Tag: ideological bubbles

Response 1 of 5

Article: Trump may have America, But the City is still Ours. by David Wallace-Wells.

 

This article speaks for a lot of New Yorkers the Night of the election and much of the emotion felt at the moment when the city realized Trump had won. This article written by David Wallace Wells is an excellent piece that represents a large portion of the NYC community over the course of the election. His piece is teeming with emotion on what exactly it means to be a New Yorker in the midst of all this tension that Trump had arisen. Wallace-Wells draws New Yorkers, reminding us of the things that bind us and the common sights we see. Wallace-Wells mentions metrocards and fruit stands, two extremely common things in NYC. Wallace Wells also talks about how the two objects, the fruit stand and metrocards have taken on a different meaning in the aftermath of the chaotic election. The objects have become a “talisman” as wells mentions, something that is common enough to bring a sense of familiarity when things all of a sudden seemed so foreign, so quickly over the course of a single night.

 

Another thing I particularly enjoyed was the unity of New Yorkers Wallace- Wells mentions again. How we stick up for one another as mentioned in his article “and that you shouldn’t intervene when two drug addicts are yelling at each other outside a Chinatown subway station but that you should when it’s one of them yelling at a Mexican woman to clear out of town”. New Yorkers, in particularly the city are joined together by we could say trauma, united by the suck. New Yorkers have weathered many disasters ( not taking away from any other state or country affected by such disasters), including, the disastrous Hurricane Sandy. This disaster of an election is just another scar on our back that we will brag to others to have survived. Compared to rising rent and metrocard prices, a faulty election is nothing. Let’s show the world what New Yorkers are made of.

 

Questions

Has anyone ever truly taken the city?

Will it even be possible given the huge amount of diversity?

Do you think these strong feelings dividing the city were always there or only manifested because of the election?

Do New Yorkers really say Fuggedaboutit really that often?

Salvatore Fevola

Reflection 1 of 5

Trump May Have America, But the City is Still Ours

Author: David Wallace-Wells

In this emotional article, David Wallace-Wells sets up the tumultuous madhouse that New York is, through the depiction of the city after Trump had been elected. Focusing on the negative shock that most New Yorkers (over 80% of us) felt during the election night, he presents the city as if our bubble unexpectedly popped despite our belief in the power of  our “technocratic liberalism.” Yet in the madness that ensued after Trump’s “coronation,” people showed their unity making sure their fellow New Yorkers knew they would be there for them. Through the setting he created, Wells comes to the conclusion that despite Trump being office, the city will stay in the hands of the people living there and wont be changed by a shift in the person occupying the presidents seat. Continue reading “Giving up our city? As if”

Response 2 of 5: “Trump May Have America, But the City Is Still Ours” by David Wallace-Wells

By: Mariam Esa

 

David Wallace-Wells begins the article by recalling the morning after the election- it was indeed a day of mourning. This made me recall memories of my own of that day. I remember being extra cautious on my walk to school, my eyes darting everywhere. I remember my teacher closing the lights and Continue reading “Is the City ours?”

Sam Gosda

Response 2 of 5: Trump May Have America, But the City is Still Ours

In this relatable article author David Wallace-Wells depicts the effects of the 2017 presidential election on New York City. He accurately describes the worries of the city and the nation. In the article, New York City is described as an asylum in both the context of a safe-haven and a mental institution. I could not in a million years think of a better word to describe it. Historical as well as current events were used to back up the description of the city and the grief being felt by its inhabitants upon the election of Donald Trump. Wallace-Wells used language that made me want to read more. I related to what was being written and the rhetoric made me agree with every point being made. The city would be both a moving force in the resistance against Trump as well as the reason a white supremacist could be elected into office in the first place. 

Continue reading “Emotions of the Election”

Reflection 2 of 5

“Hot Dogs, Hipsters, and Xenophobia: Immigrant Street Food Vendors in New York”

For as long as immigrants have lived in New York City, street food vending has been many immigrants’ source of income. By selling cheap food that were from their homeland, immigrants are able to not only have a living, but also reminisce about their past. Although this seems profitable, many street vendors have experienced anti-immigrant bias through a multiple of different forms, such as laws and regulations, tickets and verbal attacks. Continue reading “Street Vendor Bias”

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?

Continue reading “Trump May Have America, But the City Is Still Ours”

Shainu George

Reflection 1 of 5

Trump May Have America, But the City Is Still ours

David Wallace-Wells

Although Trump is president, the city can still have the diversity and tolerance that it aims for. At first, people were upset over the presidential elections, especially in the city. I remember kids crying when they came to school the day after elections with fears that their parents would get deported.  The results of the election were so unexpected. We just continued to live in denial, even after the fact. However, as time went on, I realized how strong the city really was. We didn’t accept defeat but fought back. The author says, “The city will continue to be itself — a theater of freaks and refugees and the restless” (1). That statement is very accurate. I was able to attend the women’s march of 2018 and I was able to see with my own eyes how powerful these people are. They refused to be silenced. Posters saying “Pussy grabs back” and “Women’s rights are human rights” show the true spirit of the city. Even my high school, Brooklyn Tech is planning a walkout to protest against gun violence. The spirit of the city lays in the fact that we will not be tamed. We will fight for what’s right until we get it the results we want.

Questions:

1. The fact that Trump is from New York City shows that not all New Yorkers preach democracy and freedom. How do we spread democracy within our own walls?
2. How did the other states react to the news of the election?

Rachel Swed

Reflection 2 of 5

Hot Dogs, Hipsters, and Xenophobia: Immigrant Street Food Vendors in New York by Sean Basinski

(Written in summer 2014)

In his research paper “Hot Dogs, Hipsters, and Xenophobia: Immigrant Street Food Vendors in New York,” Sean Basinski talks about xenophobia and laws directed toward street food vendors. In 1925, a whopping 90 percent of 31,000 vendors were foreign born (1). An easy job for immigrants who had no skill or formal job was to become a street vendor. However, these immigrants were quickly a target for anti-immigrant bias. For example, there were many laws put in place to limit the number of foreign vendors such as, “the Board of Alderman required “foreigners” to declare their intention for US citizenship in order to receive peddling licenses” (2). In addition to this, foreign vendors received many tickets for pointless refractions like not having all their items in or under their pushcart or not “‘conspicuously display’ their vending licenses” (7). Because of the cultural and language barrier established by city law enforcement, street food vendors struggle to avoid costly consequences from regulation. Enacting more laws that limit licenses or locations to sell creates a system of disadvantage because a majority of street food vendors are immigrants who use vending as their sole source of income and employment. As a result, Basinski founded The Street Vendor Project. This center, “provides legal and small business services to our members while organizing vendors to amplify their voices so as to increase their collective power in our city” (4). Ultimately, SVP will help immigrant vendors get their voices back and help against any refractions they receive by providing them with an attorney. Continue reading “Street Vendors Vs. Anti Immigrant Bias”

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. Continue reading “The New Yorker Spirit”