What are Dreamworlds?

                                        Johannesburg City Skyscrapers and Evil Paradises

I gained a great deal of knowledge from a terrific book, "Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of neoliberalism". Editors Mike Davis and Daniel Monk described “Evil Paradises” as mini utopias built only by and for global selfish elites. These Utopias are built at the expense of thriving local economies replaced by monumental transnational infrastructure. Dreamworlds of neoliberalism are constructed by private sectors, although economic neoliberalism’s original purpose is to transfer power from the public to private sectors to supposedly improve the economy. Private sectors have taken advantage of this idea and are changing who it benefits, for example by building an alternate reality accessible only to top percentage such as billionaires, celebrities and society’s elites. Instead of providing opportunities for the general population and improving the economy this book demonstrates how the private sector is creating an unrealistic lifestyle for the privileged few. The key principles of neoliberalism can be identified in exclusive malls, hotels, privatized land, resorts, and residential communities. All of which is driven by “infinite consumption” and the desires of the rich.

 The most surprising and appalling point I found was in Anne-Marie Broudehoux’s chapter, “Delirious Beijing”, regarding Beijing’s continued social issues concerning class warfare. The rich to poor ratio constantly rises, making it difficult for the government to compensate for the increase in social tension. Private sectors exploit local migrant workers making production of large projects relatively cheap. For example, Broudehoux’s points out the social unrest occurring in China and the negative forces that the private sector brings to China’s economy. Slowly private sector companies are changing China’s traditional infrastructure and social structure. Another point that I found interesting in Evil Paradises is the high percentage of global inequality. In many countries people of power are increasingly displacing societies, leaving them to new hardships. In chapter seventeen the Mike Davis and Daniel Monk state; “Each generation sees heaven in its own image” this impression sends ripples across time and blocks the underlying issue. The reproduction of Dreamworlds settle in the minds of the young and socially constructed to believe that lifestyle of extravagance and infinite luxury is natural. The repercussions of such an idea are never fully understood the author argues thus reproducing the selfish elites of today, creating a rich history of themselves instead for the greater whole.

What make evil paradises evil? Social inequality is the engine behind evil paradises. It is the key enabler and driving force, a constant issue in Johannesburg in ways such as, spatial exclusivity, total social exclusion, security and monumentality creating an Archipelago (Urban Luxury). The Apartheid is abolished yet colonial patterns of residential segregation exist because of the Apartheid. Townships were established because of the Apartheid laws. Thousand were cramped into small structures without public services to survive. Many of the living situations the residents are in are the after effects of Apartheid. The result was catastrophic for example, the news article “The Poorest Protest” by Africa Confidential explains that the residents of Soweto, Dieploot and Alexandria gather together and look for work within the city but most are unable to find work. Townships are congested and the need for living space is high. This complication leads to violent protest between the upscale city and informal settlements, residents are fed up with inequality in their own country.

In the article Gated communities in South Africa-experiences from Johannesburg, authors Jürgen’s and Gand show that there are lingering characteristics of Apartheid. Violence and crimes have increased throughout South Africa and exclusion of blacks still from public service and housing still exist. Ulrich Jürgen’s and Martin Gand quote Beavon calling gated and walled communities “the neoapartheid city” because in effect they resegregate the city. The reasons for the gated and walled communities is ostensibly because of the heavy presence of crime and white residents fear of a different culture (blacks). When blacks moved into the gated communities they were unwelcomed and white neighbors complained.

The authors mentioned that whites in South Africa, Johannesburg claimed to be uncomfortable and disgusted by the traditions and culture of blacks, such as the cutting off of animal’s heads on their property where everyone can see, urination in the streets and poor waste management. But in essence, the “culture” that whites in South Africa are experiencing is township life. In townships trash lies in the streets, there is no upkeep of infrastructure and lack of organization is the norm, city compliances don’t exist. Blacks move into gated communities because of public services. Townships like Alexandria don’t have the same public services as white communities in Johannesburg. Proximity of schools, markets and community activities attracts attention away from slums and make walled communities a dream for the unfortunate.

There are mini utopias in Johannesburg, one in particular I found in the news article “Four seasons hotel the Westcliff Johannesburg heralds a new era in south Africa’s most vibrant city PR Newswire, Apr 30, 2014”, the article mentions how the Westcliff hotel has 117 rooms, all fitted to service travelers on business trips, the privileged few. The hotel is located near a national park, golf course and zoo. The funds required for such a vacation demands a higher paying job which residents in townships cannot afford. The city’s desire to assimilate steadily increases inequality in Johannesburg. According to research study by “Centre for social development in Africa university of Johannesburg” (ncr.org.za) reports that majority of households in Johannesburg are employed in the service sector. Residents in townships are excluded because of money, opportunity and culture.  In summation, Westcliff hotel is like many other utopias mentioned in my Global Cities course, projections of desire rooted in a dream of massive inequality. This mini utopia is an architectural monument of infinite consumption similar to the skyscrapers and hotels of Nevada Las Vegas. Slowly desire and greed is casting its shadow over world and Johannesburg. In essence, these Dreamworlds and gated communities are simulacrums, a copy without and original, an imitation of things that doesn’t exist.