Growing up in the OC, my life tends to be pretty protected
from the dangers of the world. I love living in Orange County, because I feel
safe walking to my car alone at night. I attended college in Los Angeles and
traveled most of the state of California, so I’m not naive to the way things go
down in other cities. I also would not consider myself someone who remains
ignorant. I went to college and enjoy learning about other cultures. Since I
live in safe land though, I find myself in certain areas asking…where am I?
Recently I ventured to North County, which differs from
South County. Normal working class and middle class people live in North
County. The same types of people reside in South County, but they remain
covered by the medias hype over the minority of well-off plastic people. When
bad things happen in South County no one talks about them, all the crime stays
on the down low. In North County people place nicknames on cities, “Anacrime”
(Anaheim, CA the home of Disneyland) and Garbage Grove (Garden Grove, CA), for
example. I still feel safe when I travel 20 minutes North on the 5 Freeway, but
people seem more open about the illegal things that occur there.
The other night I found myself driving down Harbor Blvd. in
Santa Ana. (People who live in Orange County know that, like Hollywood and Vine,
if your life brings you to the point of needing to pay for sex one would
venture to Harbor in Santa Ana.) I saw a possible man dressed in a woman’s
sparkly dress roaming the streets, thought to myself “I saw a hooker”, and I
asked my friend…where am I? Living in my bubble, I forgot hookers roam the
streets at night a couple miles up the freeway from me. In South Orange County
I know people secretly pay for sex, but they are hooking on Craigslist. In
North County they straight hook live and in person.
Where am I moments make you grateful for the life your
parents provided. Thankful life never made you turn to allowing people to pay
you for sex as a career option. The many realities of life you witness, which
illustrate the unfortunate life decisions people make based on a need for money
to survive daily. I look at these women without judgment and more with hope
they realize, as woman, they deserve a better life one day.
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