Francis Fukuyama vs. Bernard Henri-Lévy: Battling Over Las Vegas
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 03.28.06 | 12:29 PM ET
The spring issue of The American Interest features a spirited debate between Bernard Henri-Lévy and Francis Fukuyama about many things, including the meaning of Las Vegas. Fukuyama takes issue with Lévy’s characterization of Sin City in his recent book “American Vertigo” as, well, sinful. “What you see when you stand in a buffet line in a Las Vegas casino is the real America: ordinary working- and middle-class Americans, with kids in tow, who want to be entertained,” writes Fukuyama.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
Ted "Mr. Las Vegas Shows" Newkirk 03.29.06 | 11:28 PM ET
As a 14 year resident of Las Vegas who covers it for a living (and loves the city), my attitude follows:
Las Vegas does not care what others think, nor do we have any delusion that we will ever be one of the great culture capitals of the world. We appeal the the masses, and provide them faux culture that they generally don’t have at home. Things like celeb restaurants and even Cirque shows aren’t necessarily culture, but our visitors perceive them as such and we send them home with a smile on their face.
We do offer Las Vegas hotels of thousands of rooms that recieve top awards from the international organizations that rate and judge such things. What we set out to do, we do well.
If someone wants to judge Americans or the United States based on Las Vegas visitors, they will find a significant cross-section of our country visiting at any given time. And to those who don’t like them ... or don’t like us ... we simply don’t care.