John Semanduyev
Reflection 1/5
Trump May Have America, But the City Is Still Ours
David Wallace-Wells
Wallace-Wells describes the aftermath of Trump’s victory after election night. In a dramatic fashion, he paints an image of a unified city working hard to suppress the realization of what happened. He describes New York as its own bubble, an isolated domain somehow thriving as a madhouse. What makes this madhouse so enticing?
Wallace-Wells emphasized the rebellious nature contained within Manhattan itself. A dense city that is buffered to the implicit laws that govern the rest of the world. The city enticed the freaks running away from their parents to rebel and find refuge here, as an edgy teenage boy this definitely struck a chord with me. The city feels, somehow, freer than the rest of the world. Growing up here has desensitized me to all the potential weirdness out there.
I believe that it is this forced desensitization that makes the city more liberal and open-minded. Growing up in a borough that houses a seemingly endless amount of different cultures and identities made me comfortable and able to adapt to any sort of environment. As Wallace puts it: “The city will continue to be itself-a theater of freaks and refugees and the restless.” I can safely assert that our diversity is what drives our democracy, and the only way to spread our democracy is to introduce diversity to areas that have none. Perhaps even spending a week at our madhouse can persuade any Trump supporter.
Questions:
What is the most effective way to introduce diversity into areas that have little to none?
Are todays immigrants still the same rebels as the original ones?
