The Irony of Defending Cultures

In section yesterday we talked a little bit about how America is a preserver of cultures. We pride ourselves on museums that showcase ancient Native American rituals and artifacts, yet it was America that is the reason that these artifacts and entire culture have to be preserved in the first place.

On a smaller scale, San Fransisco's Mission District prides itself on being the "oldest part" of the city. Mission is brimming with culture and a mishmash of political and social anxieties and stances. Yes, this community is old time San Fransisco, but it is changing.

As the cost of living in SF skyrockets, "older timer" Mission residents, who are comparatively poorer, are forced out of their longtime homes and being replaced with the wealthier entrepreneurs, namely "techies".

A really interesting article that I read in the SF Gate, it's really good! 

http://www.sfchronicle.com/the-mission/


We talked a lot about Nina Serrano's "Mission Story" that reflects on the old time Mission District as a center of poetry. I really enjoyed her poem "The Mission Story", which outlines her (and her daughters) arrival in Mission, when it was still raw and had any kind of tangible cultural roots.

Today, it seems that (not unlike the rest of the city), the Google and Internet boom has brought heavy gentrification of Mission. Instead of taquerias and small mom and pop produce shops, trendy cafes and luxury restaurants moved in and now occupy the district. Is this a good thing? Definitely not. But I'm not so sure that it is a bad thing either. The Mission districts is now a product of the time. Yes, it has lost a lot of what it was, its predominantly Mexican and Central American authenticity has been diluted with 10$ latte stores. Embarassing? Yes. But accurate nonetheless.

Photo of Mission Dolores in the early 1850's