Solnit's "Hollow City" explores San Francisco as a space in serious peril. First, Solnit claims that the city, marked with political dissent, art, and multiculturalism, is directly challenged by the internet market. Along with this postmodernist economy, gentrification is depleting the rich multi-culturism that has enriched the city with diversity, creativity, and community. What has characterized the city as subversive and diverse is being depleted by the new dot-com culture, which fuels homogenous corporations and the white middle and upper classes to push people of color, artists, and family owned and operated stores out of the city.
In "Tripmaster Monkey" San Francisco is also a space defined by multi-culturism, haunted by Anglo-Saxon colonialization and racism, and comprised of middle-class values as well as a strong counterculture. Kingston's protagonist, Whittman Ah Sing, is surrounded by the city's complex history and environment, as he struggles with his own Chinese American identity amid stereotypes and the city's legacy of manifest destiny and historical racism. Both texts engage in critical dialogues with San Francisco as a site of multiculturalism, threatened by a homogenous Anglo-Saxon narrative.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
San Francisco's large gay and lesbian population inverts San Francisco as a colonialist power propagating a nationalistic ideal of masculinity to ensure its power and wealth. San Francisco has a rich history in queer culture, is the site of the nation's largest gay population, and oversees strong resistance to a hegemonic agenda. One such resistance is demonstrated in the staunch resistance to the current passing of Proposition 8, which takes away the right for gays to marry.
Proposition 8 was "fought with more than $70 million spent on advertising by both sides-breaking national records for campaigning on a social policy initiative" (news.bbc.co.uk/2hi/america/us_elections_2008/7711127.stm). Such ground-breaking support on No on Prop 8 have been enormous, proving a movement in favor of full equality. Queer organizations and progressives strive to subvert the oppressive dominant master narrative that stigmatize the LGBT community, and this collective resistance has its dominant bases in San Francisco and Los Angeles County. The Brechin-esque conception of both cities as imperialistic epicenters of the Western world is deconstructed by an alternative narrative. This narrative dominated both Los Angeles and San Francisco in the form of oppositional voice before the election, and the protests after Prop 8 passed. In San Francisco, thousands united at City Hall, holding a candle light vigil (see pictures at sfist.com/2008/11/06/thousands_protest_over_prop_8.php?gallery17637pic=3#gallery). In a similar spirit of resistance, West Hollywood and Hollywood's streets were completley shut down with helicopters hovering overhead where protestors were engaged in a more assertive opposition. Despite Prop 8 passing, both cities have prevailing leftist views and strong gay and lesbian cultures, debunking the ethos of male nationalism and conquest. However, such consequences of this ethos, namely following divine intervention and upholding the masculine ideals have led the large remaining geography of California in support of the fundamentalist views of marriage in the Bible, or homophobia (see the stunning map at vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/props/map190000000008.htm).
Despite the wrenching revocation of a fundamental right, pro-gay marriage citizens and organizations continue to unite in the struggle to reclaim constitutional rights. Plagued by the same anti-homosexual sentimenets that reinforced nationalistic masculinity in Manifest Destiny thinking, the marginalized queer voice revolts via Lambda and ACLU filing a lawsuit to stop Proposition 8. The lawsuit was initiated by a multitude of organizations as well as gay and lesbian couples all wishing the right of marriage, and all from Los Angeles County and the greater San Francisco. The lawsuit asserts that the election results posted on the California Secretary of State's website appear "to have rejected a majority of votes." The lawsuit also claims that the elections results, if enacted, would be "invalid because it would constitute a constitutional revision and, as such, the California constitution provides that it may not be enacted by initiative." Furthermore, the document affirms that the petitioners "have no other plain, speedy or adequate remedy at law," and thus requires the protection of their inherent right by revoking the proposition (aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/ca_prop8_writepetition.pdf).
Staunch opposition perservers through the lawsuit, as California's formerly largest imperial cities continue to express queer voices and demand for equal rights for all citizens. In the struggle to actualize egalatarianism, San Francisco's, along with L.A.'s, queer communities and supporters offer a dominate counter-discourse and continue to fight despite Prop 8.
Bibliography
aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/ca_prop8_writepetition.pdf. This is where the lawsuit against Prop 8 can be found in its entirety.
h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=10766. This site discusses prevailing Manifest Destiny and anti -Communist thinking fueled by the appraisal of the ideal, militaristic and nationalistic man. Such conceptions of masculinity permitted no room for homosexuals, and allowed an open forum for the master narrative's raging homophobia.
news.bbc.co.uk/2hi/america/us_elections_2008/7711127.stm. Basic article describing Prop 8.
sfist.com/2008/11/06/thousands_protest_over_prop_8.php?gallery17637pic=3#gallery. Photo Documentary of the candle-light vigil held at city hall in San Francisco.
vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/props/map190000000008.htm. Stunning map of the California geography of voters on Prop 8.
Proposition 8 was "fought with more than $70 million spent on advertising by both sides-breaking national records for campaigning on a social policy initiative" (news.bbc.co.uk/2hi/america/us_elections_2008/7711127.stm). Such ground-breaking support on No on Prop 8 have been enormous, proving a movement in favor of full equality. Queer organizations and progressives strive to subvert the oppressive dominant master narrative that stigmatize the LGBT community, and this collective resistance has its dominant bases in San Francisco and Los Angeles County. The Brechin-esque conception of both cities as imperialistic epicenters of the Western world is deconstructed by an alternative narrative. This narrative dominated both Los Angeles and San Francisco in the form of oppositional voice before the election, and the protests after Prop 8 passed. In San Francisco, thousands united at City Hall, holding a candle light vigil (see pictures at sfist.com/2008/11/06/thousands_protest_over_prop_8.php?gallery17637pic=3#gallery). In a similar spirit of resistance, West Hollywood and Hollywood's streets were completley shut down with helicopters hovering overhead where protestors were engaged in a more assertive opposition. Despite Prop 8 passing, both cities have prevailing leftist views and strong gay and lesbian cultures, debunking the ethos of male nationalism and conquest. However, such consequences of this ethos, namely following divine intervention and upholding the masculine ideals have led the large remaining geography of California in support of the fundamentalist views of marriage in the Bible, or homophobia (see the stunning map at vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/props/map190000000008.htm).
Despite the wrenching revocation of a fundamental right, pro-gay marriage citizens and organizations continue to unite in the struggle to reclaim constitutional rights. Plagued by the same anti-homosexual sentimenets that reinforced nationalistic masculinity in Manifest Destiny thinking, the marginalized queer voice revolts via Lambda and ACLU filing a lawsuit to stop Proposition 8. The lawsuit was initiated by a multitude of organizations as well as gay and lesbian couples all wishing the right of marriage, and all from Los Angeles County and the greater San Francisco. The lawsuit asserts that the election results posted on the California Secretary of State's website appear "to have rejected a majority of votes." The lawsuit also claims that the elections results, if enacted, would be "invalid because it would constitute a constitutional revision and, as such, the California constitution provides that it may not be enacted by initiative." Furthermore, the document affirms that the petitioners "have no other plain, speedy or adequate remedy at law," and thus requires the protection of their inherent right by revoking the proposition (aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/ca_prop8_writepetition.pdf).
Staunch opposition perservers through the lawsuit, as California's formerly largest imperial cities continue to express queer voices and demand for equal rights for all citizens. In the struggle to actualize egalatarianism, San Francisco's, along with L.A.'s, queer communities and supporters offer a dominate counter-discourse and continue to fight despite Prop 8.
Bibliography
aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/ca_prop8_writepetition.pdf. This is where the lawsuit against Prop 8 can be found in its entirety.
h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=10766. This site discusses prevailing Manifest Destiny and anti -Communist thinking fueled by the appraisal of the ideal, militaristic and nationalistic man. Such conceptions of masculinity permitted no room for homosexuals, and allowed an open forum for the master narrative's raging homophobia.
news.bbc.co.uk/2hi/america/us_elections_2008/7711127.stm. Basic article describing Prop 8.
sfist.com/2008/11/06/thousands_protest_over_prop_8.php?gallery17637pic=3#gallery. Photo Documentary of the candle-light vigil held at city hall in San Francisco.
vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/props/map190000000008.htm. Stunning map of the California geography of voters on Prop 8.
Monday, October 20, 2008
"Red Lip: Demistifying the Ideals of the Founding Fathers"
Brautigan's vignette "Red Lip" debunks the American myth of the land of freedom and paints a grim picture of what it is like to not adhere to the same ideologies predominate in this country. The symbolism employed in this brief chapter suggests the grimness and finality of the country's stagnant state. For example, the sheriff's notice is "nailed like a funeral wreath to the front door" proclaiming no trespassing. This notice portrays the bleakness of the law, which dictates to citizens what they can and cannot do. "No trespassing" suggests the criminality of the authorities claiming certain land as a site in which people may not wander, which seems to the narrator an incredible folly. In addition, the fact that the notice states "4/17 of a Haiku" emphasizes the absurdity of the contents of the note.
"Red Lip" serves to deconstruct the notion of the American myth founded upon life, liberty, and freedom. The narrator, a wanderer, is completely alienated and marginalized in society. The narrator claims that "No one would stop and pick me up even though I was carrying fishing tackle. People usually stop and pick up a fisherman. I had to wait three hours for a ride." The unwillingness of American citizens to pick up a fisherman hitchhiking suggests the narrator's minority status in society. His choice of foregoing a car in lieu of a free-floating lifestyle is not widely accepted in a society boasting life, liberty, and freedom. This is further depicted in the passage describing an old couple in their car, that "almost swerved off the road and into the river...The car went around the corner with both of them looking back at me." The narrator, a non conformist drifter, is a minority in a society in which the majority are in pursuit of the American dream, purchasing cars, leading a workaday life, and such. The narrator, belonging to a minority, experiences prejudice from his fellow American citizens, who drive past him.
In addition, the outhouse functions as a symbol illuminating the grim self-interest and detestation of humanity in America. The narrator contends that the "inside of the outhouse was exposed like a human face," a simile indicative of the disgust he finds in people's true characters. Furthermore, in a hallucinatory sequence, the outhouse proclaims its builder, who was a "good guy [and] built [the outhouse] with loving care...[left the outhouse as] a monument." Here, Brautigan alludes to the capitalist drive, spurred by self-interest, as the primary motivation in our society. Striving for wealth and recognition, the outhouse builder finds a personal monument in his creation. However, the fact that his product is an outhouse denotes the wastefulness and utter disgust that results from capitalist-driven greed and egotism. Finally, the outhouse's rejection of the narrator and its command to crap in the bushes "like the deer" reaffirms the narrator's status as a misfit and worthlessness due to his refusal of not fitting in as a cog in the machine of society.
"Red Lip" serves to deconstruct the notion of the American myth founded upon life, liberty, and freedom. The narrator, a wanderer, is completely alienated and marginalized in society. The narrator claims that "No one would stop and pick me up even though I was carrying fishing tackle. People usually stop and pick up a fisherman. I had to wait three hours for a ride." The unwillingness of American citizens to pick up a fisherman hitchhiking suggests the narrator's minority status in society. His choice of foregoing a car in lieu of a free-floating lifestyle is not widely accepted in a society boasting life, liberty, and freedom. This is further depicted in the passage describing an old couple in their car, that "almost swerved off the road and into the river...The car went around the corner with both of them looking back at me." The narrator, a non conformist drifter, is a minority in a society in which the majority are in pursuit of the American dream, purchasing cars, leading a workaday life, and such. The narrator, belonging to a minority, experiences prejudice from his fellow American citizens, who drive past him.
In addition, the outhouse functions as a symbol illuminating the grim self-interest and detestation of humanity in America. The narrator contends that the "inside of the outhouse was exposed like a human face," a simile indicative of the disgust he finds in people's true characters. Furthermore, in a hallucinatory sequence, the outhouse proclaims its builder, who was a "good guy [and] built [the outhouse] with loving care...[left the outhouse as] a monument." Here, Brautigan alludes to the capitalist drive, spurred by self-interest, as the primary motivation in our society. Striving for wealth and recognition, the outhouse builder finds a personal monument in his creation. However, the fact that his product is an outhouse denotes the wastefulness and utter disgust that results from capitalist-driven greed and egotism. Finally, the outhouse's rejection of the narrator and its command to crap in the bushes "like the deer" reaffirms the narrator's status as a misfit and worthlessness due to his refusal of not fitting in as a cog in the machine of society.
Friday, October 10, 2008
"Ferlingetti's 'Yachts in Sun'"
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "Yachts in Sun" depicts the dichotomous spaces of San Francisco explored in lecture. The first space explored is that of the imperial city, with its grandeur, luxury, and the staunch inequality it promotes. Ferlinghetti then contrasts this privlidged, capatilist space with one haunted by the themes of mongrel and otherness. "Yachts in Sun" surveys the common space of San Francisco as one marked by numerous binaries such as the privliged and the marginalized, and those that feed the capitalist machine and those who rebel and in turn are trampled by it.
Througout "Yachts in Sun," Ferlinghetti employs symbolism in order to encapsulate San Francisco as an imperial city, dominated by white nativism and capitalist luxury. The yachts themselves embody a luxurious commodity, indicative of the wealth and splendor possessed a sliver of society. Furthermore, the descriptions of the "white yachts," "white sails," "the white buoy," and "white spinnakers" signifies the homogenous white upper classes, seemingly privliged due to their race. In addition, the portrayal of the white yachts "All together racing now/for the white buoy" recalls the frenetic competition that capitalism requires. Each yacht is a representative of the individual caught in the web of monoculture, striving to attain wealth. However, "Yachts in Sun" depicts such consequences of the greed and grandeur produced by capatilsim through the Alcatraz convict.
The lines "Where once drowned down/an Alcatraz con escaping" signals a shift in tone in the poem. The convict serves as a drastic contrast to the wealthy citizens on the yachet, and resembles San Francisco as a space haunted by the mongrel and the other. It is likely that the convict is not a member of the white upper crust of society. Rather, he serves as a foil, either by his different race, and most surely by his outcast role in society. The con's "bones today are sand/fifty fathoms down/still imprisoned now/in the glass of sea" indicates the social outcomes of the other or possibly the mongrel living in the American city. The convict, who did not adhere to social codes and probably was never amongst the privileged is doomed in the imperial city which does not afford him room to endure. The last line "As the so skillfull yachts/freely pass over" denotes the liberty the upper classes possess due to their wealth. "Yachts in Sun" paints a grim portrait of the liberal San Francisco as dominated by capitalist ideologies in which the winners are white and well-off, and the losers are doomed by either race, class, or refusing to adhere to society's principals.
Througout "Yachts in Sun," Ferlinghetti employs symbolism in order to encapsulate San Francisco as an imperial city, dominated by white nativism and capitalist luxury. The yachts themselves embody a luxurious commodity, indicative of the wealth and splendor possessed a sliver of society. Furthermore, the descriptions of the "white yachts," "white sails," "the white buoy," and "white spinnakers" signifies the homogenous white upper classes, seemingly privliged due to their race. In addition, the portrayal of the white yachts "All together racing now/for the white buoy" recalls the frenetic competition that capitalism requires. Each yacht is a representative of the individual caught in the web of monoculture, striving to attain wealth. However, "Yachts in Sun" depicts such consequences of the greed and grandeur produced by capatilsim through the Alcatraz convict.
The lines "Where once drowned down/an Alcatraz con escaping" signals a shift in tone in the poem. The convict serves as a drastic contrast to the wealthy citizens on the yachet, and resembles San Francisco as a space haunted by the mongrel and the other. It is likely that the convict is not a member of the white upper crust of society. Rather, he serves as a foil, either by his different race, and most surely by his outcast role in society. The con's "bones today are sand/fifty fathoms down/still imprisoned now/in the glass of sea" indicates the social outcomes of the other or possibly the mongrel living in the American city. The convict, who did not adhere to social codes and probably was never amongst the privileged is doomed in the imperial city which does not afford him room to endure. The last line "As the so skillfull yachts/freely pass over" denotes the liberty the upper classes possess due to their wealth. "Yachts in Sun" paints a grim portrait of the liberal San Francisco as dominated by capitalist ideologies in which the winners are white and well-off, and the losers are doomed by either race, class, or refusing to adhere to society's principals.
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