Bizarre Feeling of Extreme Evil in Los Angeles (Alhambra, Barstow: gated, bars)

[Cream1]

Originally Posted by WizardOfRadical

Capitalism is evil in general.

Like totally, man

[bus man]

I didn't get an evil vibe from Los Angeles; but then again, I've only been there once, so my opinion really won't carry much weight.

But I do agree with the OP's larger point, that some places can just feel off, or wrong, or sinister, or downright evil. I used to visit New York City on a regular basis in the mid to late 1980s, and then less frequently (every two or three years) from then up until now. And it always struck me how strong a personality the city had, and how it could be radically different from one visit to the next. Some times, it felt exciting and inviting, but there were other times it felt oppressively dangerous, as if the whole city was just waiting for me to make one wrong move and pounce on me. There were times when I breathed a sigh of relief when I escaped, while there were other times I was sad to leave.

I've never been to New Orleans, but I have this mental image of that city being evil, in a voodoo-spirit sort of way. And though I've never been to Skidmore, Missouri, two sensational crimes in that one small town (a local bully being gunned down in broad daylight in front of a crowd, yet no one claimed to have seen anything; and someone cutting a baby out of the belly of a pregnant woman) have led me to not ever want to get anywhere near that place.

[Mr_Geek]

Some places feel shady but I've never had a place anywhere feel evil so I have no clue what OP is talking about.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

This thread reminds me in a way of the 19-year-old me.

Sorting out all the strange new feelings whilst being in The Southland.

I got over it by the time I finished my undergrad.

The saddest day of my life, in retrospect, was when I moved "back home" for what appeared at the time to be a "must do" career move.

Not a day goes by where I don't regret my decision to leave.

If anything, there is an "evil" undercurrent up here near a company who used to blab "Do No Evil!"

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Why is that?

Thetans.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by theraven24

This thread is becoming one big joke.

Where is the OP? OP, just curious, have you been watching American Horror Story: Hotel?

Well the OP is probably under a bridge. Posters who start threads like this and than don't come back usually do.

You're probably right about AHS:Hotel....LOL.

[Rock Climber]

My first impressions of L.A. and OC weren't about "evil".

My gut feeling about Southern California is: This must have been paradise in the 1950s, before too many people moved here and ruined it.

I'm sad that I could never see the region before growth made it insanely overbuilt and a rat race. I remember waking up to catch a flight out of JWOC airport, and it had rained the night before. I could see snow on the mountains to the east, and see the shimmering ocean and palm trees to the west. The air was clean and crisp because traffic had not ramped up enough to cloud the air, which smelled like strawberries.

By the time my flight took off 2 hours later, the air was heavy and turning brown again.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by Rock Climber

My first impressions of L.A. and OC weren't about "evil".

My gut feeling about Southern California is: This must have been paradise in the 1950s, before too many people moved here and ruined it.

I'm sad that I could never see the region before growth made it insanely overbuilt and a rat race. I remember waking up to catch a flight out of JWOC airport, and it had rained the night before. I could see snow on the mountains to the east, and see the shimmering ocean and palm trees to the west. The air was clean and crisp because traffic had not ramped up enough to cloud the air, which smelled like strawberries.

By the time my flight took off 2 hours later, the air was heavy and turning brown again.

Well you'll have to move your date of paradise back a good 10 to 15 years. The much dreaded LA smog showed up in the early 1940's during WW II. At first people thought it was chemical warfare by the Japanese. So the 1930's in LA had clean air but who would want to come of age in the Great Depression, unless your name is Charlie Chaplin or Clark Gable.

[No_Recess]

Holy crap! Talk about eerie...

Just a few days ago I overheard a conversation between two "eccentric" fellows at the Chevron station on West Valley Blvd in Alhambra in which one claimed "everything east of Alhambra is filled with evil spirits".

Not sure where the exact line of demarcation is but there ya go. Also, the guy listening was wearing a coonskin hat ala Davey Crockett so there's that.

[wander_x]

I think you're onto something. Every place has a certain energy, and there is definitely something about LA - but it's a struggle to really put your finger on besides experiencing personal "vibes". Many writers have noted the feeling of being at the "edge of the earth", along with the idealized perception of Hollywood vs the reality of a gritty place of broken dreams and a transient social structure. There are so many stories, emotions, and disappointments tied up in the pursuit of LA.

So maybe the sense of "evil" is really a sense of disappointment and loss of innocence, how the ideas we used to believe (anything is possible!) are not real and the world is actually quite messed up sometimes. We as humans want to make sense of things, but I don't think LA can be summarized easily.

Also people generally don't come to LA with open minds, they come with preconceived expectations, which are bound to be different in person. It really depends on where you are in the city, but some places almost feel like they once meant something, but have decayed or lost ties with what they once were, or many places seem normal/safe on the outside, but aren't.

That being said, there's also a lot of opportunity, happiness, and fun to be had in LA! But the bad and the good are pushed up against each other, two sides of the same coin, much like life.