For this entry we look at 'At Home in the Neon' by Dave
Hickey and 'Fear Sand and Money in Dubai' by Mike Davis. In both texts, it’s a
first person narrative of their impression of a place they visit. It so happens
that both places visited are cities in the middle of the desert: Las Vegas and
Dubai. I just want to first point that such cities should not exist in such
harsh weather conditions. They have been made possible by human intervention,
and only exist because of and for human involvement. Through these two texts we
see that, like the unusual nature of the existence of these cities, what
happens within them is not similar to other cities.
When reading the text, what I found intriguing with both was
the fact that the usual description given of these cities in the media, and on
a day to day basis is reversed. Las Vegas is mostly talked about in a negative
light. It is usually described as the source of ‘evil’, temptation; where you surround
yourself with sin. Dubai, a much newer city, is shown in a new world sort of
light. It is usually put in a favourable light, trying to promote it as a
tourist destination –presented as some kind of paradise.
However in the texts, these preconceived images are
shattered. In the ‘Neon’, the author discusses the possibility of finding a
home/somewhere to settle/have his own identity in Las Vegas. It becomes a safe
place, described as a place where you can get to know yourself – have a sense
of identity. In ‘Dubai’ the ‘paradise’ is crushed, by the hidden reality. The
author talks about the many evils of the place, which end up being even bigger
evils to those you would associate Las Vegas to.
From the Neon, the author argues that Las Vegas is the
destination for the ‘little guy’ - someone with possibly nothing, who here has
the chance/ opportunity to go up in the world. And in Las Vegas the
opportunities are not sugar coated with false promises/information/half-truths:
what you see is what you get.
Whereas in ‘Dubai’: the poor stay poor and are treated as
badly or even worse than they were before coming and only the rich are
introduced to the paradise/ world of consumerism. The rich get to choose
between the different themes and choices that are offered to them but there
isn’t really a sense of identity: you are just defined between the 5 or 6
different choice options. Or, in another scenario, the rich spend/lose their
morals/ideals, everything is blurred: the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ live together,
ignoring the ‘chaos’ surrounding them.
-
Las Vegas: everyone is treated the same/ no
superiority- everyone has the possibility of ‘making it’
-
Dubai: as long as there is the funding behind
it/ as long as you have the money everyone will overlook what you do/ your
morals/ what you are doing
Although I have never been to Dubai, I agree to some of this
negative image given to it. I never saw the appeal of it, and from what I have
heard of people who have been it doesn’t make me want to go. It just seems like
just one big tourist trap for people who can’t be bothered to actually go out
and see the world. Instead they just end up seeing smaller, lesser copies of
snit-bits of different famous places of the world. Dubai is a bit of a messed
collage, made from a world travel magazine catalogue. It is in a way for me a summary
of everything at this going wrong in the world.
I have been to Las Vegas though. And in a way it
is also a kind of collage as well. When visiting it, my first thought was that
its just one big roller coaster that never stops. Nevertheless, I agree with the author in the
fact that what you see is what you get. Of course, I also have to disagree with
him (maybe because I didn’t live but only visited it) but Las Vegas is mainly
about the money. Even if they know the odds, they know that the house wins; it’s
the people who are not honest with themselves. They deceive themselves into
believing they can beat the odds.
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