Not so Golden After All

In Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled crime fiction, The Big Sleep, Philip Marlowe is portrayed as a private eye in the corrupt city of Los Angeles. He is hired by a wealthy man, General Sternwood, to determine who is blackmailing Sternwood’s daughter Carmen Sternwood. Carmen fills the role of the femme fatal who Marlowe finds himself rescuing throughout the entire novel. The novel tells a tale of murder, betrayal, schemers, and corruption in the sunny city of Los Angeles. 

Since 1968 California has held the nickname “The Golden State” mainly for the expectations of the glitz and glam that Hollywood and Los Angeles are famous for; however, The Big Sleep portrays the alternative side full of fraudulent behavior and violence. The opening scene depicts Marlowe in a powder-blue suit saying, “I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars” (3). Marlowe’s appearance is crucial because it emphasizes the importance of money in this society. Marlowe is willing to do whatever will please his client in order to get the four million dollars. This creates an attitude for the remainder of the novel where characters are willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want. Throughout the novel it is interpreted that many characters end up in the life of crime not because they chose to but because they have no other lifestyle to turn to. Harry Jones says to Marlowe, “She's a grifter, shamus. I'm a grifter. We're all grifters. So we sell each other out for a nickel...” (168). The 1930s era contributes to the pessimistic attitude Harry Jones has for the crime in Los Angeles. He attributes the crime rate to the fact that no one has anything to lose so they join a life of felony.

From the beginning of the novel Philip Marlowe is depicted as a knight whose job it is to rescue the Sternwood daughters. Upon entering the house for the first time Marlowe observes a stain glass mural above the doorway of a knight attempting to rescue a damsel in distress. Marlowe thinks to himself, “if I lived in the house, I would sooner or later have to climb up there and help him” (4). Marlowe becomes the hero and protector for the Sternwood girls because their main protector (their father) is no longer in the condition to save his daughters from villains and predators. This observation is significant because from the first moment Marlowe steps in to the Sternwood home he understands his duty. When General Sternwood meets Marlowe for the first time and assigns him the task of finding out who is blackmailing his daughter Carmen he says, “Vivian is spoiled, exacting, smart and quite ruthless. Carmen is a child who likes to pull wings off flies. Neither of them has anymore moral sense than a cat. Neither have I. No Sternwood ever had” (13). Marlowe recognizes that Sternwood’s daughters are much more wicked than General Sternwood sees them but decides that it is important to protect General Sternwood from seeing the truth about his daughters. Throughout the entire novel Marlowe is forced to come to Carmen’s rescue: first, the night when Geiger was shot and Carmen was sitting in his living room naked, to eventually witnessing Carmen end up naked in his [Marlowe’s] bed. When Marlowe sees Carmen in his bed he remarks, “Knights had no meaning in this game. It wasn't a game for knights” (156). Marlowe identifies the corruption and deceit in Los Angeles and realizes that there is no place for him in this society because it is dominated by the kings and queens. He submits to this defeat upon killing Canino and finding his place among all the other criminals in Los Angeles. 

Los Angeles in the 1930s

The city of Los Angeles is responsible for de-armoring Marlowe of his knightly lifestyle. Marlowe wants to be able to protect the people of the city from the corruption and crime that takes place but he realizes that no matter how much he tries to protect Carmen Sternwood she will always find trouble. In the finale of the book Marlowe believes he does not deserve the money from Mr. Sternwood because he has not held true to his honor and has fallen like the rest of society.

The Suburbs

The TV show Weeds, created Jenji Kohan, critiques and compares inner city and suburban life in America. Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) plays a white, middle aged, widowed mother who begins to sell marijuana in order to maintain her wealthy suburban lifestyle after the death of her husband. Nancy lives in a wealthy suburb called Agrestic in California. Agrestic is a symbol of a perfect, wealthy, white, American suburb. In every episode, Kohan critiques this "perfect" white suburban lifestyle with the theme song "Little Boxes" written by Malvina Reynolds.

"Little Boxes"

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes made of ticky tacky,¹

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses

All went to the university,

Where they were put in boxes

And they came out all the same,

And there's doctors and lawyers,

And business executives,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course

And drink their martinis dry,

And they all have pretty children

And the children go to school,

And the children go to summer camp

And then to the university,

Where they are put in boxes

And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business

And marry and raise a family

In boxes made of ticky tacky

they look just the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

"Little Boxes"

"Little Boxes" portraits white suburban life as dull. Everyone goes to the same university, everyone gets the same job and goes to the same coffee shop before work. Reynolds argues that this wealthy white American dream causes people to conform to what society believes is the correct way to live and raise a family. However, it really just makes everyone into the same boring person.

Nancy breaks the mold. Although, she still wants to enjoy her life in suburbia. She doesn't have a really job or money to support her family, so she resorts to selling weed. This brings up an interesting contrast. For many wealthy white families, the attraction of the suburbs is to avoid the violence, drugs, and conflict of the inner city. However when Nancy decides to start selling weed, she brings these inner city problems to Agrestic. For instance, at the end of season 3, Nancy buys protection from Guillermo, another drug dealer from the city. As a result, Guillermo begins a "war" between rival drug dealers to protect Nancy's business in Agrestic. However, when Guillermo burns down a local weed farm, it causes Agrestic to catch fire and burn to the ground.

Weeds also illustrates the racial tension between white suburbians and Nancy's black drug dealing partners. In an episode in Season 3, Nancy buys a grow house in Agrestic, and her black friend and partner Conrad moves in. When Conrad's sister and mother go on a walk in the neighborhood, they meet a jogger, who waves and smiles, then runs to the other side of the street to continue jogging. This jogger shows the tension between races that can still make some people uncomfortable. Suburbia has high taxes and is for high income families. As a result, wealthy white families are usually the ones who move to the suburbs. So when this jogger sees Conrad's black mother and sister, she becomes uncomfortable because they just seem out of place.

The Imperfection of Perfection within Cities

Tron Legacy is a science fiction film directed by Joseph Kosinski. The main characters of this movie are Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn and Clu, and Garret Hedlund as Sam (Kevin Flynn's son). Tron is a movie about Sam's journey into a virtual reality world that his father, Kevin Flynn created, called The Grid. After the disaperance of his father, Sam became the biggest share holder of his father's company, ENCOM. However, Sam was not interested in his father's company. One day, Alan Bradley, ENCOM's executive, approached Sam about a mysterious "page" that was sent from his father's computer from an old abandoned arcade. While investigating the arcade, Sam found a secret computer room, where he accidentally sent himself into the virtual reality world created by his father: The Grid.

While watching the movie, I noticed parallels and contrast between Tron city and the city in reality.

Compared to the authorities in the real city, the authorities in Tron city were much stricter. In the beginning of the movie, before Sam teleported himself to Tron city, he violated the law several times, but got away: speeding on the highway and breaking into his father's company. However, when Sam arrived at Tron city, he was viewed as a flaw within the system and was immediately captured. Authorities in Tron city seek out all flaws and imperfections in the city, in order to make it the perfect city, as his father had programmed it to be. Flawed “programs” (humans in Tron city) were either "rectified" or forced to play a game, a battle to the death. Corruption and violation of the laws in Tron city was strictly punished or corrected immediately. In contrast, in the real city, the human system is not as effective in dealing with crimes.

In addition, both cities represent modernization. In the real city, we see modernization from the old brick building of the arcade to the tall, glistering glass skyscraper of ENCOM. In the Grid, the city of Tron is located in a middle of nowhere, surrounded by the barren, rocky terrain. The contrast between the structured and lighted city of Tron to the bare and wild terrain that surrounds the city, emphasizes how modernization of a city creates a boundary between humans and nature. The motor bikes used to travel around Tron city, could not be used in the rocky terrain. Compared to the arcade, the ENCOM building was much more sophisticated and technologically advanced. Similarly, Tron city is a technologically advanced city, but it separates itself from the natural world.Finally, this movie wrestles with the idea of the “perfect” city and the corruption of technology. Technological advances and development has always been seen as beneficial to human needs. However, in Tron Legacy, Kevin Flynn attempted to use technology to create the perfect world for humans to live in. He created Clu, and programmed him to help create the “perfect” world. However, Clu saw human qualities as an imperfection that needed to be destroyed. This shows how technology can be useful and beneficial, but we should not depend on technology to do human responsibilities.

Chasing the Bankers: The Duality of Chase Bank in Austin, TX

Chase Tower is a 21-story skyscraper in downtown Austin, Texas at the intersection of Lavaca and West Sixth Street. Owned by JPMorgan Chase & Co, this building is a major banking center for the city of Austin as well as the surrounding area. The Chase Tower houses 389,503 square feet of office space and Chase is a major employer in the Austin community. Furthermore, the Chase Tower has an underground parking garage and it is connected via a skywalk to a parking garage on the opposite side of Lavaca.

For our English project, our group (Connor Smith and Payton Broaddus) initially chose Austin City Hall as our location, but after seeing a crowd of protestors picketing outside Chase Tower, we decided to move location and investigate the role Chase Tower held in the city of Austin. From our research, we found a serious divide on people’s views of both the physical Chase Bank building as well as what it represents.

From one point of view, the Chase Tower is portrayed positively as a public domain and an important part of Austin, and many of the iconic small business and restaurants in Austin were created using capital loaned from the Chase Bank. Looking at the architecture alone, one sees a building that is very grand with its slick black walls and shiny silver windows. This outside appearance of elegance reflects the professionalism of Chase and its employees. During the time we spent there we observed that each of the employees and customers was wearing the professional attire of sport jackets and ties. In one way, then, the Chase Tower is a physical economic and business center of the Austin community.

Photo by Connor Smith - 403 Lavaca Street between Antone's and Lavaca Street Bar

On another level, the Chase Tower also physically acts as a center of local and national politics in the Austin community. On September 26, 2011, Speaker of the House John Boehner came to Austin for a fundraising dinner held at the upper levels of the Chase Tower. From protestors on the ground, we learned that Boehner’s purpose for holding a fundraising dinner was to gain financial donors for his reelection run, and that each person would have to pay upwards of thirty thousand dollars to attend this fund raiser. By choosing Chase Tower rather than any other corporate place to hold his luncheon, Boehner showed that Chase Bank was a fundamental tool in the Austin community for connecting wealthy local business owners to people in the national government. Thus, looking at Chase Tower, you see a corporate entity that plays an important role in connecting the City of Austin’s powerful people to the national political arena.  

In a way, Chase Tower can also be described as a public place. The Chase Tower follows the city rules of the sidewalks around the building being public space, and thus they had to allow people to protest outside of the building. Surprisingly the lobby at the bottom of the building is also open to anyone, and we even saw a few protestors stand in the air-conditioned lobby to escape the heat outside. Furthermore, the police and security guards at the building were very friendly, answering all of our questions and even giving us advice that they were not necessarily supposed to do. For example, an officer who will remain nameless said that he could not give his consent for us to take a picture of him, yet he slyly added that nothing was stopping us from taking a picture of him without asking (which we did). Chase Tower surprisingly had that unique Austin feel (like you would find at places like Amy’s or Barton Springs) even though it was a large corporate building.

However, many people at the protest thought negatively of both the Chase Tower and Chase Bank. I asked one of the protestors what he thought of the actual building and its architecture, to which he replied: “Well architecturally, it shows crap can pile high and pile deep.”

Photo by Connor Smith - Chase Bank at 6th and Lavaca

Although the building on the outside looked nice, to many people the polished surface of the bank could not hide the corruption they believed to be rampant underneath. For many of the protestors, they had a legitimate reason to be angry and suspect corruption in the banking industry. Many of the people we talked to were unemployed, and many others were facing foreclosure by banks due to defaulting on payments. Seeing as how in recent years the federal government bailed out and gave stimulus money to a number of large banks (include JP Morgan Chase and Co.) in order to reduce foreclosures and stem the recession, many of the protestors were angry that they still face threats of foreclosure and suspected foul play on the part of the banks. The anger they felt at John Boehner for not signing the “American Jobs Act” (a bill to jumpstart the economy and help get jobs for the unemployed) transferred also to the banks for mismanaging federal funding and punishing the “middle class.” Thus, the Chase Tower can also be seen as a hub for political cronyism (as seen by Boehner recently holding a luncheon there) as well as hub for corrupt business practices.  

                Finally, by observing both the architecture as well as the people there, I noticed that despite its Austin feel, in other ways the Chase Tower is a private domain that is almost entirely disconnected from the rest of Austin. By comparing the people who worked at Chase Tower and the protestors outside the building, one could see a stark contrast between the economic statuses of the two groups. Whereas the majority of the people who work at Chase Tower were clearly well off and were probably upper class or upper middle class (evident by their attire), the protestors represented the middle class majority of Austin. Nearly everyone I interviewed identified themselves as middle class, and they definitely did not identify themselves with the people of Chase Bank. For example, I interviewed a woman who was one of the first African Americans to graduate from the University of Texas, and she strongly identified with the middle class and the middle class struggle.

This difference between the “middle class” and the “white collar high paid bankers” shows a clear economic divide that helps define the Chase Tower as a fairly separate entity from the mainstream of Austin. 

Photo by Connor Smith - Chase Bank at 6th and Lavaca

                Furthermore, the architecture of the Chase Tower radiates an aura of power and supremacy that separates the building from the rest of Austin. Not only does the Chase Tower overshadow the other buildings and show a sort of supremacy over the rest of the city, but also the chilly and elaborately decorated interior of the building similarly shows a clear distinction from the hot and dirty sidewalk outside the lobby. This idea of supremacy and power compared to the rest of Austin can further be shown by the skywalk that connects the Chase Tower to the parking garage across Lavaca. By making it so that employees of Chase do not have to walk across the sidewalk with other pedestrians, the Chase Tower literally puts the people of Chase above the traffic and other citizens in the city. An image that perfectly captured this was the two well-dressed bankers watching the protest from the parking garage. After a few minutes they got bored with watching the protest and simply traveled across the skywalk to their office, thus physically avoiding contact with the middle class protestors. In effect, the Chase Tower is both architecturally as well as emotionally disconnected from City of Austin.

Compton's Influence in Music

(Caution: Profanity flows freely due to the subject matter discussed in this post)

As rap music was growing on the east coast in major cities like New York, it hadn't quite spread to the west coast. However, eventually, rap spread to the west coast. Compton, California is located just south of Los Angeles. Compton was infamous for its gang related crime including shoot outs, murders, and narcotics. The city of Compton became a major influence of Gangstar Rap(aka Gangsta Rap) in the shaping of rap history. Gangsta rappers rapped about their experiences in Compton, selling drugs and running with the gangs (the Bloods and the Crips). By the 90's, Compton was recognized as the center of West Coast and Gangster Rap, producing rappers like Ice-Cube, Dr. Dre, Easy E, Tupac and Snoop Dog. Many new record companies also sprouted up in Compton. Including Total Trak Productions (TTP), named after the gang Tree Top Pirus located in Compton and Death Row Records run by Marion Suge Knight, a well known gang leader. Easy E also started a record label in Compton which he claimed was funded by his selling of cocaine and other narcotics in Compton.

Map of Compton, CA

N.W.A was one of the most famous rap groups that originated from Compton. In fact, N.W.A pioneered Gangsta Rap on the West Coast. N.W.A rapped about their tough upbringing in Compton. In their album Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A wrote some very controversial songs such as "Fuck tha Police."

N.W.A said that they rapped about reality. In song "Fuck tha Police," N.W.A treats the song as if it is court hearing in which different artists from the group "testify" against police brutality and racial prejudices. For instance, when Ice-Cube raps "Fuck the police/Comin straight from the underground./Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown/And not the other color so the police think/They have the authority to kill a minority...With a little bit of gold and a pager/Searching my car, looking for the product/Thinking every nigga is selling narcotics" Here, Ice-Cube questions the ethics of the police force in Compton and the prejudices that they might have towards black men as all being criminals. Since he has "gold and a pager" the police automatically believe that he is selling drugs, they don't believe that he can make an honest living. The police also think that they "have the authority to kill a minority." Ice-Cube argues the injustice of the society and the police force because he believes no one will question a police man if he kills a minority, but if he kills a white man or women, there would be investigations into the shooting. "Fuck tha Police" even incited action from the FBI who wrote a strongly worded letters to N.W.A and the record producer Ruthless Records about the message of the song. This only inspired N.W.A to write new lyrics, and in a the song "100 Miles and Runnin'" Dr. Dre raps "the FBI is all over my dick!"

"Fuck tha Police"

Selected Lyrics from the song "Fuck tha Police" by N.W.A

Right about now NWA court is in full effect.
Judge Dre presiding in the case of NWA versus the police department.
Prosecuting attourneys are MC Ren Ice Cube and Eazy muthafuckin E.
Order order order. Ice Cube take the muthafuckin stand.
Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth
and nothin but the truth so help your black ass?

Why don't you tell everybody what the fuck you gotta say?

Fuck tha police
Comin straight from the underground
Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority

Fuck that shit, cuz I ain't tha one
For a punk muthafucka with a badge and a gun
To be beatin on, and throwin in jail
We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell

Fuckin with me cuz I'm a teenager
With a little bit of gold and a pager
Searchin my car, lookin for the product
Thinkin every nigga is sellin narcotics...

M. C. Ren, will you please give your testimony to the jury about this fucked up incident.

Fuck tha police and Ren said it with authority
because the niggaz on the street is a majority.
A gang, is with whoever I'm stepping
and the motherfuckin' weapon
is kept in a stash box, for the so-called law
wishin' Ren was a nigga that they never saw

Lights start flashin behind me
But they're scared of a nigga so they mace me to blind me
But that shit don't work, I just laugh
Because it gives em a hint not to step in my path

To the police I'm sayin fuck you punk
Readin my rights and shit, it's all junk
Pullin out a silly club, so you stand
With a fake assed badge and a gun in your hand

Fuck the police (4X)

Police, open now. We have a warrant for Eazy-E's arrest.
Get down and put your hands up where I can see em.
Just shut the fuck up and get your muthafuckin ass on the floor.
[huh?]

and tell the jury how you feel abou this bullshit.

Fuck the police (4X)

The jury has found you guilty of bein a redneck,
whitebread, chickenshit muthafucka.
Wait, that's a lie. That's a goddamn lie.
I want justice! I want justice!
Fuck you, you black muthafucka!

Fuck the police (3X)

Other songs like "Gangsta Gangsta" describe their lives growing up in the city of Compton where they were surrounded by crime and violence. "Straight Outta Compton" was another song in which N.W.A rapped about the reality of the street life. When Dr. Dre says, "You are now about to Witness the strength of street knowledge" he is telling the audience that N.W.A has experienced the harsh life on the streets in the inner cities and these are some of the lessons that they learned while growing up in Compton. Later, when MC Ren raps, "Straight Outta Compton, Another crazy ass nigga/ More punks I smoke, Yo, my rep gets bigger." Here, MC Ren illustrates one of the important lessons of the inner city streets, the importance of a street "rep" (reputation). A strong street "rep" in important to surviving in the inner cities. In order to build a "rep" one must become known for his ability to inflict violence. The "more punks" someone "smokes" or shoots, the more one is feared and respected because of his or her reputation of being a killer.

"Straight Outta Compton"

Selected Lyrics from the song "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A

You Are Now About To Witness The Strength Of Street Knowledge

Verse One: Ice Cube

Straight Outta Compton, Crazy Motherfucker Named Ice Cube

From The Gang Called Niggaz With Attitudes...

Goin Off On A Motherfucker Like That

With A Gat That's Pointed At Yo Ass...

Here's A Murder Rap To Keep Yo Dancin

With A Crime Record Like Charles Manson

AK-47 Is The Tool

So When I'm In Your Neighborhood, You Better Duck

Coz Ice Cube Is Crazy As Fuck

As I Leave, Believe I'm Stompin

But When I Come Back, Boy, I'm Comin Straight Outta Compton

Chorus:

[City Of Compton, City Of Compton]

[Eazy E] Yo Ren

[MC Ren] Whassup?

[Eazy E] Tell Em Where You From!

Verse Two: MC Ren

Straight Outta Compton, Another Crazy Ass Nigga

More Punks I Smoke, Yo, My Rep Gets Bigger

I'm A Bad Motherfucker And You Know This...

Shoot A Motherfucker In A Minute...

A Crazy Muthafucker From Tha Street

Attitude Legit Cause I'm Tearin Up Shit...

See, Coz I'm The Motherfuckin Villain...

But A Nigga Like Ren Is On A Gangsta Tip

Straight Outta Compton...

Chorus:

[City Of Compton, City Of Compton]

[Damn That Shit Was Dope!]

Straight Outta Compton reached number 37 on the U.S billboards, selling over 3 million copies and receiving a double Platinum award, and was named the 62 best album of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Album Cover of Straight Outta Compton

As a result of the rise of West Coast Rap, a feud between the West Coast and the East Coast was sparked. The most powerful record labels in this feud was Death Row Records from Compton, and Bad Boy Records from NYC which featured rappers like Notorious B.I.G.

After an awards show in which members from the west coast rappers and east coast rappers attended, there was a party at the El Rey theater were one was killed. One of the most infamous crimes related to West and East Coast feud was Tupac's murder. When Suge Knight of Death Row Records, and Tupac beat up Orlando Anderson in a gang related incident, Anderson shot Knight and shot and killed Tupac. After months of investigation, Knight was prosecuted for his involvement in Tupac's death as well as many gang related crimes like the selling of narcotics.

The West Coast felt that Bad Boy Records from the East had hired Anderson from the South Side Crips in Compton to kill Tupac, and therefore, they retaliated. After the 11th annual Soul Train Awards in L.A. Notorious B.I.G was shot and later died. The West Coast and East Coast feud had left its mark, with the murders of two of the greatest rappers of their time: Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.