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Comments

• [1] Benjamin Feingold from New York, NY August 27, 2007 - 11:48AM

  Dear Leonard,

  Of course it matters. Do you recall when David Dinkins ran for mayor of NYC and the ensuing riot in crown heights where he hid under a desk and didn't care at all.

  Now imagine if there is a canditae with perfect credentials, but he/she is black. Would you vote for such a person in the upcoming persidential election?

  Thank you for allowing me to express myself and enjoy your lunch.

  
  
• [2] AWM from UWS August 27, 2007 - 12:03PM

  Hey Ben Feingold,

  What does one have to do with the other? You know, all black people are different individuals, just like all jewish people are. Race matters to you in the wrong way.

  
  
• [3] chris from manhattan August 27, 2007 - 12:20PM

  Were these the most naive, under-exposed, non-urban(e) reporters Time-Out could find to cover this story?Or did they leave some rock unturned in Ohio?

  
  
• [4] TM August 27, 2007 - 12:21PM

  It does until it doesn't. Then it doesn't until it does.

  Are we talking about race or language or ethnicity here anyway? It's not clear.

  That said, when I picked up my yogurt in the Russian market this morning (in Brooklyn), the Mexican checkout girls were practicing their Chinese greetings, and scenes like that always make me feel a little better about us.

  
  
• [5] hnr from brooklyn August 27, 2007 - 12:24PM

  I just want to say that Friday's discussion was a little disappointing. Where if it's not New York, major cultural movements have developed. Why a multicultural talk centered on issues about politics and race. I don't think any music or any art form from cities like Toronto or Sidney have become as important as any other strong cultural that affects on the history of the world. On the other hand the most important immigrant developed in that city comes from a former British colonies.

  Why nobody talked about "culture" issues that matter.

  
  
• [6] Ana Stienberg from UES August 27, 2007 - 12:27PM

  Pathetic panel. This city has everything to do with race and money. Look at the poor areas, all black and Latin. I'm tired of all these do-nothing trustfund hipsters romanticizing about how diverse NY is. They don't even care as long as they have a Star Bucks and overpriced "organic food" and get a seat on the subway.

  
  
• [7] a from NYC August 27, 2007 - 12:28PM

  To Ben Feingold,

  Perhaps you should stop reading right-wing rags like the Post or watching Fox news and read something a bit more factual about what went on during that incident. Do I think Dinkins failed during that incident, yes. But to say he was hiding under his desk and didn't care is really a distortion and, well...just plain stupid, really.

  
  
• [8] Erin from Brooklyn August 27, 2007 - 12:31PM

  The caller from Bay Ridge - where are you going?? I live in Bay Ridge and when I take my son to the park there are Russians, Mexicans, Pakistanis, Croatians, and I (being a blonde white woman) am the minority!

  My neighbors are Korean, Mexican, Russian, Pakistani, Indian, and Hondurans - to name a few.

  NYC is the most multi-cultural.

  
  
• [9] Miss from Midtown August 27, 2007 - 12:35PM

  I moved to New York from Indiana because this city's a melting pot. Were all the judges on Friday from London? They're bonkers. The only thing London's better than New York is that the museums there are free.

  
  
• [10] Daimion Haughton from Jamaica, Queens August 27, 2007 - 12:42PM

  In the discussion of how deserves the city is, often we discuss how deserves the communities are. However, my experiences been that Blacks and Hispanic live together and everyone else live together. Therefore, I believe there is another aspect to color divide that is often over look. I would like here some more discussion on this issue.

  
  
• [11] ellen from brooklyn August 27, 2007 - 12:57PM

  I'm an Orthodox Jew who recently moved to a block that essentially both Jewish and Afro-American. I've made it my business to introduce myself to several neighbors of both ethnicities. The Afro-Americans are pleasant and cordial, but by and large I find tha both groups otherwise seem to socialize according to ethnicity. This is not a judgement, merely an observation. I may be premature because I've only lived here for a little over a month, but unless I distinctly make eye contact and say "hello" there is little mixing.

  
  
• [12] ellen from brooklyn August 27, 2007 - 01:09PM

  Oh, and may I add, Chris, that as a native Ohioan who has relocated to Brooklyn, that's a pretty ethnocentric assumption you made over there about Ohioans. And may I also add that in Ohio, people are considerably more sociable and friendly with one another no matter what the ethnicity or race than in Brooklyn. Case in point, when I was visiting my old stomping grounds in Ohio this past summer, I, as an Orthodox Jew, was approached by someone who appeared to be a fairly recent immigrant from India or Pakistan (sari-clad), to ask me what I felt she'd need for her children in school supplies for September. What surprised me was not the fact that we were 2 diffferent ethnicities, but in two different age groups. I thought I looked too old to have young children in elementary school and would therefore be less of an expert. I guess I must have looked teacherly (in fact, I do work in a school, though not as a teacher, and I did pretty much know how to respond to her). That spontaneous exchange would almost never take place between 2 strangers in Brooklyn, sad to say.

  
  
• [13] Winston from nyc August 27, 2007 - 03:07PM

  I think that uhnfortunately, too many people in NYC rely on the assumption that since it is a very diverse city, that racial issues aren't as "bad" as they used to be. The mere fact that a significant portion of people don't interact with each other by choice, and don't really show an interest in learning about others who are different however, may prove otherwise. Also, I couldn't help but notice that Nicole Blades was constantly referred to as an African-American. I thought that she was "born and raised in Montreal", not all black people in NYC are solely African-American, etc..