Blog#1: LA Through The Lens of Immigrants

From a young age, I have always had a unique fascination with Los Angeles, stemming from media influence. Whether it was watching my brother game on Grand Theft Auto, a video game that artificially created a free-roam of L.A., or spending hours on the couch with friends binging La La Land, Beverly Hills Cop and San Andreas, L.A. has always had a special place in my heart. However as I got older, something about the cities glamorous red carpet and $9 botox adverts on the side of the 405 didn’t seem right to me. The media influence had eventually caused a divide in my perception of Los Angeles that everything portrayed through Films and Reality TV shows was just one massive facade to cover up what really goes on behind the scenes. That’s my reasoning for taking this class. I’m on a conquest to figure out the shams and lies Hollywood has manifested.

Growing up in Orange County, the city of Los Angeles has always been in my backyard. Unfortunately, my adventures to my backyard have been limited to Culver City and other lackluster cities thanks to family that chose to reside there after immigrating from South Africa. This definitely inhibited trips to other parts of L.A. , but it wasn’t the primary factor. My parents decided to move to Southern California in 1999 to give my brother, sister, and I a place to flourish with unlimited opportunity and without the threat of violence and corruption. Marina Del Rey (pictured above), a seaside community, was the place strategically chosen because of convenient corporate housing and a place depicted as “fun”. L.A. turned out to be a dark and lonely place for my parents. They described it as a very transient place with no long-lasting relationships and almost used as a halfway point for people reaching the place they really wanted to go. This demeanor stuck with me and my family has associated L.A. as a very unsettling place, hence the reason they moved to Irvine in Orange County. 

As a native to SoCal, I feel the obligation to explore L.A. as it hasn’t been a focus for me throughout my life. L.A. is a convoluted city that can be explored in many different aspects whether you have lived there your whole life or new to the city. I’m excited to learn the different points of view my classmates have of Los Angeles and how we can shape each other’s views through our own experiences. Additionally, I’m eager to watch the original Blade Runner as its always been a bucket list Sci-fi movie I have been meaning to cross off my list. I can’t wait for this revitalizing year! 

-Brad Shill