E.B Whites version of New York City is practically poetic in writing, and he does make a handful of great points. White breaks down New Yorkers into commuters, residents and settlers from a different place. His breakdown of what each group offers and gives is rather subjective in my opinion, because unless you have actually been all three it is difficult to pinpoint what one gains out of it. Nevertheless his argument of how nearly impossible it is for New York City to exist is one that should be taken.
Every New Yorker will fall into the category of a commuter, resident or a settler and that’s why Whites piece hits home for everyone. I am both a commuter and a resident of a New York City, and while I agree very much with Whites opinion of a resident, but I believe he was a bit too harsh on a commuter. Before I moved into the city, I used to commute to go to work and while it is true that as a commuter I didn’t experience roaming the city, it was a lot more then “entrances and exits.” Commuting to the city becomes a lifestyle and in that process a commuter learns how to navigate the city in the most efficient way as possible, while still getting as much out of it.
One interesting point that White makes is that people often say “it’s a wonderful place, but I’d hate to live there,” but actually New York City is consists of neighborhoods within neighborhoods. I currently live in Peter Cooper Village and just like White said everything I need is within a three-block radius at the max. Wandering away from my Gramercy, Union Square area makes me feel like I am in a whole different part of the city. Of course there is that loneliness and lack of sense of belonging here, just as there would be in any city, but I agree with White that outsiders often underestimate the community you do have by living here.
Another concept that White brings out, which to be honest I have not pondered is the concept that its almost impossible that this city exists and has continued on to be the capital of the world for decades. We have faced the Great Depression, plenty of terrorists attacks including 9/11, the economic recession, natural disasters including the most recent Hurricane Sandy, yet as a city we have grown and moved on. As White says, “mass hysteria is a terrible force, yet New Yorkers always seem to escape it by a tiny margin,” and I believe that is because unlike any other city new York City is simply a mesh of all the craziest people who will do anything to maintain the reputation of this city as unparalleled to any other. New Yorkers have a sense of pride that don’t enjoy being brought down.
Overall reading Whites piece was rather enjoyable, because as a New Yorker as I mentioned above, his piece brings out a sense of pride. This city exists despites all of the dysfunctional parts of it, and I loved the passion that White put into writing this. I would want to further look into E.B White and the background on him to see where his perspective is coming from, because this was a subjective piece of writing on his opinion.
