Senator Schumer: "Americans Are Not Proud of New York"
Yes, that's what U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat, NY) told New York Times writer Deborah Solomon is an otherwise lighthearted interview dated Sunday, July 31.
In response to a question concerning homeland security protection for the New York subway system, Schumer replied,
No pride in New York? You've got to be kidding! Of course Americans are proud of New York City.....especially after a Republican Mayor took on the sleeze and corruption that had turned Manhattan into a rotten apple and a national embarrassment, cleaned the place up and restored the city to its rightful, prideful place in the eyes of Americans.
On the other hand, it is true that Americans are not proud of New York City in the same sense as the English are of London or the French are of Paris. That's because the comparison is bogus and specious to begin with!
Is New York the capital of the United States? London and Paris are national capitals.
Is New York the only city in the United States worthy of being proud of? London and Paris have no competition in their countries.
Is New York the residence of Queens, Prime Ministers and Presidents? Sure, New York has Queens....but none actually live there! Paris, on the other hand, has the Elysee Palace and London has 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace (And don't even try to compare these to Gracie Mansion!).
Did New York City survive the Blitz? Was it lost to, and then liberated from, Nazi occupation? Until 9/11, had any blood been shed on its streets from foreign invasion since the Revolutionary War?
Americans have much to be proud of. We have far more to be proud of, in fact, than all the pride in England or France combined!
Americans are proud of New York City. But New York City is only one of the cities and one of the national treasures we are proud of. While London and Paris stand alone, New York must share the spotlight of American pride with Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and, of course, Washington D.C. (to list just a few). Pride also falls on Yosemite, Yellowstone, Everglades, the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls (to list just a few).
Even the subway system in New York is not as unique as that in Paris or London. It is not the only one worth mentioning in our country, for one thing. It is not even the oldest subway system we have! While it is by far the largest, it is not the only one worthy of attention by Homeland Security.
As one of two Senators from the state of New York, Senator Schumer is, of course, expected to be a national cheerleader for the city with the largest voter base in his state!
But he verges on arrogance when he expects all Americans to feel towards New York City the same level of "pride" that the English feel towards London and the French feel towards Paris.
Memo to Chuck: The United States is bigger than New York City. The Big Apple is a nice place, perhaps, to spend $400 on theater tickets and a dinner but, besides that......just get over it!
In response to a question concerning homeland security protection for the New York subway system, Schumer replied,
The president should be a leader on this. Englishmen are proud of London. And Frenchmen are proud of Paris. But Americans are not proud of New York.Uh...Mr. Schumer...if I remember correctly, the terrorist attacks on New York City (and Washington D.C.) on September 11, 2001, created the greatest outpouring of American patriotism and pride since World War II. Mayor Giuliani and the New York Police and Fire Departments became national symbols of what is good and right about America. During a time of national trauma, we all became New Yorkers in some deep spiritual or emotional sense....at least for a time.
No pride in New York? You've got to be kidding! Of course Americans are proud of New York City.....especially after a Republican Mayor took on the sleeze and corruption that had turned Manhattan into a rotten apple and a national embarrassment, cleaned the place up and restored the city to its rightful, prideful place in the eyes of Americans.
On the other hand, it is true that Americans are not proud of New York City in the same sense as the English are of London or the French are of Paris. That's because the comparison is bogus and specious to begin with!
Is New York the capital of the United States? London and Paris are national capitals.
Is New York the only city in the United States worthy of being proud of? London and Paris have no competition in their countries.
Is New York the residence of Queens, Prime Ministers and Presidents? Sure, New York has Queens....but none actually live there! Paris, on the other hand, has the Elysee Palace and London has 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace (And don't even try to compare these to Gracie Mansion!).
Did New York City survive the Blitz? Was it lost to, and then liberated from, Nazi occupation? Until 9/11, had any blood been shed on its streets from foreign invasion since the Revolutionary War?
Americans have much to be proud of. We have far more to be proud of, in fact, than all the pride in England or France combined!
Americans are proud of New York City. But New York City is only one of the cities and one of the national treasures we are proud of. While London and Paris stand alone, New York must share the spotlight of American pride with Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and, of course, Washington D.C. (to list just a few). Pride also falls on Yosemite, Yellowstone, Everglades, the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls (to list just a few).
Even the subway system in New York is not as unique as that in Paris or London. It is not the only one worth mentioning in our country, for one thing. It is not even the oldest subway system we have! While it is by far the largest, it is not the only one worthy of attention by Homeland Security.
As one of two Senators from the state of New York, Senator Schumer is, of course, expected to be a national cheerleader for the city with the largest voter base in his state!
But he verges on arrogance when he expects all Americans to feel towards New York City the same level of "pride" that the English feel towards London and the French feel towards Paris.
Memo to Chuck: The United States is bigger than New York City. The Big Apple is a nice place, perhaps, to spend $400 on theater tickets and a dinner but, besides that......just get over it!
posted by Bird of Paradise at 10:29 PM
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