Loathing In California

Fear and Loathing in California

Throughout America's short history, California has been a mysterious land of snowy mountains, sandy beaches and fertile soil. From the Gold Rush to the Free Love movement, it has been a Mecca for the misunderstood, the thrill seekers, and the independent. For over a hundred years people have found what they were looking for in the sprawling lands of California. Throughout the years, the ideals of the misfits who populated California have shaped the mentality of today's citizens. People migrated to California to escape the rigid structure of the Midwestern communities. For many people immigrating to California, the definition of the California Dream was the escape from community. To many, it may seem that California
is a cold place with no sense of connection between its citizens, but in fact there is a great deal of community in California. In her essay "A New Perspective on the Dream", Denise Spooner writes of the sense of adventure and allure that California has held since the time of the Spanish settlers. Spooner goes on to explain that many held the belief that Southern California held many opportunities, not only for excitement and fun, but also in business (45). The sprawling land of California has called many people to settle in its hills and valleys throughout the years, and the reasons for settling are as diverse as those who are called.
California is a diverse state made up by diverse people. Within its borders one can find sprawling cities with gridlocked highways, and within a 50-mile radius one can also find small tightly knit communities. Sacramento and its surrounding areas provide examples of a larger scale of community every winter when the storms bring flooding across the Delta. The city and surrounding areas come together to supply the population with sandbags and other means of flood protection. The small town communities provide a sort of balance to the lack of small-scale community in the large cities. Where people avoid eye contact in L.A. people reach out to their neighbors in Arcata. Contrary to stereotypes, there are small cities and towns in California. Within these small towns people come together to form bonds that run deep. Neighbors help each other out in times of crisis or hardship, and are there for each other in times of joy and celebration.
In smaller cities and towns the communities form strong bonds within their boundaries. In more suburban areas like Citrus Heights and Rocklin, small cities within the sprawl of Sacramento, neighborhoods form together to watch out for each other. In almost every neighborhood across California there are Neighborhood Watch groups organized to provide assistance within the community. Neighborhood Watch groups come together to patrol areas, watch over each other's houses and vehicles. Neighborhoods come together to discuss local issues that affect their families. Citrus Heights has many strong Neighborhood Watches throughout the city. Growing up, I can remember my parents and neighbors meeting to discuss vandalism, theft and other issues. They also planned Neighborhood functions, street-wide barbeques and holiday festivities and all were invited to participate. The results of these organizations are positive, they effect change in suburban areas and provide a feeling of community to those involved. Even those who do not participate actively sleep better at night knowing that their neighbors are watching out for them and their families.
Where the small cities come together to form deep bonds, the large cities of California are almost the exact opposite in terms of community feel. On the streets of Sacramento or Los Angeles, citizens are anonymous, almost faceless entities in the throng of people. People go about their lives with little thought to their surrounding neighbors. Unfortunately, the lack of community comes at a price. Crime rates in big cities soar. Many people living in big cities often have a feeling of disconnect with their fellow citizens. Depression and apathy take their toll on the disconnected citizens of big cities. If someone does not know their neighbor, or anything about them, people are less likely to put themselves on the line to help a neighbor out. When these feelings spread across an entire population of people it also effects the crime rates. But even though big cities lack a feeling of intimate community, there is still a sense of community for their populations. Big cities have big scale community. On the surface, there seems to be no cohesive element to the large scale population, but as anyone who lives in either Sacramento or Los Angeles knows, the pride of each city's population runs deeply, especially when it comes to basketball. While there may not be a positive intimate feeling of community, there is still a community feeling in big cities.
Feelings of community vary in different settings in California.
There are small, intimate communities willing to help out in times of crisis, and there are large-scale feelings of community in big cities, but there is also a state-wide sense of community that envelops every citizen of California. During my time in the Army, I came to the realization that Californians tend to stick together, especially when outside of their beloved home state. During my years in the Army, it was fairly easy to pick out those people who came from California. There was a certain quality about them that set them apart from others, and that quality seemed to draw the Californians together. Many people might believe that California has no community, but at the broadest level there is a definitive sense of California community. Californians take great pride in their diverse state; they are quick to defend whatever perceived insult is given to their often-misunderstood home. One of the biggest reasons for the mass migrations from the Midwest had to do with getting away from the overwhelming sense of judgment in small communities. In the Midwest, people were judged and deemed worthy citizens based on their honesty and hard work (49). In California, there is little judgment on the streets of big cities. The California community is a broad, statewide sense of camaraderie that envelops all of its
citizens.
Many of the people who immigrated to California were escaping the claustrophobic effects of Midwestern communities.
When asked if they missed the community feeling of the Midwest, many people said they did not, and even those people who had not listed the closeness as a reason for leaving did not seem to miss the community environment (51). Today's Californians have maintained similar principals of independence and anonymity. In the cities, many people do not know their neighbor's names. To many, it seems cold and uncaring, but it is a normal aspect of California culture. There is community across California, from the largest cities to the smallest suburb, but it is often overlooked because it does not meet the traditional standard of community. In California, people can be themselves without fear of judgment on a large scale; it is socially acceptable to be socially unacceptable. Even today, California beckons to people from across the miles; the call of freedom and adventure still lures people to its borders every day. And once inside, once they become a part of the California Community, they can feel truly free to express themselves any way they see fit, because California is a land created by misfits looking for a place to call
home.