Abhayvir Singh
Reflection 2 of 5
“Trump May Have America, But the City Is Still Ours”
by: David Wallace-Wells
This article, in its beginning, captures the mournful spirit of New York City following the Election night of 2016. Yet, it wasn’t every New Yorker that was mourning. There was Staten Island, Rockaway, about a quarter of Brooklyn and scattered neighborhoods all across the city that had voted for Donald Trump. For them, it was a good day. The rest, since that day, had to buckle up and become members of the resistance. That meant being prepared for what was to come. For many people of color, that meant being prepared for hateful attacks. Many of us didn’t want to leave the house the next day. Subsequent studies do show a rapid increase in hate crimes since that day, and as described in the article, in New York City as well. Street life and subway encounters, for some, have not always been of support and solidarity. This begs the question, are all Trump supporters racist? Of course not. Many just find it impossible to “betray” their lifelong commitment to the Grand Old Party. Others, just wanted conservatism, although I don’t understand who actually understands and/or truly believes in political ideologies these days. The enclaves that we live in and surround ourselves with might be ours, but the city, on the personal level, is not “ours.” If this recent election has done anything constructive, it is to expose that. We wish to think otherwise, but that only further aids the “bubble” construct that many of us believe to exist in. It would be very comfortable and consoling to consider the city as a united resistant front. The reality is very detached from this. Donald Trump was not only the country’s pick, but many New Yorkers’ well. After all, he is from Queens, from this melting pot of ideas and beliefs. Experiments are carried out and all have varying results.
If not on the personal level, this city does belong to the resistance on the governmental level. Mayor de Blasio has implemented initiatives that counter everything the Trump administration stands for. Perhaps it is this liberal governance that creates the “unruliness.” “We know this city is, ultimately, ungovernable — that it’s too unruly, that it’s at its best when it’s unruly, and that its unruliness is what gave rise to what people like Trump used to call the American Dream,” writes Wells. In a city where people from every corner of the world together dwell, the ongoing conflict and attempts towards coexistence create this sort of free, opportunity filled vacuum. In that space, people can just slip through the cracks and jut get by to become what they aspire to become. Donald Trump, however, is not a true product of this way of life as he was aided by his inheritance and privilege. He may have exploited the system as a result of his greed, but he is not of the system. Of the system are first generation college students and self-made humans in various sectors, from business to the arts. This city is still the center of advancement and opportunity. People still come here and accomplish and succeed. This aspect of the city is still ours.
Questions:
-Did you expect New Yorkers in the various neighborhoods that went red to support Donald Trump?
-Do you believe there is a conflict between the personal and the public in this city? If so, what does it mean for you.
