I am currently considering Mike Davis’ City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles in conjunction with The Wu-Tang Manual.
More specifically, I just finished reviewing the section the RZA devotes to the discussion of his alter-ego “Bobby Digital.” The RZA describes his assumed identity most concisely:
“Bobby Digital is the character I came up with for myself, my alter-ego. It’s mostly a chance for me to live out some of my hip-hop past that got pushed aside by RZA….So Bobby Digital is about what molded me: comic books, video games, the arcade scene, breakdancing, hip-hop clothes, MCing, DJing, human beatboxing, graffiti plus Mathematics and the gods.”
As the RZA continues, he makes it overwhelmingly evident that he actually wanted to pursue the identity of the alter-ego that he fabricated. He describes, enthusiastically, the suburban that he had manufactured in order to be resistant to both bullets and bombs, and the suit that lie in wait. In many ways, he allows the reader to believe a scenario in which he would actually assume this comic-book esque identity (based on his affinity for particular super-heros), and correct those issues which once confronted him or, for that matter, which continue to plague him:
“I was getting ready to go out at nighttime and right some wrongs.”
Interestingly, the alter-ego, that the RZA identifies, has the capacity to do what he feels he is limited from doing as the RZA. Similarly, I feel as though my alter-ego is empowered in ways that I am inhibited. I assume the internet identity of the jargoncomputer and blog about issues that I think are pertinent, interesting, and absurd. It is not as though I deny my capabilities as Derek Risse. I simply feel as though my alter ego empowers me, or gives additional strength, perspective, etc.
“You think this is a fuckin’ costume? This is a way of life!” – (Suicide from The Return of the Living Dead)
This is where I draw the parallel to Davis’ text. In the initial chapter of the text, Davis explains the ways in which the ”Boosters” manufactured and sold the myth of Los Angeles, in an attempt to lure both capital and people. The Boosters proclaimed that Los Angeles would be an Anglo-Saxon empire; the Rome of the West (“racial reinvigoration”). They produced a narrative of native submission and emphasized the nurturing effect of the sunshine. The myths denied that which ultimately existed in Los Angeles, and worked. The great paradox that Davis unravels is that the city of Los Angeles experienced significant population and capital growth despite the absence of industrial foundations. The Boosters successfully sold people on a Los Angeles that did not even exist; on what he refers to as an “artificial landscape.” Later in the text, Davis identifies another significant group in Los Angeles; a group he refers to as the “mercenaries.” The mercenaries realized an important, and marketable relationship between culture and real-estate. “Culture” is marketable. The mercenaries, in turn, manufactured culture, while ignoring much of what already existed in the inner city. This was, most assuredly, an attempt to sell more land.
Now, this is where matters become complicated. If I prefer to view my involvement with Detroit, by means of my assumed identity (the jargoncomputer), as an attempt to better the city, do I behave in the same manner as the Boosters/Mercenaries? Granted, Detroit already exists and draws a substantial basis. Yet, what is my relationship as a writer to Detroit? Am I interested in bringing people to the city by promoting a fictional realm that encourages others to establish a relationship or residence? Paradoxically, would not this effort suggest that I am ignoring that which already exists, or falling into alignment with those that suggest that the city is in decline?
One can be assured that I have very little interest in selling tracts of land or lofts, or in portraying the city by means of the reduced rhetoric of before and after. Yet, I feel as though I am, inevitably, selling something. And, I am interested in allowing others to become more involved with Detroit. Undoubtedly, I fabricate a text in relationship to Detroit. This text has its basis in the research that I conduct, and yet, exists as narrative. I am not writing Detroit. I am writing Detroit as a reflection of myself based on personal context. I struggle with this. It needs more time, and more consideration. I feel as though my efforts may potentially be beneficial, but I need to be careful in my approach. My alter-ego empowers me, yet, I must ultimately remain aware of how the jargoncomputer proceeds.
(Previously posted on another site – 8/19/2007)
