Week 3: 3A World Cities "Isla Vista vs. Vallejo"

Isla Vista vs. Vallejo

Assumptions and Stereotypes:

Isla Vista:
Isla Vista is viewed as a college town. It is known for its alcohol, drugs, and sexual promiscuity. Its roughly 18,000 residents are UCSB college students. The high concentration of 18 to 24 year olds leads to wild partying. The residents of Isla Vista are stereotyped as the typical southern California surfer with a tan and a surfboard. Isla Vista is also known for its music.

Vallejo:
Vallejo is stereotyped as being a very poor and dangerous city. Car jackings, armed robberies, theft, breaking and entering, drugs, prostitution, and gang activity are a few of the many crimes often associated with Vallejo. It is also associated with rapper Mac Dre. He put Vallejo on the map with his raps about the hard life in Vallejo.

Three similarities:

1) Both Isla Vista and Vallejo are known for their alcohol and drug activity.
2) Both Isla Vista and Vallejo are densely populated.
3) Both Isla Vista and Vallejo have rich musical cultures.

Three differences:

1) Vallejo is six and a half times bigger than Isla Vista.
2) The nature of Vallejo crime is much more violent than Isla Vista's.
3) Vallejo houses residents who are much less educated than Isla Vista.

My Question:

I know Vallejo is a large city, but why is there so much violent crime going on in it?

How this component connects to my study of Humanities:

This component connects to my study of Humanities because I am researching the stereotypes and assumptions of two different cities. By understanding these stereotypes, I better understand society and the assumptions it makes and how this can influence culture.

What I learned from another student:

I read that San Francisco is one of the world's most diverse cities from Denya Beaudry's blog. I think connects to humanities because it highlights the fact that some cities are very diverse and others are not. It would be interesting to research the effect diversity has on a city's culture.

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallejo%2C_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isla_Vista