RESHAPING COMMUITY BUILDING in APPLE's VISION a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of San Francisco State
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OUR SOUL IS OUR PEOPLE: RESHAPING COMMUITY BUILDING IN APPLE’S VISION A Thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University 54 In partial fulfillment of Z -0)$ the requirements for 1 the Degree Master of Arts In Women and Gender Studies by Connie Guzman San Francisco, California May 2018 Copyright by Connie Guzman 2018 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read “Our Soul is Our People: Reshaping Community Building in Apple’s Vision” by Connie Guzman, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies at San Francisco State University. Professor, Women and Gender Studies ^Jillian Sandel/LPh.D. Professor, Women and Gender Studies OUR SOUL IS OUR PEOPLE: RESHAPING COMMUNITY BUILDING IN APPLE’S VISION Connie Guzman San Francisco, California 2018 Apple’s recent store rebranding to a community gathering space is examined through a critique of the companies’ lopsided community engagement in San Francisco and its labor practices in both retail and corporate spheres. This project focuses on Miranda Joseph’s critique of capitalist branded communities in Against the Romance of Community and Sara Ahmed’s concept of “conditional happiness” in The Promise of Happiness. Both works demonstrate how for a community to succeed in capitalism, it must produce happiness that corresponds with the empire. In the case of San Francisco, much of the happiness involves pleasing the tech companies and start-ups that produce revenue in the city’s economy, the reasoning being that “empire becomes a gift that cannot be refused”. To juxtapose Apple’s vision, an oral history of 3 Latinx to counter the monolithic view of community. The Latinx identity is a diverse group in itself so it is imperative to look beyond Latinx only possessing one shared experience from the past when identifying the results from gentrification. s a correct representation of the content of this thesis. Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my thesis advisors, Professors Juiletta Hua and Jillian Sandell for their support and helping me finally cross that finish line. I would also like to thank Professors Deborah Cohler and Kasturi Ray whose positive affirmations and insight aided me throughout the development of the thesis. To Betty, Luz and Noemhy, thank you for allowing me to share your stories into this thesis. Your presence will remain in San Francisco history in small part by this thesis. Best of luck with all that follows in your lives. To my 2014 cohort, I wish I was able to graduate with you all, but I am at least thankful I had the chance to spend a great deal of time learning and appreciating all of your amazing insight, creativity and great energies. We all did it! To my dear friends Jessica, Christine, Wendy, Brandon, Yajaira, Renee, Yuri, Manuela and Omar, thank you so much for your valuable words, encouragement and your insights as you read and discussed with me at length what I needed to add in my thesis. You are all the best and I owe you lots of love and good compensation for your labor. Last but certainly not the least, I would like to thank my mother, Gloria Elena, brothers Jorge Rene and Ruben Ernesto and twin sister, Stephanie. You have always been there for me since day one despite how outlandish you thought my goals would be. I hope you are as proud of me as much as I am so grateful to have your love and support throughout this somewhat difficult time called grad school. Don’t worry, I am still a Dodger fan at heart! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................................................................1 The Concept of Community........................................................................................ 8 A Brief History of The Current Tech Boom............................................................ 11 Gentrification...............................................................................................................15 Why Oral History?..................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 1..................................................................................................................................33 Think Different: Apple’s Community Vision..........................................................33 Discomfort in the Neighborhood.............................................................................. 51 Chapter 2 .................................................................................................................................67 Oral History: Retracing and Reimagining Latinx Space ....................................... 72 Oral Histories: Where Do We Go From Here?........................................................84 Conclusion: Think Different? I Think Not!.......................................................................... 87 Reference.................................................................................................................................93 1 Introduction My visions of San Francisco were much different when I was a little girl. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I am far from a Bay Area faithful as I have a large dislike to some of the regions’ most cherished symbols including their sports teams like the San Francisco Giants. However, as a little girl from the San Fernando Valley, 1 remember vividly watching “Full House” and imagining I was Michelle Tanner seated in the vintage convertible as the camera pans out to show the Tanner family riding on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Along with my childhood love for Full House, my original perception of the city of San Francisco before moving was one where I imagined the city to be a haven for non-normative communities to be free; one that was anti-corporate and pro-community building. I would indulge in stories from junior high and high school peers and teachers who attended college in the Bay Area and would rave about the beauty found in the city as well as the acceptance: “San Francisco is easily the friendliest of cities, Connie. You’ll find it much easier to be there than over here”, my twelfth-grade AP Government teacher would proclaim. Even as an Angelino, San Francisco was always perceived to be the much more “liberal” and easy-going city that had heavenly ocean views from all corners and better public transportation. When I got the acceptance letter to San Francisco State, I was excited that I would finally get my chance to bask into all the dreams I had of living there from my fantasies and friend’s experiences. Most importantly, I wanted to feel like I belonged to an “inclusive community”. However, in my naivete, 1 had no idea in what 1 meant by the 2 latter. As I finally moved to the Bay Area to embark in my graduate studies, my perception of the city turned out to be a fantasy due to the gentrification I was seeing. My view on San Francisco changed further when I began working for Apple three months into starting my graduate studies. While the workload was not the most desired option, I realized that the cost of living in the Bay Area would make it extremely difficult for me to continue my studies without supporting myself with a part-time job. I eventually saw the symbol of San Francisco has drastically changed as technological (tech) companies such as Apple and Google have emerged as city markers by tourists and tech enthusiasts. Apple’s presence in the city is felt everywhere through their headquarters in nearby Cupertino and as the location of their conferences and showcases: The World-Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) and Keynote, their main events that reveal their newest products and software. WWDC and Keynote have been frequently presented in the George Moscone Center1 and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium; two very notable venues used by businesses and entertainers when they need to have a visit in San Francisco.2 Amid the pomp and circumstance of Apple’s branding, I noted the change in communities including the Mission District, where businesses and houses inhabited by 1 Owen Thomas. "Apple: Hello, IPhone." CNN Money. January 9, 2007. Accessed December 5, 2017. http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/09/technology/applejobs/. 2 Zac Hall. "Apple Keynote Decorations on Display at Bill Graham Civic Center Ahead of 'iPhone 7' Event [Gallery]." 9to5Mac. September 03, 2016. Accessed February 20, 2017. https://9to5mac.eom/2016/09/03/apple-keynote-decorations-bill-graham-civic-center-iphone-7- event/. 3 Latinx owners were closed in favor of upscale restaurants and live-work condominiums. Another notable marker of tech’s presence in the city is through the presence of the “Tech Buses”, shuttle buses chartered by various tech companies to ferry their workers to and from the Silicon Valley. These tech buses most notably stop in very busy bus stops in the city, most notably right in from of BART’s 16th and 24th Street Stations in the Mission District. Additionally, I noticed a rise in property fires happening in the Mission where large numbers of Latinx families were displaced.3 Today, that narrative paints San Francisco as a technological capital of the world, home to endless amounts of tech companies that promote their products. It is this transformation in San Francisco’s reputation that is happening at the same time many Latinx and other cultural communities are being displaced and priced out in the city of