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Oh, one more point. I think that security from foreign threat and famine have to come before culture or entertainment. DC provides that security, and without a functioning body of legislation in this country, there would be no time for culture/fashion/entertainment.
Right on, that's another one of the best ways to put it I think.
DC is clearly the more important city. We know this simply by virtue of the fact that so many resources and so much money go into protecting it. For example, I'm not sure if you can even park within 3 blocks of the World Bank. There must be something important going on there if they have snipers all around the area ready to take you out at a moment's notice, right?
Think what would have happened if al-Qaeda destroyed the U.S. Capitol or the White House. Could you imagine the shock that would have been to the country? Probably even more of a shock than the destruction of the Towers. Now if they destroyed the Hollywood sign, there would definitely be outrage, but it would not rise even close to the level of an attack on DC.
When their largest community in the United States is in Los Angeles?
I didn't make this thread just to talk about political connections, Los Angeles does have cultural connections that Washington DC can't match. And it is connected more to the average person in the world than Washington DC is. Maybe the 244,923 Vietnamese people in Los Angeles MSA have families in Vietnam?
Why would any of those average fishermen in Vietnam care $0.02 about another country's capital, when they might (I said might- not that they do) have family in Los Angeles?
Washington DC has a very diverse population as well. But no way can it match Los Angeles, and in this regard I am taking Los Angeles's population size and playing it's importance. It is bigger and more diverse, which does make it more "connected" to the world than Washington DC culturally.
Also by importance, anyone want to get the total visitors to each city numbers out? I am sure Los Angeles trumps Washington DC there. I am the original poster of this thread, and I did say any kind of information goes, which includes what a normal person might perceive as more important. So the international travelers, I'll get the stats and numbers for that in just a little bit.
That can follow under my vague criteria too.
Yes if Washington DC were gone, it would lead to more political turmoil and chaos in our country (for us that live here), but if Los Angeles were gone, then what of those people abroad who lost their families? Companies? importer/exporter? Things like that. Which city do you think appeals more to the average person of the world more? It's Los Angeles.
I'm still staying neutral about my decision though, at least until I have heard it all. Lol.
I disagree with that. DC in my opinion is the most important "city" in the US, possibly world. Decisions made in DC effect everyone in every part of the US. As big and important as NYC is, the same can't be said for it in that regard. However, this has nothing to do with what a city offers and other factors. I mean could anyone argue that if the entire Federal government up and moved from DC to some back water town in the middle of Nebraska it wouldn't then become the most important city?
I mean could anyone argue that if the entire Federal government up and moved from DC to some back water town in the middle of Nebraska it wouldn't then become the most important city? Yes, but they'd be wrong. In effect, you're making the same argument, just on the other side (...if NYC were the U.S. capital and someone said, "lets move the entire Federal government to a mid-size city near the Chesapeake, would that then become the most important city?")
The decisions made in D.C. are made on behalf of the nation by an electorate selected by the citizens from across the nation. Therefore, the decisions made in DC are made for and by citizens in Los Angeles, Chicago, Tacoma, Traverse City, District of Columbia, and on and on by political representatives who happen to temporarily reside in D.C.
As far as almost all other criteria (albeit some of it subjective), LA is more of a global center than D.C. -- culture, size, GDP, economic importance, etc. D.C. simply benefits from the fact that at some point in the 1790s(?), the U.S. government moved to District of Columbia, fairly arbitrarily. Politically -- D.C. is, by most accounts, the important city in the world. But it's an odd beast-- an outlier-- because it plays by different rules.
I can see an argument for D.C. though, because its political clout is simply so huge.
I still dither, even though in the end I voted Los Angeles. I thought in terms of place and source. I feel there are more (albeit consumer driven) innovations, for example, that come out of L.A. that are more culturally relevant, be they good or bad. In that broad sense, I don't feel cultural phenomena come FROM Washington, but as our political center they migrate there. But it's a viable point of discussion, whether Washington has source influence or if its role of arbitrating amongst voices makes it intrinsically influential. I suppose that's a semantic argument that can go either way.
...However, by that token, Washington and NYC do tightly control the national dialogue through media conglomerates. That does count in DC's favor in terms of influence. To be honest, in weighing this particular argument that was personally a mark to its disfavor. My vote's in but I still could have gone either way.
When their largest community in the United States is in Los Angeles?
I'm not sure exactly who the "average" person is. But someone might care more about DC directly if they get an attractive and unique job offer there. For example, work for a federal government agency or for a politician, law firm, IT company, university, museum, etc. It's an area with high economic and population growth, after all.
DC is largely a career-oriented city for most people who live there. That's the nature of the beast.
Having the federal government is much more important than lets say... Hollywood. None of those actors can run a country.
You do realize that you have exposed yourself to a most obvious riposte?
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My vote's in but I still could have gone either way.
