This Is The City: Making Model Citizens In Los Angeles [Paperback]

Ronald J. Schmidt Jr. (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (January 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816641919
• ISBN-13: 978-0816641918
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,017,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is The City (They Wanted), October 5, 2005

By 

R. Yungul "ryterguy" (Studio City, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is The City: Making Model Citizens In Los Angeles (Paperback)

An interesting and original approach to the powers of the mass media on the citizenry of Los Angeles, specifically, from the turn of the 20th century to around 1973, with ramifications continuing on to the present day. Schmidt's thesis concludes that the powers-that-be of LalaLand have used the persuasive power of the press(specifically Harrison Grey Otis and the L.A. Times) and the entertainment industry(movies and television) to provide role models for L.A...ones which strive to inculcate the virtues of self-reliance, justice and respect for the law, albeit safely within the confines of the prevailing political power structures. At best, they would create model citizens who would imitate these qualities and thrive in a community of hard-working and productive law-abiding citizens...but without the political and progressive independence which would jeopardize the status quo. At worst, they encouraged a passive and subservient relationship to those in power.

According to Schmidt, after the riots of 1965 put paid to the loftier model described above, this strategy, further championed by L.A. police chief William H. Parker and exemplified by the 1950's incarnation of television's Dragnet, devolved into a rather cynical attempt to train Los Angelenos to respect the law and accept the fact that their city was a dystopian wasteland. They had better get used to the fact that they may be forced to cooperate with the police at any given time. In other words, keep your nose clean, don't rock the boat, and cooperate with the powers-that-be.

Schmidt makes it clear that to imitate (but not strive beyond) the populist vision of America, the individualist who by definition followed no particular drummer is an inherent paradox, and that such a strategy is doomed to failure. In his final chapter, he uses the themes of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner as an example of what such an approach might have in store for Los Angeles if taken to the nth degree. Food for thought for Los Angelinos and those interested in the plight of urban communities everywhere. I must also mention that there are photographs (many saturated with irony), and illuminating (and where Dragnet is mentioned, very funny) endnotes.

5.0 out of 5 stars Can we get rid of Mike Davis now?, January 29, 2008

By 

Chris LAXEncounter (City of the Angles (LA), CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Is The City: Making Model Citizens In Los Angeles (Hardcover)

Ron Schmidt is a fascinating story teller who unfolds the history of the City of the Angels based upon the City's most infamous protagonist, the LAPD. We all know the characters: :Hollywood film studios, the Chandlers, Darryl Gates, Rodney King, Tom Bradley and even Humphrey Bogart. Not just intellectually stimulating, but captivating and astonishing. A book every Angeleno should have on the shelf. Ron Schmidt has distinguished himself as a preeminent scholar of LA history. Mike Davis - so long.