The very complexity of Los Angeles as a geographic entity, a unique social, cultural and political unit, and a locus of identity makes "definition" all but impossible. Four collections of commentaries, some fictional and some drawn from interviews and observations made in real time about contemporary events, provide insight into how a vision of the city and surrounding area can be constructed that captures its many essences.
Alan Rifkin (2003), in a story titled "The Honor System," articulates a vision of interpersonal relationship in Los Angeles that are made more complex by the transient nature of the community. In Rifkin's (2003) story, a man and woman, meet, are attracted to each other, enter a relationship, and then become cautious and careful about allowing intimacy to emerge. Like Los Angeles itself, this couple is struggling to determine what is real and what is "Hollywood." Thus, one vision of Los Angeles focuses on the difficulty in a place devoted to make-believe of determining what is and is not "real."
Anna Deveare Smith (2004), in her series of interviews of people who were affected by the 1992 riots in los Angeles, depicts a dystopian vision of a place that is fragmented by divisions based on race, ethnicity, and class. Quoting Elaine Johnson, former head of the Black Panther Party, Smith (2004) describes a city in which racial discrimination, poverty and inequality are rampant. This vision - of a city in which race riots are caused by the indifference and brutality to which minorities are subjected - is one that belies the idealized vision of a glittering city in which everything is possible. The "nitty-gritty" aspects of life in a complex and often hostile urban environment are depicted by Smith (2004), who concludes that there are many like Elaine Brown who see the need for a revolution that will change Los Angeles forever.
Yet another voice raised in analysis of Los Angeles is that of Lisa ...