"...Only a catastrophe gets our attention. We want them, we need them,
we depend on them. As long as they happen somewhere else. This is
where California comes in. Mud slides, brush fires, coastal erosion,
earthquakes, mass killings, et cetera. We can relax and enjoy these
disasters because in our hearts we feel that California deserves
whatever it gets. Californians invented the concept of life-style.
This alone warrants their doom...We not only enjoy seeing them punished
for their relaxed life-style and progressive social ideals but we know
we're not missing anything. The cameras are right there. They're
standing by. Nothing terrible escapes their scrutiny."

Don DeLillo
posted by rob at 5:42 PM [edit]