Lana Yoo
I’m ashamed to admit that even after four years of being a Bruin, my friend from Arizona knows much more about Los Angeles hot spots than I do. Thanks to her weekly dosage of “The Hills,” her love for Los Angeles far surpasses mine.
And my response to her mocking criticism of my lack of enthusiasm for Los Angeles is always the same: the city’s surface glitz masks the frustrating toils of living in the city. The lack of parking and affordable housing everywhere, the traffic at every hour, general crowding and excess noise emitting from every direction are only but some of the less than glamorous aspects of living in a city.
Unexpectedly, however, a recent visit to UC Riverside finally allowed me to appreciate Los Angeles ““ and not because I realized that the city offers “much more to do” than Riverside. Rather, I saw how the very flaws of Los Angeles shape our experience at UCLA, contributing to our transition into adulthood by forcing us to adapt to these challenges, but most importantly, by catalyzing UCLA’s distinguishable activism. Despite our self-accusations of living in the UCLA/Westwood bubble, Los Angeles molds and enhances our college experience more than we think ““ and without Los Angeles as our backyard, UCLA’s tradition of activism would not be as we know it.
It’s funny that I say this, because prior to that visit, I complained about living in Los Angeles. The charm and excitement that “the city” had cast had faded after the first two years, and I increasingly found myself ironically missing my previously unappealing rural, suburban hometown: the wide-open spaces, plenty of parking, lack of crowding and traffic.
And Riverside first attracted me for these same exact reasons. Upon arriving in the suburban city, I heaved a sigh of relief at the comforting suburban sights such as leisurely shoppers strolling in spacious strip malls and plazas with absence of the typical LA bickering over parking.
As I walked around the campus, however, it dawned on me that I found Riverside’s suburbia that much comforting because that’s the environment where I had once lived. During college, it certainly would have been nice to have avoided traffic and sky-high prices (you know it’s a city when there’s no Target to be found within 10 minutes of driving). But then how much would college have proved to be different from living at home? How much would I have been challenged to remove myself from everything I’ve known, to test my ability to adapt and adjust ““ like in all pending situations of the “adult world”? Surely, the answer to both is “not much.”
But even more importantly, the very backdrop of Los Angeles deserves credit for inspiring and stimulating UCLA’s heritage of activism. And not only are students’ initiatives for reform limited to student affairs on campus, but oftentimes Los Angeles’ issues become just as much as our own. Had we not lived in Los Angeles, would we care as much about workers’ rights and compensations and May Day? Had we not lived in Los Angeles, would we be disturbed by the hopeless fight against poverty and homelessness, sights familiar in our everyday trek down to Westwood Village? Had we not lived in Los Angeles, would we be motivated to empower underserved youth in inner cities? Would we be even aware of these issues ““ at all?
At Riverside, I didn’t sense the same degree of evidence for the fuel for change: no significant banners or signs testifying this desire. Granted, it was on a weekend, but walk up Bruin Walk on a Sunday, and you’re sure to be greeted by multiple sandwich boards for a bevy of causes. And during the weekday, of course, the bombardment of fliers and muffins on Bruin Walk has only become legendary.
While of course the self-driven impetus for change among Bruins is due credit behind the activism, Los Angeles itself plays a large role in catalyzing these motivations. In schools within comfortable surroundings ““ whether it be affluent La Jolla for UCSD, placid Davis, or easy-going Riverside ““ the intensity for change is less visible than found at UCLA. The harshness of Los Angeles magnifies the need for social change, and had our surroundings been any of the said peaceful settings, the urgency for active change would have appeared deceivingly less. La Jolla, Davis, and Riverside may be comfortingly tranquil because they are not quite cities ““ and not quite in need of our activism.
As I sat in traffic, I used to curse that “City of Hell” would be more fitting for the name of this city. But after four years, I now call it the City of Angels, blessing its college students through their transition into active young adults. And when my friend from Arizona comes to visit over the summer, I’ll have plenty of reasons to say why I’m proud to be an Angeleno, and for reasons much more than living in the stomping grounds of “The Hills'” actors.
If you’re taking the streets, e-mail Yoo at jyoo@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.