Category Archives: gentrification

The Starkian Bay Area

Aesthetic Socialism, aesthetics, Alt Center, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Art Deco, Asia, Asian Aryanism, Asian Culture, Baby Boomers, Berkeley, California, capitalism, China, Cities, Class, coronavirus, Crime, Culture, Danville CA, demographics, Diversity, Economics, Environment, ethnopluralism, Frank Lloyd Wright, Futurism, gentrification, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, income inequality, John C. Portman Jr, Lafayette CA, Liberalism, Los Angeles, Marin County, Mass Transit, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Millennials, Mount Diablo, Multiculturalism, neo-tribalism, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Urbanism, New York, Oakland, Orinda CA, overdevelopment, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Politics, Prison, Race Relations, Retro Futurism, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, social capital, Suburbia, SWPL, The Gospel of Gibson, Travel, Urbanism, Utopia, Walnut Creek CA, Wealth, welfare state, Wilderness, Zoning

Robert Stark and Matt Pegas discuss their trip to the San Francisco Bay Area over the last Labor Day weekend, their past trips in 2018 (extended segment: 20 minutes in), and how the Bay Area relates to Alt-Urbanism and cultural, aesthetic, societal, and Alt-Center political themes from the show.

Topics:

Observations of the impact of the pandemic including an increase in homelessness
Why the Bay Area is the center of the Gray Tribe political sphere
The degree to which there is a unique and authentic regional culture and aesthetic
The John C. Portman designed Embarcadero Center, concept of Interior Urbanism, and how Portman was unique in that he was both an artistic visionary and a capitalist
The impact of wealth on aesthetics
The magic of travel and appreciating the tourist traps
San Francisco Neon
The Bay Area’s Geography, microclimates, and urban layout
Wilderness locations including Mount Diablo, Tilden Regional Park, Alpine and Bon Tempe Lakes in Marin, and the region’s extensive Greenbelts
Unique attributes of the Bay Area suburbs of Marin County, Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, Alamo, and Danville, Ski-Lodge Urbanism, and Retrofitting The Aesthetically Pleasing Suburb
Bay Area demographics trends
Does California need a rightest version of Multiculturalism?

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island.

Robert Stark interviews Peter Nimitz about LA

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Beverly Hills, Black Lives Matter, Brno, Calexit, California, China, Cities, Class, coronavirus, Crime, Culture, Czech Republic, demographics, Diversity, Donald Trump, Economics, education, Elections, energy, Environment, gentrification, Global Warming, Hollywood, Immigration, income inequality, India, Iran, Islam, Joe Biden, Los Angeles, Mass Transit, Mexico, Middle Class, Mormonism, Moscow, Nagorno-Karabakh War, neo-tribalism, Neoliberalism, Peter Nimitz, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Politics, Religion, Republican Party, Russia, Skyscrapers, social capital, technology, Ukraine, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to San Fernando Valley based commentator, Peter Nimitz about the demographics, culture, economy and politics of the Los Angeles region from the perspective of a transplant. Check out Peter’s interview about the Russian Revolution and follow him on Twitter.

Topics:

LA’s class structure
City-Data Forum thread on demographic trends of the past decade by city
Immigrant groups in the LA region, including from Mexico, China, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Armenia, various European nations, and more recent community from Uzbekistan
Industry in LA, including entertainment, aerospace, tech, and shipping
Unique LA tropes/archetypes
Contrasting communities that have strong patronage networks with those that are more atomized
Poll on hypothetical proposal to base immigration on a local level
America’s neo-tribal future
The Double Horseshoe Theory of Class Politics and how that impacts how different demographic groups align politically
Crucial California issues of housing (YIMBYism), energy, water, and infrastructure being neglected by a one party state focused on national issues and a GOP that’s out of touch with younger voters and urban concerns
The degree to which LA’s post pandemic exodus and urban decay is overhyped
New urban development in LA (ex. futuristic complex planned in Beverly Hills) and metro expansions
The debate about education reform,

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram,  Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson


Robert Stark and David Cole discuss updates on the Gospel of Gibson and the Election

2020 Riots, anti-semitism, Beverly Hills, Black Lives Matter, California, Catholicism, Cinema, Class, Conservatives, coronavirus, Crime, Culture, David Cole, demographics, Donald Trump, Economics, Elections, Film, gentrification, Hollywood, Hutton Gibson, Immigration, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Los Angeles, Mel Gibson, Police, Political Correctness, Politics, Race Relations, Religion, Republican Party, Sexuality, The Gospel of Gibson, Wealth, Winona Ryder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and David Cole discuss updates on their in-progress documentary the Gospel of Gibson, directed by Robert and produced by David. Check out the Gospel of Gibson on Indiegogo and IMDb and check out David’s articles on Takimag, his Youtube Vodcast, and book the Republican Party Animal .

Topics:

Recap of the background of David’s interview with Hutton Gibson on politics, theology, and the Gibson family
Success of the Indiegogo Fundraiser as an ongoing InDemand project with perks for contributors
The recent rehashing of an antisemitism allegation against Mel Gibson from Winona Ryder
The Woke reaction to Mel Gibson in the new film Force of Nature
How the production delay due to the pandemic creates an opening for Indy Films
Kamala Harris selected as VP nominee: Her focus on identity politics while Wall Street Sighs in Relief
David’s prediction that the class based left would be thrown under the bus in favor of race based identity politics
The futility of arguing that a Democratic victory will embolden civil unrest vs. the reality Trump must defend the status quo
Why Democrats are the real racists is a foolish meme
How the pandemic ruined Trump’s strategy to focus on economic conservatism rather than immigration
David’s advice on where to look for a wife
Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 2
David’s observations on the civil unrest in LA impacting wealthier areas
Why David thinks the exodus of rich and famous out of LA is over-hyped and that gentrification is here to stay

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter,  Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island


Robert Stark interviews Rich Houck

1980's, aesthetics, American Culture, Animal Cruelty, animals, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Cities, Class, Communism, coronavirus, Crime, Culture, demographics, Diversity, Economics, education, Environment, Fascism, Futurism, gentrification, Historic Preservation, Immigration, income inequality, Japanese Culture, Journey to Vapor Island, Los Angeles, Malls, Mental illness, Nationalism, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Urbanism, New York, Philadelphia, Photography, Political Correctness, Politics, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Rich Houck, Robert Putnam, San Francisco, Skyscrapers, social capital, Social Isolation, social trust, Toronto, Traditionalism, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Rich Houck about urbanism, aesthetics, and the need for social capital. Rich is a recent law school grad and you can check out his blog on Patreon and his Twitter account.

Topics:

Rich’s interest in photography
Rich’s patronage of independent artists
Interest in both traditional and Retro-Futurist aesthetics
Neon nationalism: reclaiming the future we should have had
80s nostalgia: the 80s as a going away party
The Last Mall Rat OR The Decline and Transformation of The American Mall
The importance of communal spaces, whether it’s Interior Urbanism or a traditional village space
How urban planning models and density relate to social cohesion
Does Diversity Create Distrust?
Crime prevention through environmental design and A New Way of Understanding ‘Eyes on the Street‘ 
Impression of San Francisco, how it could have been an American Paris with a uniquely American European aesthetic
The spring COVID-19 took from me
How the pandemic is exposing a wide range of problems from open borders to factory farming
Robert’s novel Journey to Vapor Island’s lesson about taking the best from all sides
Symbolism of the Neon-Raccoon

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




The Alt-Center, Starkianism and the Demystification of Social Capital

(((Supply))), Aesthetic Socialism, aesthetics, Alicia Silverstone, Alt Center, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, Architecture, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Asian Aryanism, Basic Income, capitalism, Cities, Class, counterculture, Culture, demographics, Economics, gentrification, Giovanni Dannato, Hipsters, Homosexuality, James O'Meara, Journey to Vapor Island, Liberalism, Literature, Luke Ford, Matthew Pegas, NEETs, neo-tribalism, Neon, Philosophy, Pilleater, Politics, Psychology, Radical Center, Retro Futurism, Sexuality, Shane Eide, social capital, Social Darwinism, social status, SWPL, Third Position, Urbanism, Utopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally Published by Shane Eide on Emerging Hermit

There’s something to be said for those in whom the sign of the times less offers an omen and more flashes across their periphery like a neon sign at an amusement park.

In 2019, the assumed excesses of prefixing an ‘Alt’ to any political fringe is virtually guaranteed to incite misunderstanding, scrutiny and suspicion. In that sense, the Alt-Center is a shameless affair. However, it isn’t shameless merely because of its ideas – which are eclectic – but rather, because of its ultimately strategic knowledge of where it sits within the dissident sphere.

The impending antiquation of older ways of thinking about politics is not for them an indication that some inevitable new path will soon announce itself, for which they will conveniently be the vanguard. Rather, this antiquation is for them an occasion to consider the possibility of creating something wholly new whose expression may unfold in ways as varied as one could imagine.

Journalist, artist, novelist and host of Stark Truth Radio, Robert Stark, has built something of a salon for Alt-Center ideas on his show, where, as of late, one may hear talk of Starkianism – existing in its own corner of Alt-Centrism. Roughly put, Alt-Centrism is where ideas of the dissident right and dissident left meet, and is itself comprised of concepts such as Aesthetic Socialism, Aristocratic Radicalism and Alt-Urbanism.

Continue reading The Alt-Center, Starkianism and the Demystification of Social Capital →

Robert Stark talks to Adam Mayer about San Francisco Architecture

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, Adam Mayer, aesthetics, Architecture, arcology, Art Deco, Beverly Hills, Brutalism, California, Cities, Culture, Danville CA, Economics, Environment, Futurism, gentrification, Historic Preservation, History, John C. Portman Jr, Los Angeles, Los Gatos CA, Mass Transit, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Mount Diablo, Neon, Oakland, Postmodernism, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Wilderness, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk to architect Adam Mayer about San Francisco’s architectural history and current trends. Check out his Twitter, Instagram, and Architectural Portfolio.

Topics:

Robert’s meetup and architectural tour with Adam in Downtown SF
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery
SF Neon TOURS
Beaux-Arts Palace Hotel
Art Deco highrises Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Shell Building, and Pac Bell Tower
Mid Century Modern Joseph Eichler highrises, the Fairmont Hotel, and the Hilton
William Pereira’s Transamerica Pyramid and Louis Kahn’s use of concrete inspired by ancient monuments
Underappreciated 80’s post modernism, Art Deco revival, Marriott Juke Box, and Crocker Galleria
Philip Johnson’s 101 California Street and Union Square Neiman Marcus
The John Portman designed Embarcadero Center, it’s attributes of a self contained city and urban oasis, and the JW Marriott
Portman’s uniqueness in being both an architect and real estate developer
Jonathan Segal’s project ‘Architect as Developer’
SOMA highrise boom, Central SoMa Rezone, 5M development, and, Caltrain redevelopment 
New Transbay Transit Center
SOMA skyscrapers 181 Fremont, Salesforce Tower, and Rem Koolhaas’ Tower
The end of the high-rise boom cycle
The Missing Middle Housing
Addressing the housing crisis while respecting historic preservation and aesthetics
Current trends in architecture and marriage between modernism and post modernism(meta modernism)

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark talks to Joshua Zeidner about Bobos in Paradise

1960's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Right, American Culture, Art, Baby Boomers, capitalism, Cities, Class, Consumerism, Corporations, counterculture, Culture, David Brooks, Economics, Environment, Fashion, gentrification, Hipsters, History, Immigration, income inequality, Joshua Zeidner, Labor Movement, Leftism, Liberalism, materialism, Matthew Pegas, Middle Class, Millennials, Morality, Neoliberalism, New York, Religion, Silicon Valley, Urbanism, Wealth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk to Joshua Zeider about the cultural phenomenon and book by David Brooks Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There.

Topics:

Bobos as Bourgeois Bohemians or Capitalist Hippies
Concepts that emerged after the French Revolution
How all three of us overlap with this group(interconnected yet outside)
Those who know the inner workings of the privileged class yet not quite in it
David Brooks, his political ideology, and Mid Atlantic old wealth culture
The Boomers’ transition in values
How the elites reinvented their cultural image
The blurring of cultural class as a mask for growing economic inequality
How Bobo culture coincided with the Neoliberal restructuring of our economy
Silicon Valley’s “socially conscious” cutthroat capitalism
Fake social climbing, virtual signaling, and self appointed moral leadership
Historic parallels to using Christianity to justify slavery and imperialism
Paying high prices for cheap looking merchandise
Hipsters as the Millennial offshoot of the Bobos
Political dissidents and cultural outsiders’ fascination with the culture of past elites
Alt-Subcultures and Alt-Urbanism as positive alternatives to Bobo culture

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Alt-Center Solutions to LA’s Urban and Social Dynamics

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Right, American Culture, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Baby Boomers, Beverly Hills, Blade Runner, California, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Crime, Culture, demographics, Diversity, Economics, education, gentrification, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, income inequality, John C. Portman Jr, Liberalism, Los Angeles, Mass Transit, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Middle Class, Millennials, Neoliberalism, Neon, Politics, Prison, Prison Rape, Retro Futurism, Skyscrapers, social capital, social trust, Suburbia, Urbanism, US Prison System, Utopia, Wealth, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and  Matthew Pegas discuss their recent trip to Downtown LA, Matthew’s experience as a newcomer to the city, observations on the regions cultural dynamics, and solutions to social and urban problems.

Topics:

Skid Row, “ruin porn” and the Creepy History of the Cecil Hotel
Gentrification of the Historic Core
Broadway, neon signs and historic theatre marquees, and plans to revitalize and light up Broadway’s signs
Historic landmarks including the European style Spring Arcade and Art Deco Eastern Columbia Building
The Arts District, art bros, and the chadification of the hipster scene
The South Park highrise boom and new tallest skyscraper the Wilshire Grand
80’s Art Deco revival and new highrises influenced by Mid-Century aesthetics
John C. Portman’s Retro Futuristic Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Interior Urbanism, and Fredric Jameson’s Postmodernist review
The pros and cons of diversity and issues of social cohesion
The appeal of enjoying diversity from exclusive enclaves
The LA County Jail, Donny the Punk, and Jail as a metaphor for the problems of American society
The extreme social, economic, and aesthetic inequality in LA
Social problems caused by mass immigration, Neoliberal economics, and sprawl oriented development
Robert’s article Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia
Sane urbanist solutions to right wing grievances such as White flight
The political ironies of gentrification as re-colonization of urban areas
Family formation and reasons for declining demographics such as housing and education
How these social problems are now impacting the upper middle class demographically
An Alt-Center must offer solutions that cater to urban needs
Building a political movement based on aesthetics with visions for new urban communities
The hypocrisy of pro-immigration liberal elite NIMBY’s
How combining YIMBY policies with immigration restriction will gradually rebuild the urban middle class

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Alt-Urbanism: Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia

1950's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Alt Center, American Culture, Architecture, Asia, Asian Culture, Baby Boomers, California, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Culture, demographics, Economics, Environment, Falling Down, gentrification, Giovanni Dannato, Immigration, income inequality, Korea, Le Corbusier, Los Angeles, Middle Class, New Urbanism, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, SWPL, Urbanism, Utopia, Wealth, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Robert Stark: Originally Published on Alt of Center

Prior to the 1950’s, the urban core of LA, centered around Downtown, was relatively small. It was also much more compact and vibrant, however, than it became in the second half of the 20th Century. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in urbanism and walkable communities, and LA’s downtown, historic core is now revitalized and booming with new highrise construction.

While LA is just in the early stages of creating an integrated metro system, the region once had a vibrant street car system connecting the urban core with extensions to street car suburbs such as Santa Monica and Pasadena.

According to Curbed LA : “in 1945, a sinister corporation called National City Lines took over the thriving Los Angeles Railway, which served most of the sprawling region. Then, over the course of the next two decades, LA’s extensive streetcar network was eliminated and the iconic Red Cars that Judge Doom mentions were replaced with shiny new buses.

Continue reading Alt-Urbanism: Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia →

Robert Stark talks to Giovanni Dannato about Pragmatic Dissidence

aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Right, American Culture, Art, Basic Income, Bernie Sanders, Brandon Adamson, Calvinism, capitalism, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Corporations, Crime, Culture, demographics, Donald Trump, Economics, Futurism, gentrification, Giovanni Dannato, Healthcare, Human Bio Diversity, Incels, income inequality, Leftism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Literature, Loserdom, Mass Transit, Middle Class, NEETs, New Urbanism, Personality Types, Politics, Post-scarcity economy, Radical Center, Sexuality, social capital, Social Darwinism, Socialism, Third Way Economics, Urbanism, Wealth, welfare state

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giovanni Dannato blogs at Colony of Commodus and is the author of APOSTASY and A Kingdom For the Introvert. Follow Giovanni on Twitter.

Topics:

Giovanni’s New Alt-Dissident Fantasy Fiction
The theme of Heaven and Hell as an analogy for those who are within the system and those outside of it
The importance of creating a cultural vision beyond political policies
Alt-Centrist Scum Will Rise
The importance of focusing on what works over having a rigid ideology
There’s No Power Without “Downward Distribution”
How wealth distribution has a history going back to Ancient Mesopotamia
The flaws of conservative individualism and why people must co-operate as tribes
The limited demographic of conservationism and how to create a broader coalition
Rejecting both Right Wing Social Darwinism and Left Wing Egalitarianism
How to effectively distribute wealth(ex. Smart Socialism and State Capitalism)
How to effectively take care of mediocre people and the “losers” of society
Why economic “handouts” are necessary to gain political support and maintain a functional society
How better urban planning can address economic and class problems
The concept of the urban gene shredder and how to address it
The importance of having a leisure economy for innovation
The need for a specialized economy that utilizes a wide variety of personality types

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island