Problem:
Does the following paragraph answer the question How do guidebooks influence the way people perceive values in Los Angeles? while not usually thought of as "political," guidebooks contribute to inequality in places like Los Angeles, not only by directing tourist and investment dollars toward some places and not others, but also by socializing visitors and locals alike about who and what is valuable, and-by implication-who and what is not. Los Angeles, a city that has been built on tourism and self-promotion for more than 150 years, certainly has no shortage of guide books.* They range from the conventional, such as Fodor's Los Angeles or Time Out Los Angeles, to the whimsical, such as Los Angeles Off the Beaten Path or the Zagat Los Angeles Dating and Dumping Guide. However, these guidebooks convey a severely limited image of Los Angeles as a place of glamour, wealth, and fame or the home of eccentric, creative individuals; such representations clearly ignore the vast majority of the city's population, as well as the social relations that shape their lives. Furthermore, mainstream guidebooks typically describe and interpret their sites through the story of one person-almost always a man, and usually the capitalist who invested in a place, or its architect or designer. In doing so, they reinforce an individualized and masculinist way of thinking about history. Meanwhile, the collectives of people who actually created, built, or used the space remain nameless. Need Assignment Help?