Los Angeles is one of the largest cities in the U.S. As such, a lot of people who want to “make it” in the world eventually want to move here - the logic being that larger cities have more opportunities, ensuring its inhabitants a greater chance of success.
And while this is true of all major cities – such as New York, which some consider is ‘the greatest city on Earth’ –L.A. stands out from the rest of them in the way that, over the years, it’s become increasingly notorious for making people “famous” for no apparent reason.
Because of this phenomenon, Los Angeles has become known as this place that grants fame to people just for living here. And this “fast track to celebrity” (which we so often mistake for “success”) attracts a certain kind of people – the kind who want to be noticed.
Keep in mind that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to be noticed or appreciated. It’s a very human trait that’s inside all of us at some level. But some people want / need it more than others and those are the ones that flock to L.A. (specifically Hollywood)
But what these people fail to appreciate when they finally get here is that everyone else has the same goal. And it is incredibly difficult to achieve that goal in a city this large with that much competition against you.
For a person to truly stand out, they need to market themselves..… constantly….to a greater degree than everyone else….who are already doing the exact same thing.
And it’s this kind of 24/7 “mega-marketing” that has them practically shouting LOOK AT ME! all the time (to no one in particular) that creates the kind of self-absorption, elitism and conceitedness that everyone hates about this city.
But the only reason people think “everyone from L.A.” is like this is because that’s how well those people market themselves.
So….yeah. L.A. attracts a lot of obnoxious people that get a lot of attention. And I think that’s one of the reasons why people from here get such a bad reputation. Am I right / wrong?
What do you all think?
1 comment:
I agree. When I hear complaints that LA people are shallow and narcissistic it is often from out-of-state transplants who came here to be "in the Industry" and only hang out with others like them. So really they're hating themselves. L.A. basically takes in all the douchebags from everywhere in the country--even the world. The rest of the world should thank us.
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