Ugh, the title alone offends me. This is a prime example of a disparaging remark that's perfectly fine to say about Los Angeles, yet would never be made about any other city in America. Staying Human in Chicago? How about Staying Human in Seattle? Doesn't make sense, but then again those cities don't come with pre-conceived notions of, apparently, inhumanity.Marc Porter Zasada's essays in general aren't even Los Angeles-specific -- most of them deal with general personal or professional life and foibles -- so there really isn't any good reason for civic scorn. It does, however, apply in one area here. The second my radio intones, "This is Marc Porter Zasada with... The Urban Man," my instinct to dive and quickly change the station before I accidentally hear any of his strained third-person quirkiness does become pretty primal.
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