparison not only made me realize how different these two areas are, but it further showed me how businesses and people in Beverly Hills are quite affluent and entitled in some cases like you said.

When you were talking about Juan Juan, the Beverly Hills salon, it made me think a lot about David Sibley’s “Mapping the Pure and the Defiled.” There is very much a sense of some sort of “other” that is not present in Beverley Hills.  There is a separation and lack of diversity in many different categories present in this area. This relates to David Sibley because as the editor was explaining, there is the need “to separate ‘us’ from ‘them’ in a psychological sense” and this is “translated into spatial terms” (Sibley 380).  Beverley Hills is an example where this psychological sense is put into spatial terms since the area and shops set up social and physical boundaries, which exclude others.

This sense of separation also reminded me of Engels’ description of Manchester. Beverley Hills is an area that is similar to Manchester’s boulevards. While shopping or dining in Beverley Hills you aren’t as likely to see widespread poverty or filth. This is similar to the boulevards in Manchester, which use shops as physical boundaries to shelter the rich from the poor.

As seen in the photo and description of the bookstore in Los Feliz, these boundaries are not present. The entire front of the store is a window, which doesn’t exclude anyone. Also, as you noted there wasn’t any sort of screening process for who could come into the store and who couldn’t come into the store.

I also enjoyed how you shared such candid observations about the people walking around in Los Feliz. The fact that you mentioned how people were talking to others that were with them and weren’t glued to their phones made me feel like there really is a sense of community present in this neighborhood. Again, this is the exact opposite of Beverley Hills. I rarely see people walking around in Beverley Hills, but when I do they tend to be alone or on their phones if they aren’t tourists.

Los Feliz seems to be an area that is very welcoming and accessible. Since there are so few of these types of areas present in LA, it seems as though Los Feliz is a hidden gem. I now hope to visit this area. Thanks for such great observations, Tommy!