In The Flesh (La Carne), the late Cuban writer Virgilio Piñera’s satirical short story, a whole town runs out of meat. After the vegetables, to which they resort in order to survive, threaten to go the same way as the meat, one of the village’s inhabitants happens upon a solution. Looking at his boneless buttocks, he cuts a slice off the left one and fries it like a steak on the pan. Little by little the rest of the town follows his example, including the mayor.
This tale came to my mind the other day when I read Rowan Moore’s excellent analysis on London’s urban self-cannibalism. Like Piñera’s characters, entering an inescapable circle of self-annihilation, some parts of London have got stuck in a commodification-focused hamster wheel. Believe me, even hamsters get tired and come off the wheel. Yet, Londoners are stuck in there.
Housing, the high street, pub culture, these are all victims of London’s new-found gluttony. A gluttony that is driven mainly, although not exclusively, by overseas investors. Whilst the city eats itself, the billionaire in Malaysia or Singapore invests on the “body part” that has just been devoured.
Let’s talk about London’s urban cannibalism. Let’s talk about the city that prices out its poorest to make way for multimillion-pound residential developments that cater chiefly to the hedge fund manager, the City banker or the football club owner. Let’s talk about the third-generation-run shop that is forced to close, not because a Mc Donald’s is replacing it (that is so 20th century) but because the area has been earmarked for “regeneration”; the dreaded word that heralds upmarket, boutique-like, hipster-influenced culture. No more flat caps, but ironic beards, no industries, but internet start-ups.
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| A reptilian London |
London eats itself but does not digest its prey totally. It regurgitates it in tourist-friendly walking postcards. They are the artists that give the city its vibrancy and yet have to move constantly because their studios happen to be in much-sought-after prime “niche” locations. The sort of places that render a city – for instance, London – “authentic”. This authenticity then becomes food for the future investor who lives… in Thailand.
Piñera’s tale ends with the disappearance of a town and its inhabitants as they all eat themselves out of existence. I doubt London will vanish into the ether, although many of the people who make it the vibrant place it is will eventually fade into the abyss of forgetfulness, swallowed whole by the city that begat them.
© 2015
Next Post: “Saturday Evenings: Stay In, Sit Up and Switch On”, to be posted on Saturday 18th July at 6pm (GMT)
I hope you are wrong. I wish you were wrong...
ReplyDeleteSeems to be going around in many places. The rich like to kick everyone out.
ReplyDeleteThis will never change, sadly. This has been going on all over the world ever since it started. Even on the Titanic the rich had preference.
ReplyDeleteLondon, of course, won't vanish. But sooner or later the foolishness of the current policy will become evident. As the vibrant, exciting parts become gentrified those who once lived there will move away - they cannot afford this London greed. But what of the people who move in? Many too posh to push a hoover, or wipe a toilet, or drive their own buses, or collect their own rubbish. Yet those willing to do that work, to feed their families and keep their own shows on the road, will be far away. And probably not eating their own buttocks.
ReplyDeleteHi ACIL ... sadly this seems to be true ... with so many unvacated wealthy properties .. where the jet-setters are off elsewhere. As Jo says ... who will do the work ... we'll move into ever more slavery in London ... a 21st version - it's here already ... but will hugely increase I suspect.
ReplyDeleteLove the snake photo - well I don't - but it's a very appropriate one for your post ... London has so so much to offer ... but we could do without the selfish bunch ... cheers Hilary
Sounds sad.
ReplyDeleteSad, is it not?
ReplyDeleteA chilling tale and metaphor!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness I don't live in London. And yet, I suspect other areas have their share of buttock eaters!!
ReplyDeleteAn apt metaphor for a disturbing trend.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I need to read this story. It sounds fascinating. And I think you are spot on with how you have used it. America is little different and it works several ways. Look at the death of mom and pop stores with the advent of big box stores. Is this the next evolution and what do we lose when we do.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately it's exactly like that in every city... the artists and people with ideas move to a cheap district and really make it vibrant and attractive - and that attracts the rich and prices rise and finally they have to leave to find the next cheap place and the story starts again
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting short-story, in the shadow of Jonathan Swift's tales. I remember thinking that London was very expensive--with the best deals (as far as meals were concern) being in small shops ran by Indians or other Asian locations.
ReplyDeleteNothing to add except that it calls to mind a possible solution - the title of an Aerosmith song - "Eat the Rich".
ReplyDelete(Sarcasm, of course.)
Yes, a really sad fact of life...to quote that popular Abba song, "The Winner (in this case rich man/woman) Takes it All"...and he/she has to have the best of everything.
ReplyDeleteAnd where does that leave the rest of society?
Pandering to every whim of the rich...just to keep body and soul together.
Ha...yes...that Aerosmith song sums it up perfectly!
Have a great day! :)
Agh. This happens in New York, of course, as well, so that the City loses the character that made it so compelling. Too bad! Money for now conquers all, but the spoils are, you know, spoiled. k.
ReplyDeleteIt's happening in every major Western city, Cubano. I don't need to tell you that as long as capitalism drives these societies, material gain will always trump human need. But I think I see a change afloat...
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeleteI think every city has this tendency. Thanks for the story. More like an eye-opener really.
ReplyDeleteI think most cities are like that. If you push enough of the working class/middle class out, pretty soon you won't have enough of the needed tax dollars to do what you want to do. And since politicians are incapable of practicing fiscal restraint, no matter where you are in the world, it becomes as you say, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
ReplyDeleteFather Nature's Corner
My God, this sounds exactly like what's going on in New York. Foreign billionaires building luxury condos, rising rents driving out artists and small businesses that have been in their neighborhoods for generations--the city is losing its character as rents climb higher and higher. Gordon Gekko was wrong--greed is not good.
ReplyDeleteI hate the way that so many properties in London are owned by rich foreigners who rarely even visit, let alone live there and who don't even rent out these properties. Utterly shocking and shouldn't be allowed.
ReplyDeletei think that's the problem with all big cities. property is one investment that's attractive to an investor. the rich-poor divide could only grow wider.
ReplyDeleteyou forgot to mention the moneybags from China. :)