Amanda Fortini takes fascinating look at Smogtown, by Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly, on Slate: "In Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles, journalists Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly document the rise of this tenacious phenomenon and the various, often-bungled attempts to eradicate it. The narrative that emerges is more than a tale of a region and a populace besieged by smog; it is also a parable for a nation beset by environmental and social problems. Though smog may have been, as the authors write, 'not only a blight on the skyline but on the boom mindset,' it was not, apparently, blight enough to impel the citizens of Los Angeles to make any material or long-term sacrifices. In the end, the smog crisis is a parable with a pessimistic moral: To a large degree, the authors write, people breathed the air they deserved."
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
SMOGTOWN's L.A. Story Featured on SLATE
Amanda Fortini takes fascinating look at Smogtown, by Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly, on Slate: "In Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles, journalists Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly document the rise of this tenacious phenomenon and the various, often-bungled attempts to eradicate it. The narrative that emerges is more than a tale of a region and a populace besieged by smog; it is also a parable for a nation beset by environmental and social problems. Though smog may have been, as the authors write, 'not only a blight on the skyline but on the boom mindset,' it was not, apparently, blight enough to impel the citizens of Los Angeles to make any material or long-term sacrifices. In the end, the smog crisis is a parable with a pessimistic moral: To a large degree, the authors write, people breathed the air they deserved."
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