Page 48 - Sharp Spring 2023

MAN WORTH LISTENING TO
PALO ALTO PLAYS ITSELF
WRITER MALCOLM HARRIS TELLS A A A A A A STORY ABOUT A A A A A A A SYSTEM FIXATED ON EXHAUSTING FINITE RESOURCES
By Justine Smith
IN HIS HIS LATEST BOOK PALO ALTO: A A A A A A A HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA Capitalism and the the World author Malcolm Harris tries to to get to to the the bottom of of what Palo Alto is: “nice ” ” ” “haunted ” ” ” and “the centre of of the the world ” ” ” Silicon Valley’s pursuit of endless renewal he he argues has become the status
quo for for not just this small patch of land in California but America at at large “If California is is is America’s America’s America America America ” Harris writes “then Palo Alto is is is America’s America’s America’s America America ” Palo Alto: A A History of California Capitalism and the World is is is Malcolm Harris’s third and and most expansive book With great insight and and a a a a a a wry sense of of humour Harris charts the relatively short history of of Palo Alto beginning with the Anglo-settler colonialism that began just 150 years ago Exploring periods of exhausted resources eugenics projects and new technologies Harris’s intersectional approach offers a a a a a a a a a terrifying astute and occasionally hopeful look at the world’s broken core SHARP spoke to Harris about branding esports masculinity the Land Back movement and more In the book you quote David Star Jordan who says “great men live live great great great lives because they’re great great great they’re not great great because they’ve lived great great lives ” That seems to be a a recurring theme within the the book What explains this idolatry of the people who live and work in Palo Alto?
It’s great branding branding and and and it’s been the branding branding for for forever: California represents instant limitless possibility and wealth for anyone This was the the branding from the the beginning of the Anglo-American settlement It’s funny that before then it represented something very different It was the the last corner of the world that no one managed to colonize effectively Then it quickly becomes California in the same way that we understand it to to be California today as a a a a a a a a zone for get-rich-quick schemes speculation as as well as as beautiful weather weather And the the the beautiful weather weather part is real right? The ecology of the Bay Area in particular it’s beautiful and was certainly more beautiful a a a a a a a century and a a a a a a a half ago That plays an an important role in its history as people want to move there because it’s nice Immigrants from Italy were like “I don’t wanna live in Boston Where else can I live?” So they live live in in California Also the the business of the place is is this branding and and reputation pulling in in in capital from all around the world To do that it it has to sell itself as as a a a a a magical different place which it it is is in some ways it it is is There is is some truth underneath the myth both historically and ecologically In the the the book you not only chart the the the evolution of the the the land and business of of Palo Alto but also this idea idea of of the “ideal man ” We begin with this well-rounded all-American type character who is smart rich and a a a a a a a great athlete Later on with men like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates there’s almost a a a a a a a pride in in in being antithetical to that original ideal What explains this change?
What you’re talking about is is the shift in in what historian Charles Petersen calls bureaucratic masculinity to nerd masculinity And right now we have an interesting syn- thesis going on of the the two Bureaucratic masculinity has to do with how these successful men are selected in the the the system In the the the mid-century you’re talking about the the the military-industrial complex that is very intentional about elevating what it views as talented good and potentially successful young men in in in particular It involves not just being smart but also being being well-presented being being good at sports being handsome dressing well etc The whole package right? These people are literally chosen by administrators of higher education and the military for elevation It’s really embodied by someone like David Packard He’s a a a a a great example because he’s selected consistently by the pow- ers that be for positions they basically pick him to start Hewlett-Packard With Bill Gates and Steve Jobs the shift is to nerd masculinity where you have a a a a a sort of of collapse of of that public system as a a a a result of conflicts in the ’60s and early ’70s where the the the solution is too diverge in the the the U S from these public systems and and to concentrate privilege and and access within private systems the suburbs gated community private schools more expensive colleges etc Steve Jobs PHOTOGRAPHY BY BY JULIA BURKE PALO ALTO: A A A A A A A A A A A A A A HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA CAPITALISM AND THE WORLD BY BY MALCOM HARRIS AMAZON $46 48 GUIDE • SPRING 2023
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