Bob Dylan, George Harrison, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Hank Williams, Arlo Guthrie, The Kinks, The Beatles
Favorite Artists:
Edvard Munch, Frieda Calo, Andre Kertesz, Leonardo Da Vinci, Alex Grey, Laos Tihany
Favorite Writers:
Herman Melville, Nathanial Hawthorn, Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Eugene O'Neil, Tennessee Williams
Favorite Books:
Hamlet, Moby Dick, The Scarlet Letter, Heart of Darkness, The Odd Couple, Death of a Salesman, Siddartha, The Raven, Zoo Story, Pillars of the Earth, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Street Car Named Desire, The Seagull, Motherless Brooklyn, Waiting for Godot
Favorite Movies:
Sweeney Tod, Hamlet, Frieda, No Direction Home, I'm Not There
Hobbies:
Art, Writing, Painting, Drawing, Guitar
"All I can do is be myself... Who ever that is." -Bob Dylan
It’s difficult to explain and define what a New Yorker is, above the simple classification as one living in New York. People from other countries and even other states claim to be able to spot a New Yorker from a distance; by the way they act, move and speak. Being “New Yorkers,” we tend to not notice or think about what these qualities, traits, and even obligations are. I do consider myself a New Yorker, beyond the superficial fact that I was born on Manhattan and have lived in Brooklyn all my life - despite the fact that neither of those two are essential to bestowing the venerated title upon someone. Being a “New Yorker” stretches deep into not only a person’s heritage and location, but into their ideas, their philosophy, their actions and their intent. More then one thing ties us to the Empire State, what has been defined by many as the “Capitol of the World.”
I was fortunate enough to have had my work finished for me, even before my parents were born. I was not, like those who founded America, an immigrant, but instead, the descendant of many. Another thing which I believe qualifies me as a New Yorker is that like the city itself, I am diverse. I am the descendants of Norwegian, Swedish, Irish and Italian immigrants who came to New York in search of a new and better life. My Irish grandmother’s parents arrived around the early 1900s, and although they were from Ireland, they were citizens of Great Brittan, being from the northern part of the country. It is suspected they left due to religious persecution, being that they were Roman Catholic in a predominantly Protestant area. My Swedish grandmother’s parents arrived around the same time, just before World War II. There is reason to suspect that they were one of the many Jewish families who went into hiding, but since they never told anyone, there is not way to confirm it. My Italian grandfather was born in 1906, the youngest in his generation which places his parents arriving in America in the 18th century. My Norwegian grandfather, on the other hand, in 1927 jumped ship off a merchant marine vessel in New York harbor and, “swam to Canada.” He crossed the Canadian border and obtained citizenship there, before moving to America. He received notice later that week that all his confirmation papers had just arrived in Norway.
New York, in its essence, is diverse and its inhabitants, I believe, are capable of being a complex verity of races and cultures while being none at the same time. All the people who live in New York are New Yorkers, and therefore as a collective whole we’re every culture that’s been assimilated into the melting pot. One way or another, we’re linked. Although many cultures claim that assimilation and mixing of races destroys the fabric of society, I believe that since New York has become such a diverse place in the world that it’s created its own culture, its own race, which I too am amongst. I’m part of the hustle and bustle of city life. I’m familiar with the social graces, traffic laws, and policies that go along with New York life, as well as foreign customs which are not my own. I don’t always expect cars to break for me, I always expect to find a store open, and lines always move fast. Out of the pace of city life, stores always seem sluggish. My father said he realized he was a New Yorker when upon waiting on line in a Kansas City store, they made him go first because his impatient presence made them anxious. While one could say New York society is antisocial and depraved, I, on the other hand, say intense. New Yorkers are always moving and seem more aware that everything is changing.
New Yorkers have always seemed to have a higher sense of awareness in general, not just of self but as a whole. You always hear someone say that the big products, the ideas, the trends, always hit the major cities like New York before they disperse to the other states. But this awareness does not just stop at consumer developments; it goes broader, worldlier. Whether or not this was augmented by September 11th is up to debate, but New Yorkers pay attention to politics and are usually very involved in the government. The amount of protests, organizations and other groups that originate here are through the roof. They also accept diversity as well, which seems to reach a perfect combination. There’s less racism and bigotry here then many other states. Just recently I walked to a local deli owned by a neighbor from Jordan who is Muslim. When I entered, I found him, a few of his Islamic friends, my tall Nordic father and a short Irish woman listening to a political debate on the radio and discussing the presidential race. By nature, New Yorkers seem to be more involved in everything, from government to other events outside the country.
There’s also an overwhelming sense of supported creativity here in New York, which has been there since the dawn of its foundation. It may be in the sprit of it’s rebellion from the old, but New York has always been a magnet to artists, writers, actors, and musicians. Wherever you go in the city, you’re surrounded by art, literature or music in one form or another, whether it be a gallery opening in Manhattan, graffiti on a wall, a musician playing on a subway platform, or an orchestra playing at the Met. Part of what’s always made New York the place to go, the place that’s attracted immigrants, is its underlying creative vein.
So, not just by my location, do I believe I’m a New Yorker, but I think like one. I’m submerged in the fast-passed life of the city and I am aware of the world around me, the state of politics, the rate of change, the effects of our dense history, the responsibility that comes with knowledge. I keep up-to-date with whose running in the elections and I don’t take whatever’s said as straight fact. I’ve also organized events to support victims of the genocide in Darfur, as well as those who were injured or killed during September 11th, seven years ago. There’s a sort or responsibility, of not just awareness, but of the need to act, as well. Also, I always feel inspired by the city, to create art in some form, just by walking down the city streets - the city lives in me, as much as I live in it. No matter where you’ve come from, if you’re submerged in the essence of New York, then you’re a New Yorker.
