I am running into a dilemma. I see Las Vegas as something I do not completely understand. The transformation it undergoes when the sun goes down is nothing short of a miracle. Going from barren and lonely to inviting and attractive, is something I'm not sure makes sense to me. Is barren and lonely dependent on inviting and attractive, or are they like two faces to one coin--independent, with each operating on it's own axis?
Another question I have is:
Can something that you know is going to be temporary, be something meaningful? You know Sin City won't be a place of residence--chances are, you are just there for the week, or even the weekend. AND there is a reason why they say: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Because you generally act like a fool when in Vegas, but not so much everywhere else. It's the norm to see cracked out brides, drunken men stumbling in dress shirts and shiny shoes and people throwing away money in casinos, as if they had all the money in the world. People don't act like this in the real world, at home, in front of the kids, or at work with their bosses--people don't even think of getting away with it. But in Vegas, you can create an identity and discard it as fast as you created it. The notion of the temporary, can be a liberating thing, especially when attached to the infamous five letter word...
V E G A S.
6 comments:
The hollower one is the more facade one needs to be attractive. It's like The Picture of Dorian Gray. If that doesn't lead you somewhere then maybe this quote by charles dickens will "He had a certain air of being a handsome man--which he was not; and a certain air of being a well-bred man--which he was not. It was mere swagger and challenge; but in this particular, as in many others, blustering assertion goes for proof, half over the world."
As far as something temporary being meaningful i can only say yes and no. By temporary do you mean something that doesn't last? lets take a relationship, a relationship may end (temporary) but if one cherishes what that relationship was and what it meant does that make it less meaningful? Does that make it less temporary? Vegas is no relationship, it is pure escapism. I feel like vegas is hollow and is a huge facade for that very purpose, why would anyone want to debauch a place that has substance and real beauty. One can tarnish themselves and the image of Vegas and Vegas will be as it was- hollow.
As for being a facade, that is a good point. Because of the hollowness, there needs to be more of an image--a puffed up version to compensate for the deflated reality.
As for the temporary, I do mean something that won't last. There is an argument that something temporary, can be meaningful even if only a fleeting moment in time. Something as small as a talk with a stranger, can inspire some to completely change their life around. Now, I don't think this is exactly the case in Vegas...but it does make me question whether the setting in Vegas is something that can posses meaning, even if in some twisted reverse logic.
For example: perhaps reality is a nightmare, and Vegas helps people awaken from this nightmare. Although we awaken to the smoke and mirrors of delusion and escapism, it still tells us something about ourselves and our lives that perhaps we weren't seeing before. Perhaps the act of escaping reality is a significant thing. I mean, maybe it isn't. But the question then becomes, what is so fulfilling about escaping your reality?
Theres a quote from V for Vendetta "He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up." Escaping reality is significant. People -- when given the freedom to do so without consequence -- act out in ways contrary to "proper behavior" (to put it euphemistically). Examples of that: Lord of the Flies (literary example) and King Leopold's Ghost (Literary and Literal example). Now, Vegas is the artist using lies and "Reality" is the politician. "Reality" keeps people in a state of chaos by having it be constantly defined for people through lies. "Reality" says we are not equal because of class, color, sex and religion. "Reality" says that money is what everyone should aspire to have. "Reality" says you are not good enough if you don't achieve it. And the "Reality" of it is that you most likely won't. Vegas (a lie) shows people who they really are.... the accumulation of everything that "Reality" feeds you. The objectification of women, the false sense that you ascend your class, the glorification of money, the numbing affect of the booze, the drugs and the distraction from everything you are not with the flashing light. All to escape the chaotic nature of "Reality", where most people don't achieve "Reality's" standards for them, so they take it out in a weekend of debauchery.
I have appreciated your comments thus far. But I am curious...considering all the people that comment on my blog are my friends...do i know you?
And by the way...are you saying that Vegas just reinforces "reality" or that it sets up a reality that actually seems more feasible (even if it is not)?
I'm saying that vegas is a lie that lets people act out how they truly wish want to act. While Reality is a lie set up to tell you how you are truly suppose to act.
-Ave
P.S. Sorry for confusing you i was too lazy to sign into google and Anonymous was the easiest way and as you can see i'm still too lazy.
Wait i said that reality part sorry ignore that.
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