Monday, November 9, 2009

Greetings From the Magic Kingdom


Main Street, U.S.A: it is the heart of small-town America. One of the most famous of these streets, 28 miles south of Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, is the Main Street of Disneyland. In the heart of Anaheim, nestled between the I-5 and the 57 freeway is a picturesque vision of small-town America: city hall and the fire station are on the left, Main Street Cinema and the bank sit to the right, and small shops line the singular entrance into the theme park. Main Street Cone Shop, an ice cream parlor and confectionary, fills the air with the sickly- sweet scents of vanilla, cotton candy, and cinnamon. Vendors stand by their red and white striped carts selling popcorn, churros and refreshing beverages like lemonade and Coca-Cola. Main Street is the heart and soul of Disneyland; it is a nostalgic, isolated beacon of Americana in the midst of a growing urban city.

Disneyland, with its quaint Main Street and lands of adventure and promise, functions on the premise of the suspension of disbelief. It is a place of princesses, princes, fairies, adventure, magic, and fantasy. The only place where the element of fantasy is nonexistent is the bathrooms. Upon stepping into the ladies room, the realities of the world-bodily functions, screaming children and unhappy parents-returns. A line forms in the middle of the bathroom stalls; a little girl beside me dances with anxiety while a woman snaps at her child in Spanish: “Mira lo que hiciste!” (Look what you did!). Another woman changes her baby’s diaper on a changing table; the child squirms and cries, its tiny fist flailing in the air with frustration. A Hispanic woman in a pale blue janitor’s uniform pushes a yellow cart packed with cleaning supplies and wipes the water spilling over the counters and on to the floor. She catches my eye and I look away, guilty, remembering a trip to Disneyland where my grandmother, a Mexican immigrant, felt the same guilt I did. As my grandmother walked out of the bathroom that day, she gave the janitor a small smile, and with a brief pat on the woman’s arm, she exited the bathroom to the bright, cheerful streets of the Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney’s vision of Disneyland serves as a tribute to small-town America. It is a glorification of the nuclear family, isolated from the dangers of the big city, as discussed in Eric Avila’s Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles. Disneyland sprawls over 160 acres of former orange groves in the suburbs of Los Angeles, 28 miles from downtown. Its grand opening on July 17th, 1955 was a national sensation. Despite several setbacks on opening day-115 degree heat, counterfeit tickets, and melting asphalt-the park thrives to this day: it has accommodated over 515 million guests since its grand opening. Despite the 54 years that have passed since its opening, Disneyland still reflects the decade of the 1950’s, and its representation of American values reflects the white middle-class family. Each respective “land” within the park illustrates classic American ideals, even in their names: Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Toontown, and Main Street. Frontierland in particular recreates the wild frontier of the 1800’s with attractions such as Mark Twain Riverboat, Tom Sawyer’s Island, and Big Thunder Mountain, affectionately known as “the wildest ride in the west”. While these representations of Americana appear to be quaint and entertaining, they represent the darker side of small-town American nostalgia as well: xenophobia, racism, and class exclusion. Representations of life outside a white middle-class are seldom visible at all. In fact, most attractions at Disneyland reduce representations of ethnic minorities to mere stereotypes: Latin American girls with hats full of bananas and tropical fruit sway their hips, African children in loincloths wield spears as a hyena laughs beside them on It’s a Small World; and Jose the parrot shouts “Hola Amigos! It’s time to start the cho” in a thick Spanish accent in the dark, tropical Tiki Room. These ethnic stereotypes subtly enforce the ideas of American superiority and xenophobia. These images inside Disneyland are a reminder of a different era, as well as a different city. In Anaheim, where white, middle class suburbia exists only in the past, Disneyland remains an isolated emblem of white American ideals.

As a native of Orange County, California, I am no stranger to Disneyland. I grew up in Santa Ana, a mere 7.6 miles south of Anaheim. Despite the proximity of my family to the Happiest Place on Earth, our trips to Disneyland were infrequent; it was an expensive luxury that my family could not afford. My parents, who wed while still in college, lived with my grandparents in order to save money. The living arrangements were less than ideal, with 8 people squeezing in a modest two bedroom, one bathroom house. My two aunts and their children lived across the street and came over every day, making the house seem even smaller. Occasionally, however, my family managed to take a trip to Disneyland. Needless to say, it was a big family event. In the typical style of a Hispanic family, we went as an entire group: my aunts, uncles, and cousins piled into three cars to transport all 14 of us from 1044 West Pine Street down the 5 freeway, to Anaheim at 8 am. We stayed all day, to get our money’s worth. We packed a red cooler of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips and juice boxes to avoid the high cost of food inside the park; the kids munched on the sandwiches in the back of my aunt’s red Dodge minivan, blissfully unaware of the reality that while other families could afford to eat inside the park, we could not. Disneyland was a treat that came once a year, a luxurious family event, enjoyable despite the frustrations of taking 7 children to an amusement park.

As I advanced into junior high school, my family became more affluent. We moved out of my grandparent’s house to a condo on the other side of Santa Ana. As we entered the upper-middle class, my parents surprised my younger brother and me with annual passes to Disneyland. Gone were the days of Disneyland as an annual all-day event; it was now a leisure activity. Several of my friends at the private, Christian academy I attended also had annual passes, and Disneyland became a place where we could hang out on Friday nights, when the park was empty and the lines no more than 15 minutes long. The Magic Kingdom became our adolescent hang out spot, where our parents didn’t have to worry about us and we could gossip about which couples were holding hands and kissing on the Haunted Mansion, all while eating popcorn and watching the fireworks that lit up the sky promptly at 9:30 p.m.

As the affluence that funded a leisurely experience of Disneyland subsided, my family moved inland to the city of Riverside, 41.1 miles east of Anaheim. We moved into one of the new Richmond American tract homes and became part of the California housing boom. Since the new mortgage laid claim to my parent’s finances, luxuries such as the Disneyland annual pass became a thing of the past. The annual trip to Disneyland returned, as did any attempt to save money and cut expenses. Consequently, I found myself purchasing tickets to Disneyland for my mother, grandmother, two uncles and myself on a ticket scalping website. They were $20 cheaper than the regular price, and the seedy scalping website required us to pick up our tickets at the Days Inn Hotel on Ball Road, around the corner from Disneyland. As we turned on Ball Road in my uncle’s black Honda Civic, we called Peter, the contact provided by the website. The ticket pick-up resembled a drug run; Peter was as furtive and mysterious as a member of a major cartel. “Pull up to the Days Inn and wait for me at the front,” he barked over the phone. “I’m on the second floor. Wait for me in the lobby. If anyone asks, tell them you’re here for Peter.” Five minutes later Peter came into the cramped, dimly lit lobby and handed my uncle an envelope with our tickets. “Are you sure that’s not cocaine?” my mother joked. As we sat in the parking lot of the Days Inn, we laughed at the complications of taking a 70-year-old woman to Disneyland.

Our experience with Peter at the Days Inn on Ball Road is a far cry from the middle-class white-America represented on Main Street and inside the park; it reflects the changing demographics of the city of Anaheim since the park’s opening in 1955. Anaheim, once hailed as a beacon of Orange County’s suburban growth by the Stanford Research Institute, is now known as “Anacrime” to local residents. According to the City of Anaheim and the Chamber of Commerce, the former agricultural town of 30,000 is now an urban center that is home to over 343,000 residents, in addition to 20 million visiting tourists annually. The Anaheim Union School district reports show that the city’s schools are now 62% Hispanic and 52% of students in the district receive federal assistance for free lunch. These new socioeconomic and racial demographics envelope Disneyland in an urban center composed of ethnic minorities and poverty-stricken youth. This shift in demographics is evident in the city’s top ten private employers: according to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, Walt Disney Resort is the top employer, followed by Kaiser, AT&T, and Northgate Gonzalez supermarkets, one of the largest Mexican supermarket chains in the country.[1] The three Northgate Market locations in Anaheim, where customers speak Spanish and shop for traditional Mexican dishes such as menudo, Jarritos soda drinks, and pan dulce, are a far cry from the cone shop and vendor stands on Main Street inside Disneyland; shoppers at Northgate are more likely to work at Disneyland as maids or janitors than to enjoy the thrills of Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, or Pirates of the Caribbean.

The worlds of Disneyland-Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Main Street, Critter Country, and Toontown-are a space of nostalgia in the midst of an ethnic urban center. The rural, agricultural suburb of Anaheim now faces issues of crime and gang violence. A recent article from the Orange County Register shows Anaheim with the second highest crime rate in the county behind Santa Ana; the city also suffers from gang violence. Until recent gang injunctions, gangs such as the Boys from the Hood ravaged neighborhoods and engaged in over 200 crimes, including, murder, rape, and petty theft.[2] In the midst of this city is the Happiest Place on Earth, a tourist attraction for millions. This hardly seems like the environment sought out by Walt Disney and the Stanford Research Institute as the ideal location for a family theme park.

Despite the changes taking place in Anaheim, Disneyland largely overshadows the city and its problems. Driving through the streets of Anaheim on any given night, you forget the run-down houses or the small, gang infested corners of the city. All that is visible is the Disneyland resort: the magenta glow of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, the Disneyland Hotel, the shimmering lights of the Ferris Wheel and the Soaring Over California rollercoaster of Disney’s California Adventure loom over the city, creating its skyline. The towering lights of Disneyland Resort dominate the landscape; they outshine the modest homes, the Days Inn, the Northgate Markets and Ponderosa Park, home to the Boys from the Hood gang. The serene, ethereal glow of the resort captures the imagination. As fireworks blaze in the night sky-gold, emerald, sapphire, and amethyst sparks all exploding in the air-the iconic castle becomes the center of the city. Shooting stars burst into the air from behind the castle, sparkling, dancing their way down from the clouds, and the city subsides to make room for the Magic Kingdom.


[1] http://sports.uniontrib.com/uniontrib/20060703/news_1m3market.html

[2] http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1358366.php

Monday, August 17, 2009

Current Obsession: over the top boots





I love, love, love the crazy boots in the Fall 2009 collections. They're over the top but still so chic and wearable. Wearing them would take some guts, but I'm determined to get some!

Friday, June 26, 2009

June 25, 2009

June 25, 2009. 

A sad day in the history of music, pop culture, and our society. On this day, the world mourns many things: the death of Michael Jackson, a pop legend, the death of Farrah Fawcett, an icon, a corrupt democracy in Iran, the deaths caused by war in the Middle East. Many say the deaths of celebrities overshadow the real issues of war and death that happens every day. True, people die every day:mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, and dear friends. And each passing warrants mourning and grieving. But what made today so shocking for our nation, and millions around the world, was the passing of a legendary era. A beautiful woman who changed the face of Hollywood icons and the King of Pop represented a generation that existed from the 70's and 80's. With their tragic passing, we are forced to look at the huge milestones of the past: Charlie's Angels, the Jackson Five, Thriller, the celebrity quirks of the 90's and early 2000's.  A time when an iconic pinup poster had class and taste-a blonde bombshell in a simple one-piece bathing suit with a dazzling smile-before Internet pornography left nothing to the imagination. A time when not just anybody could become a pop star, before pop music was oversexed and overhyped, dripping with sexual connotations and double-entendres. 


Generation X loses two of its great icons today. At the same time, a war continues in Iraq, Iran calls for a just government, and America sinks deeper into financial recession. True, the deaths of these celebrities overshadow important issues of the day, but the world's problems will not be solved in a day. These problems will continue for years to come. In fact, one might argue that the passing of these legendary celebrities only highlights the problems our world is facing. Time stops for no one: not pop icons, not the legendary King of Pop, nor the government of Iran, or you, or me. As Generation X mourns the loss of two famed symbols of their time, it is clear, now more than ever, that the world is changing Everyone will remember today where they were when the heard the news of this great loss. It is a reminder that life is precious, a blessing to be savored and never taken for granted. No one is immune to death, whether it is ordinary people or celebrities. We leave the world with nothing but our legacy, great or small, we must leave something behind. Some leave iconic posters, some sell millions of records, others leave memories that are no less powerful or important, such as a wife leaving a note in her husband's lunch, a weekly phone call from a friend, an inside joke, a warm embrace. The world seems like a sad place today, but it is a day where new leaders and legends will be created as we mourn the loss of Michael Jackson and countless others. 

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Welcome to the Jungle, Spencer Pratt

My favorite topic of the day is celebrity douchebags, and there is none greater than Spencer Pratt. So you can imagine my happiness at hearing about the release of his rap video as part of his promotion of the show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here on NBC.

In the video, Pratt bounces around like a wanna-be gangster version of the Crocodile Hunter (with a strategic placement of a snake slithering close to his crotch: classy move, Mr. Pratt, nice innuendo) as his attention-whore wife Heidi dances in the background winking shamelessly at the camera. It's what would happen if Animal Planet meets Daisy of Love/Tool Academy (On a side note,VH1, you used to have such quality programming. Can we replace stuff like New York Gets a Job with Pop Up Video pleeeeasse? Thanks.) With lyrics like " MTV made me President rich," "Its Spencer Pratt and I'm Twittering you back," and "My money is attached to me just like my wedding ring" Pratt shows that a)he is out of touch with reality and b)he can't rhyme. He is also has the least street cred of any person to ever rap (I'm talking to you Vanilla Ice) and that's saying a lot. Also, someone needs to tell Heidi to stop bouncing around in the background trying to look like video vixen Barbie. These two just show how obssessed people in society have become with fame; they are willing to look like complete idiots to stay famous; either way I'm sure they're laughing their way to the bank.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Girl Talk




Today I finally had time to relax and watch TV. I started to watch Season 4 of Sex and the City, which is one of my favorite shows (and movies). I started thinking about friends and groups of girlfriends in particular.


The ladies of Sex and the City seem to have a perfect group of friends, balanced, even numbers so no one feels left out, etc. But in real life groups of girlfriends are nothing like this. In fact, groups of girlfriends, that I have seen at least, are not exactly cohesive and deal with major issues of jealousy and competition.

If you have ever seen girls interact, even best friends, you can see that there is always an issue of competition. Whether its subtle or obvious, even the best group of girlfriends has this issue. Another issue is that friends change over time; lives get busy and people settle down and get jobs, families, spouses, etc. Somehow the ladies of Sex and the City have no issues leaving their kids at home and going out to a club. I don't know many 40-year old women who do that. I also don't know many girls who go out with their friends to a club and don't get even the teensiest bit jealous when their friends get hit on and they don't. Which brings me to my second problem: talking about each other behind their backs.


Sadly, the fact that girls talk about each other behind their backs is more than a cliche; it is a harsh reality. If you are a female, you WILL absolutely have nasty, hateful things said about you behind your back, and it will at one point be from one of your closest friends. It is an inevitable truth that I never understood. All girls have an intuition about each other that I don't think men can ever fully understand. They can take one look at each other and love or hate each other, with no reason other than gut feeling. I have gone to countless parties and social events where another girl and I catch each others' eyes and I know instantly that one of two things is the cause: either they want to be friends or they will talk about you and give you the cold shoulder. More often than not there are some circumstances, whether its personal jealousy or them feeling threatened by you, they are going to talk. The fact of the matter is, women are threatened by each others success. I personally believe that this is partly due to biological evolution. There are more women than men in the world, so they must compete with each other for resources. This is not limited to male resources, we compete for every resource imaginable: looks, bodies, boobs, butts, brains, money, etc.



The bottom line is this: the bottom line is this, while there are great groups of girlfriends that can be happy for each other and be lifelong friends, they are extremely rare. Groups of girlfriends like the Sex and the City ladies are a myth fed to women by the media. In fact, they are just as much of a myth as the idea of a prince charming who will sweep you off your feet. Both are something you believe in jr. high, but when you grow up you are faced with the harsh reality that life is not a fairy tale.


With all that said, it's definitely something I'd like to believe in. I'd like to think that somewhere out there there is a group of really great girl friends who aren't cold, bitchy, fake, or insincere. And I do have some great friends. Those of you with great friends, count yourselves lucky.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Just A Minimum


Let me begin with a quote from comedian Dane Cook. He says that sometimes, relationships are bad. He calls these "relation-s--ts". With the divorce rate now above 50% according to a recent study, it appears that this is is true for more than half of relationships in our society. Why is this the case, and how are the nature of relationships and their problems changing?

One factor is certainly the rise of technology. What did people do before booty call texts, late night phone calls, cyber sex, and the easy availability of internet porn? All these factors make it so much easier to flirt and cheat without your partner ever knowing. In fact, one-third of divorce litigation is a result of online affairs. Furthermore, according to an attorney survey, one of the fastest rising causes of divorce is a spouse's addiction to Internet pornography (stats are available here).

According to another recent study, "about 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women will have an affair at some point in some marriage" says Monogamy Myth author and therapist Peggy Vaughn. This means that more than half of marriages will experience infidelity. Most infidelities happen in the workplace. Scared yet?


With all this said, not every relationship is doomed for failure. It seems as though there are many cultural factors than contribute to the rise of infidelity. As mentioned before, the rise of technology is certaintly part of it, with flirtacious texts being sent every minute. However, it also seems that in today's culture, people just stopped appreciating each other. And many couples probably shouldn't be married in the first place. But it just seems like in all relationships, including friendships, are suffering from a lack of genuine care and appreciation. It can't help but seem that the world is getting more immersed in a self-absorbed culture that is never satisfied or appreciative. Instead, everyone is concerned with how much more they can get: how much more money, a bigger house, a nicer car, a better mate, etc. This ecology of "more," combined with the rise of a self-absorbed population, is a cesspool for infidelity. It seems that when you don't appreciate your partner, then of course straying, flirting, and cheating is not going to be an issue. It seems that society has forgotten the advice of Lauryn Hill when it comes to respect, appreciation and relationships: "Respect is just a minimum".

Friday, May 1, 2009

President Obama's New Supreme Court Justice


According to an article released today by the Associated Press, Obama will be choosing a new Supreme Court Justice by October. The title of the article is: "Obama's High Court Choice Could Be Hispanic, Woman". 

This is absurd. 


Why is this the title of the article? Neither the gender nor the race of the Supreme Court Justice is relevant to how well they can do the job. This rhetoric is reminiscent of affirmative action; all it does is focus on the supposed special treatment of minorities. While I understand that affirmative action is an issue of asserting equity (and rightfully so), I can already anticipate the backlash. I also find it frustrating that the media interprets Obama's choice of choosing a candidate with "empathy and understanding" means that he will choose either a Hispanic of a woman. These euphemisms of "empathy" and "understanding" are code for ethnic; this is where the absurdity begins. 

I can only hope that if Obama chooses a Hispanic candidate, the media will look beyond race in their portrayal of this person. It is a shame that a person's credentials and qualifications are overshadowed by their race. 


Thursday, April 30, 2009

Jon and Kate plus a Mystery Woman


Why, Jon Gosselin, why?


According to the Vancouver Sun, as well as the photographs, Jon has a lot of explaining to do.

In case you don't know who Jon Gosselin is, he is the father of 8 children and star of TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8. He was spotted calling a mystery woman "babe" and leaving a local bar with her at 2 am.


So sad. So much for being a good father. The one "good guy" on TV and he shows that even good guys are cheaters.


I know Kate can be harpy, bitchy, emasculating and demeaning, but the woman had 8 children! Can you blame her? Maybe they stopped having sex....

Not worth it, Jon, your child support is gonna be outrageous!