A city with all the personality of a paper cup. (On Los Angeles)
Interpretation
This quote critiques Los Angeles as lacking genuine character and depth.
Raymond Chandler's comparison of Los Angeles to a paper cup suggests that the city is disposable and superficial, lacking the rich, vibrant qualities that define an authentic identity. It reflects Chandler's observation that the city's facade is superficial, emphasizing its transience and lack of substance, similar to something that is thrown away after a single use.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about urban development and authenticity in cities.
Undoubtedly the stories about them [hard-boiled detectives] had a fantastic element. Such things happened, but not so rapidly, nor to so close-knit a group of people, nor within so narrow a frame of logic. This was inevitable because the demand was for constant action; if you stopped to think you were lost. When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.
There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.
Organized crime is the dirty side of the sharp dollar.
When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.
The flood of print has turned reading into a process of gulping rather than savoring.
If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood, and if they had been any better, I should not have come.
We are effectively destroying ourselves by violence masquerading as love.
Like bones to the human body, the axle to the wheel, the wing to the bird, and the air to the wing, so is liberty the essence of life. Whatever is done without it is imperfect.
The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths. Be aware when things are out of balance. Stay centered within the Tao. When rich speculators prosper While farmers lose their land; when government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures; when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible while the poor have nowhere to turn- all this is robbery and chaos. It is not in keeping with the Tao.
The ugliness of bigotry stands in direct contradiction to the very meaning of America.
In emerging democracies like Russia, in authoritarian states like Iran or even Yugoslavia, journalists play a vital role in civil society. In fact, they form the very basis of those new democracies and civil societies.
Idealism, alas, does not protect one from ignorance, dogmatism, and foolishness.
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