The City

Lofland goes on and on about how people perceive the city in such a negative sense. Like when she asked a class of students to all write down words that came to mind when she said the word city, everyone wrote down words that had ultimately negative connotations. As she continues on about the negative aspects of cities such as the amount of crime and bums, I could not stop thinking about one obvious factor about cities, the large population. If cities are so terrible and dirty and filled with crime, why are the populations of these areas so large and still growing every day?  Now there may be people living in the city for reasons they cannot control such as finances or their job. But there are millions of people who you could never take out of the city because they love it so much. The way she presents the information just seems like she is ignorant to the fact people do love the city and there are parts of it that draw people to it. One example is that she brings up that no tourist brochures ever have cityscapes on them or mention cities. She of course thinks this is because cities are dirty and no one would want to go to one. But a more logical reasons would be either that people looking for a getaway are already living in the city and want somewhere to escape to that is unlike where they live. Also because it’s a smart advertising attack for a state to advertise their country or things people don’t always do daily because that will draw in the most tourism. Most people already know about the cities everywhere and what is in them and what to expect so they don’t need a brochure to lure them in if they want to go. Cities are hectic and sometimes dirty but a lot of them are actually magnificent places to be, so Lofland’s stance is slightly irritating.