tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756292796580291035.post8957263189082005001..comments2023-10-01T01:56:19.699-07:00Comments on You Made Me Theorize: "The Big Apple:" Good or Bad?Joseph P. Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12757706787232014827noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756292796580291035.post-80337283868783028482011-03-09T10:56:50.407-08:002011-03-09T10:56:50.407-08:00We romanticize grit in DC, too.<a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/36563/the-passing-of-paper-metrobus-transfers-in-dc-marks-the" rel="nofollow">We romanticize grit in DC, too</a>.Joseph P. Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12757706787232014827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756292796580291035.post-48380192203469383582011-03-09T09:02:36.387-08:002011-03-09T09:02:36.387-08:00I am always so surprised to hear that NYC used to ...I am always so surprised to hear that NYC used to be dumpy. All you see of NYC nowadays is the glorified Times Square and the I love New York campaign brought up earlier. It seems as if the grunginess of cities has become a staple of (perhaps romantic?) American culture. I lived for a few years in Minnesota and notice an extreme difference between Minneapolis and cities like D.C., New York and Philadelphia. The streets of Minneapolis are essentially spotless and everything is extremely new and fresh. There are skyways connecting each building so that you don't have to walk out in the cold, but even when you are outside the cleanliness of the streets makes you feel like you are indoors. The city had an eerie, creepy feel to it that I had a hard time explaining to natives. It seems silly but I really did miss the grime I was familiar with in most cities. <br /><br />"Those who romanticize our dark age need a tour, too. The harmonica man’s song is still down there for those who care to listen. Heed the echo, and tremble." I guess I fall under this category, I'm not sure what my need for grunge signifies but it seems to be a staple in our culture.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13583842538563045357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756292796580291035.post-22141275251241883502011-03-08T05:51:53.434-08:002011-03-08T05:51:53.434-08:00Yeah, well, I'm from Massachusetts, so all of ...Yeah, well, I'm from Massachusetts, so all of you can keep your Yankees and your Knicks and your thirty dollar hamburgers. Also, you can think back to the <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/remembering_the_gimbels_tunnel_3SN7c8HSVMMdICpXMVJFiN" rel="nofollow">"Rotten Apple"</a> days as you ponder this post. Lydia Maria Child might be more relevant than you think.Joseph P. Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12757706787232014827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756292796580291035.post-39729015120231022112011-03-07T14:13:22.356-08:002011-03-07T14:13:22.356-08:00I am from New York as well, and when I read Lydia ...I am from New York as well, and when I read Lydia Child's Letters I could totally relate to what she saw. Whenever I go to the city I flock to the more hip places like Union Square, the Village, or 5th Avenue. But if you ever wander outside of those areas, poverty and homelessness become more and more obvious. I took an Urban Poverty and Affluence last year and we learned about how the I Love New York campaign (http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/31/business/a-campaign-for-all-seasons.html) of the 1970s was put in effect in order to change the negative connotations that came with NYC and with its state of squalor. My mom always reminds me and my brother that when she was in high school, Bryant Park (now a very family friendly, gentrified tourist spot) was pretty much the scariest place she knew--a haven for drug dealers and addicts and homeless drunkards. As much as we like to pretend the city is an "inspirational, cultural hub," once we open our eyes, as Child suggested, the poverty and inequality is obvious and rampant.<br /><br />When visiting Washington, DC for the first time at night, I was in shock. I found myself tripping over homeless people everywhere I went. They sleep outside of apartment buildings, and especially in the parks surrounding our school. I never saw that quantity of homeless people in one place, even in NYC. Also, once you wander outside of Foggy Bottom, the beauty of the city is lost to the sense of poverty and despair. My friend and I traveled on the Metro and got off at Benning at night to see a hockey game and we were both paralyzed with shock and disbelief (and fear) that we were still in Washington. There is definitely a more blatant sense of poverty in Washington.Caitlin O'Gradyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08816195482589161997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5756292796580291035.post-37092539163414156182011-03-07T13:00:32.235-08:002011-03-07T13:00:32.235-08:00I actually just watched American Psycho for the fi...I actually just watched American Psycho for the first time last night after getting it on Netflix. So finding this post, I had to comment. I, too, found the film very disturbing. I think Patrick Bateman's actions are the most extreme reaction to the yuppie lifestyle of 1980s Wall St, New York City. <br /><br />Child's "Letters from New York" is less gruesome than "American Psycho" because it was written in the 19th century and back then it was probably considered as intense as "American Psycho" is now. <br /><br />For me, personally, it was a hard movie to watch and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. But I would recommend it because it does satire people's obsession with pop-culture and the yuppie lifestyle and goes to the extremes of how people respond to it.Emily Cirillonoreply@blogger.com