In New York for Sale: Community Planning Confronts Global Real Estate, Agnotti discusses how the finance, insurance, and real estate industries greatly contributed to the landscape of New York City we see today and how FIRE affected community planning. Agnotti mentions how big FIRE players contributed to the dislocation of lower income residents through gentrification, fueled systematic racial discrimination, and led to drastic economic inequality in the city. Considering all of this, it is clear that FIRE and New York planning was not kind to lower income New Yorkers and minorities. Because of this, I think a fitting piece of media for this week’s reading is the song “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” by LCD Soundsystem.
In “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down,” LCD Soundsystem singer and songwriter James Murphy laments about his love-hate relationship with New York City. Lyrics include the lines “New York, I love you / But you’re bringing me down / Like a rat in a cage / Pulling minimum wage” and “New York, you’re perfect / Don’t please don’t change a thing / Your mild billionaire mayor’s / Now convinced he’s a king / So the boring collect / I mean all disrespect / In the neighborhood bars / I’d once dreamt I would drink.” It’s a depressing song, and I think it encapsulates the duality of the city. New York is simultaneously a dream—a cultural center and one of the largest manufacturing centers on the East Coast—and a nightmare—racially separated with a huge gap between the rich and poor. Agnotti touches on the plight of the New Yorker in his book when he talks about financial and racial inequality. I think those affected by FIRE, those who are dislocated and cannot afford rent, can relate to Murphy’s song. Although New York City is revered as a cultural and economic hub, it also has its low points, corruption, and inequalities. “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” expresses this simultaneous love and hatred of the city. The residents getting brought down by FIRE have the same mournful quality as Murphy, but despite this, New York’s reputation still persists.
Questions:
How can we reverse the systematic racial discrimination in New York City?
How aware are outsiders of New York City’s inequalities? Do people solely think of New York as the glamorous city that never sleeps?
How do the lyrics of “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” reflect New York City today? How do the lyrics relate to other cities besides New York?
