No one seems to be able to decide what Los Angeles “is.” Is it awful? Is it everything? Yes-and-no. It’s a paradoxical thought experiment in action. Whatever you are asking, it is both that and not-that until the instant you observe its that-ness or not-that-ness. And then you look again, and it is-and-isn’t that thing again until the next observation.
Example: is Los Angeles a city steeped in history?
- El Pueblo de Los Angeles (yes)
- LA Live (no)
- Historic houses in West Adams (yes)
- Pre-fab kit houses and and tract homes in Torrance (yes)
- Public housing projects (yes)
- Postmodern fishtank-looking behemoths in WeHo (no)
- Venice Beach (yes)
- Venice Beach (no)
Blink and you’re beginning the experiment anew. Did someone install an antique picture frame in a chain link fence overlooking a construction site? That’s genius! Did someone tag their name in sharpie on a succulent leaf? That’s pathetic. Both, simultaneously, until they are observed.