If L.A. is "fake" then what cities are "real"? (Los Angeles: houses, movies)

[readymade]

I agree. Great post!

Originally Posted by drunk on kool aid

I think there are many definitions of "fake" and in a place as diverse and massive as L.A. one can find examples that will fit each one of those definitions.

For folks who define fake as obsession over brands and material things, sure there are Angelenos who argue about DC vs Vans; Louis Vuitton vs. Gucci; Rolex vs. Omega. But what about people who fight over Chevy vs Ford vs Mopar ("friends don't let friends drive a Ford"), Snap-On vs Craftsman, Bud vs Coors or Smith & Wesson vs Colt? What about people who spend hours arguing over sports teams? I've only known a few people who've owned Porsches or Ferraris but these guys really, really loved their cars. They would have bought them regardless of what anyone else thinks of them—they weren't a status symbol.

Some people think celebrity or fame is a sign of fakeness. Maybe, but for a lot of people in entertainment, their career requires fame. If they aren't in the audience's consciousness, they're out of a job. The problem is that many people won't go to a movie or see a band unless it has someone famous in it, regardless of merit. It'd be nice if that wasn't the case but whatcha gonna do? I often read that L.A. is celebrity-obsessed but are the tabloids and celebrity programs like TMZ only shown and only popular in L.A.? I suspect that they are popular all over the country.

Another sign of fakery seems to be the interest in new things: yoga (really? it's been in the U.S. for decades if not close to a century), pilates, green-tech, sushi, etc. Major cities and maybe the west coast in particular tends to invent, accept and adopt new things so I guess it's foregone that at any one time, more people here will be experimenting with or partaking of these new things. But you know what? Many of these people enjoy the new things they're doing or putting down their gullet. If someone likes to try new things and actually likes it, what's so fake about that?

Different subcultures have their own set of dress, jargon and behavior: air-kissing theater kids vs spitting baseball players. I don't fit into either group and some of their behaviors probably elicit an eyeroll from me, but, fake? I doubt it.

I guess for me, the most basic definition of fake is to pretend to be what one is not. What about the atheist or Wiccan or gay/transgendered person who has to pretend to be a Christian or straight in some of the places being touted as "real" vs being comfortably open about it in a place like L.A.?

[The_Rambler]

Wow this thread blew up! I'd like to say that I live in the middle of Alabama in a very rural area in what the Fox News crowd calls the "real" America. As far as cellphones, flaunting money, tricked out cars, and vapid celebrity obsessed culture, well we've got that in heaps here, too.

[415_s2k]

I also don't really understand the rationale behind labelling someone in LA and wears designer sunglasses, has Louis Vuitton luggage the only use once a year, and drives a BMW M3 that never sees a racetrack is automatically FAKE and worthy of ridicule and derision, when a guy who wears a Tapout shirt but doesn't do MMA, owns multiple tactical-grade firearms but has never been in the military let alone a gunfight and lives in a middle American suburb with no crime, and drives a Silverado thats lifted and sits on 32-inch swampers that never sees dirt is "legit."

This whole "real American/fake American" crap is just that: crap.

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

I also don't really understand the rationale behind labelling someone in LA and wears designer sunglasses, has Louis Vuitton luggage the only use once a year, and drives a BMW M3 that never sees a racetrack is automatically FAKE and worthy of ridicule and derision, when a guy who wears a Tapout shirt but doesn't do MMA, owns multiple tactical-grade firearms but has never been in the military let alone a gunfight and lives in a middle American suburb with no crime, and drives a Silverado thats lifted and sits on 32-inch swampers that never sees dirt is "legit."

This whole "real American/fake American" crap is just that: crap.

Touche!

This entire thread is so misleading and fraught with distortions and ridiculous assumptions. All of a sudden, living in a mundane city like Baltimore [someone used Baltimore as an example but we can easily use almost every large city] as being a "real" city with "real" people and therefore better than Los Angeles. Who says? And who wants to live in Baltimore or most American cities in the East\ Midwest\ South? I'm sure these cities are charming in their own way but probably not near as interesting as Los Angeles. None of this makes sense and is an excuse for out-of-state yokels to slam LA and California [something that they do almost every day

[matt_sfl]

Anything of physical matter is real to me.

[The_Rambler]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

I also don't really understand the rationale behind labelling someone in LA and wears designer sunglasses, has Louis Vuitton luggage the only use once a year, and drives a BMW M3 that never sees a racetrack is automatically FAKE and worthy of ridicule and derision, when a guy who wears a Tapout shirt but doesn't do MMA, owns multiple tactical-grade firearms but has never been in the military let alone a gunfight and lives in a middle American suburb with no crime, and drives a Silverado thats lifted and sits on 32-inch swampers that never sees dirt is "legit."

This whole "real American/fake American" crap is just that: crap.

Bravo!

[impala666]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

Let's hear it for cynicism

Lets hear it for Caltrans.
Culvert relining down the cliffs of the Big Sur: contractor, Caltrans personnel rappel down cliffs, camouflage down drain. | North America > United States from AllBusiness.com (http://www.allbusiness.com/real-estate-rental-leasing/rental-leasing-services/4509410-1.html - broken link)

[Iburytheliving]

Originally Posted by Puddy4LyF

Annoying grammar note: When you quote a word within a sentence that is followed by punctuation it goes within the quotation marks. I.e: If L.A. is "fake" then what cities are "real?"

.

I'd be a little more certain before being so cockily wrong next time.

[urbanjunglist]

Originally Posted by californio sur

None of this makes sense and is an excuse for out-of-state yokels to slam LA and California [something that they do almost every day

Absolutely. I live in Chicago. If you define 'fake' as materialistic, pretentious, stuck-up, celeb-obsessed, etc... then you can find plenty of fake people here depending on the neighborhood. I will not be specific, but anyone who has an idea about Chicago could name a couple hoods that I am thinking of

I find that people who live here, and call LA fake... those are the same people that hate LA. Saying the culture out there is fake, well of course that's just the easiest slam for them to employ and feel like they got the last word (which, in the windy city... is of course what it's all about).

Like Mattslf said... anything of physical matter is real to me. I love LA, and the times I have visited I often think "Holy sh** this is real?!"

[the one]

"the industry" does not represent LA or the level of "realness" in LA. if you think so, you are very wrong. basing your opinions on a small section of the city is equally ridiculous. there is more to LA than what pampered kids think they see...

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realllllnessssss!!!!!!