Death of American Cities – The Urban Illusion

For many years, probably most of my adult life, I have always had an eerie feeling about big cities, especially living in them.  They are overcrowded, super expensive (over priced in my humble opinion), polluted, and most of all, unsafe.  I also must note that the vast majority of American big cities, especially the most populated ones, are governed by Democrats who have virtually no regard for individual liberty and have been far too willing to violate individual liberties in the name of the overblown COVID-19 “emergency”.  This begs the question, why then do the majority of people choose urban living?  Especially among my millennial generation, the dream is to be in a big city, mainly New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and/or San Francisco.  At least in the days preceding COVID-19 and the consequent hysteria, the belief was that cities had the best economic and cultural opportunities.  This belief may still be held by some, amazingly enough.  Whether it’s the highest paying and most prestigious jobs, the glitz and glamor, fancy restaurants, shopping pleasures and/or tourist attractions to name some “good things” about urban areas, these so-called “good things” about cities are all illusions.  These illusions have been attributed to why lots of people desire and seek to live in big cities.  I call the things people like(d) about big cities illusions primarily because the economic and cultural nature of cities in America depends on the stability of the global industrial supply chain as well as personal liberties, both of which are unstable and unreliable in nearly every big city.  Even before COVID-19, I detected these illusions and saw them for what they were, though I mostly kept it to myself to avoid offending others.  For most others, the illusion was well-maintained as the industrial supply chain was still stable and intact, or so it appeared.  Any time you wanted to buy groceries, grab a beer, see a movie, or even just walk around downtown, you could; hardly anyone believed such conveniences, luxuries and first-world joys would be in any serious danger of one-day being mightily swept away.  It is natural for people to shy away from hearing pessimistic warnings, such as those about the unstable nature of cities; after all, people almost always only want to hear good news and cheery perceptions of the future.  Whoever wants to hear bad news or negative outlooks; after all, those who hold and share such beliefs and concerns are crazy conspiracy theorists without prestigious titles, right? 

Now, in 2020, with the shutdowns of commerce ordered in the days of the COVID-19 hysteria, the illusion of urban living has now been shattered, and the gargantuan flaws of urban living have now become apparent.  The illusions are no longer hiding in plain sight; they are very much in our faces.  This destruction of economic personal liberty has in turn destabilized the industrial supply chain that was keeping the illusion of modern economic convenience intact.  Gone are the days when grocery stores could be relied upon to have a seemingly infinite stream of supplies such as hand sanitizers and toilet paper.  Also gone are the days when it could be taken for granted to hit up any restaurant or bar to have a fun night out partying and socializing.  The worst part is, the destruction of urban society isn’t just due to COVID-19. 

In the aftermath of the homicide of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, nearly every major American city has experienced some form of violent protest and looting.  I recall this past weekend, when I was visiting places to live in Fort Collins, CO, on the day that we were scheduled to leave and fly out of Denver International Airport, my mother thought about hanging out in downtown Denver before the evening flight.  However, I insisted against that as I was way too frightened to get caught in the violent riots going on there.  This is also why our scheduled lunch with a potential business partner of my mother’s was in Arvada, CO, a town outside of the Denver city limits, instead of Denver, because of the riots.  Even after arriving in San Jose Airport after the flight, finding an Uber/Lyft was extremely difficult.  As the city-wide curfew was in effect, hardly any Lyft/Uber driver would be willing to give rides, as perhaps doing so would’ve been illegal.  What would’ve happened if we couldn’t find a taxi to take us home at nearly 11 p.m.?  The night was chilly, and quite frankly, I was truly terrified of being stuck in San Jose Airport that whole night, which probably wouldn’t have been either safe or practical.  Clearly, we cannot expect the rioters and looters responsible for provoking these curfews to be considerate of such hardships unjustly caused to others, such as myself, my mother, and all the other passengers desperate to finally get home.  Sadly, elected officials in big cities, despite imposing heavy taxes on the unwilling residents and possessing large budgets such as the billion dollar budget of the NYPD, cannot be relied on to effectively protect the innocent from the mindless looters and rioters.  Does any of this destruction really do justice to George Floyd, or anybody for that matter?  My whole life I was told that cities in America would always be safe and immune to the riots, instability, and destruction that are engulfing every major big city in America today.  I was told that these horrors were limited to cities abroad and would never come to America.  Foreign cities like Jerusalem, where I recall a riot during my spring break in 2019 cancelled a conference event, as well as those like Baghdad and Damascus, legitimately recognized warzones, were what I was told were the only places where riots and large-scale destruction could happen, never in American cities.  I guess America too has become a warzone, just like Baghdad & Damascus.  Even if Floyd’s appalling murder could be used to justify the rioting and destruction, it still remains a mystery as to what benefits or true, non-illusory, good things can be attributed to urban living.  I remember asking my mother, especially after the illusions of urban life had become shattered, if she could tell me one good thing or advantage of urban living.  Silence was the best answer.  I also remember telling my brother who works as a doctor in New York City that if he can’t get home by the 11 p.m. curfew put in place by Governor Andrew Cuomo, then it is probably safer to stay overnight in the hospital.  Of course, hospitals, as buildings filled with lots of infected people, are not that safe to stay in either, but probably less safe than traversing the violent streets of New York.  The only other option would be to sleep over at any homes of any willing friends/family within walking distance of the hospital.  Of course, that option would violate social distancing guidelines, much like the protests and riots, and so there is a trade-off, like with every option.  The reality is, every trade-off for every option is quite horrible.  Thankfully, he made it home hours before the curfew or any escalations.  Historically, New York City, along with a host of other major urban areas, has had extreme riots, such as the race riots in the late 1960s and in 1863 during the draft riots during the Civil War – makes me wonder whether we are in a civil war now, even if the masses don’t perceive so.  Clearly, urban living, contrary to the belief of many, is not safe and is actually truly quite dangerous.  Do the “good things”, the illusions, of urban life really outweigh these extreme, potentially fatal, risks?  I say absolutely not and am yet to hear a convincing argument to the contrary.

This is why I’ve always strived to live away from big cities and instead find ways to sustainably live in the small towns.  Yes, I know it may be harder to sustainably live in small towns compared to the big cities.  I also recognize that people will say small town folk and living are backwards, technologically unadvanced, boring, and unsophisticated.  Even if all of those criticisms were true, at least small towns don’t riot, loot, and commit arson, none of which does any justice to anybody.  Despite being less educated, somehow small towns have the common sense, wisdom and civility to avoid social unrest, unlike their urban counterparts.  Sadly, it is true that economic, career, and job opportunities aren’t too abundant in small towns, which I believe inclines many young people, especially those just entering the labor force, to gravitate towards urban living.  I suppose then the thing to strive for is figuring out how to make a profitable living while residing in the safer and more stable small towns.  This would mean cutting out any commuting to urban danger zones, even for work and career opportunities.  How to do so isn’t easy, especially as most schools aren’t inclined to teach or prepare students to solve problems of that specific nature or magnitude.  However, what happens if the cities don’t recover from the aftermath of these extreme riots, forcing a permanent mass exodus?  Will former urban residents, even the most well-educated ones, figure out how to adjust and make a sustainable living in a safer, small town?  I’m not yet sure if I can.  Even if urban living does regain its former glory, that glory will again be an illusion as destructive riots will be destined to repeat themselves, even if it will take several decades or longer.  Of course, if/when World War III starts after China or Russia finally decides to commit a nuclear strike on American soil that the American government is trying to provoke in order to destroy the national sovereignty of American and ultimately merge the country into a global government dictatorship, urban life will be forever lost with no illusions to spare.  What are we going to do then?