Today's nested discussion (a new term we are using to define a hybrid of a digital presentation, a critical small group discussion, and a simultaneous larger group discussion), was truly engaging around how we identify our communities and identify with our communities. Some things we would love to hear you talk more about are how you define diversity and what is important to you about diversity? Who is responsible for a community? How do we resolve the tension between development and change and the good and the bad that come along with that? What is going on in the city that are influencing what you are seeing in your communities? One thing Christine and I spoke about was how you are thinking about making/creating communities as you are about to leave high school and go off to college? Any other thoughts that came up from the class are of course welcome.
7 Comments
Rose
5/23/2013 11:12:38 am
Diversity to me means different groups of people, meaning socially, economically and various ethinicties that are different that would integrate and get along as a whole. I believe it's important because society is very ignorant to many ethincities with sterotypes and how ethinicities are portrayed in everyday life in ADS and on television. Like on the train when there is ads about teenage mothers that have babies that aren't particularly white but other minorities which are known to have high rate pregnancies (i.e african americans and hispanics) leaving a bad portrayal to these ethinicities on the public. On another note, I don't really know who is responsible of my community because I don't get any information on any community meetings. So I never have a say in my community because of that, and also development in greenpoint is becoming more gentrified. I believe it's true because of how my community is changing by the stores, there is a fro-yo place which is relatively new, sushi places, bubble tea places, organic restaruants, new condominiums, and houses that are being sold to a group of people called 'hipsters.' As these hipsters start to invade my community, Greenpoint, the rent has gone significantly higher than pushing the minorities in my community to move out because the rent is so high. These changes might be bad to the public but create economic revenue in my community which is good but it doesn't have a positive impact on the people. It's a really complicated situation because my community has always been predominantely white throught history and it has remained predominantely white but I feel as if I can't do much to change this because it's a cycle to keep other minorities out. In all my community is shaped to the extent where change is always rejected in certain ways.
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Precious
5/23/2013 12:03:34 pm
I feel that the same is also happening within my community. The strange thing about it is that gentrification usually occurs in areas that are plagued with poverty and urban blight. The section of Astoria I live in which is located between Astoria Park, and surrounded by the Ditmars area is a middle class area with homes that were well tended to by European, Various Arabic (Egyptian, Lebanese) and more recently Latin American immigrants who inhabited them. The community continues to have many storefronts that cater to the needs of people within the community. From the Egyptian bakeries of Steinway which serve primarily Middle Eastern and Greek clients, to the Italian/Hispanic bakeries that serve the needs of the entire community. The gentrification around here is less noticeable. Many single family homes are simply rented out by YUPPIES or their newer companions the Hipsters but, one in the community can usually tell where these individuals live due to the way the house they live in looks. It usually looks like minimal effort has been put into it, and that it has become a uniform rental. Recently within the past 10-11 years many single or two family houses have been torn down, and replaced with 10+ story condominiums on the same lots. Also noticeable are the circulars that are promoted in the neighborhood. If you are to board the N/Q train at it's Ditmars terminal you will be handed a colorful and trendy 30 page magazine jammed with advertisements of trendy and upscale restaurants. You would read the top of the magazine and be bombarded with names like '' The Queens Kickshaw, or Zagat rated Sushi restaurants, or the new Studio lounge on 36th avenue.'' One would say after seeing this magazine is this really Queens, or is this the East/West Villages? In contrast there is another community magazine which is styled like a Newspaper and has events written within it that concern the community. The events can range from ''community member Peter Vallone is working with city officials to remove a toxic building in LIC to VIVA PAPA FRANCIS with articles on the new pope translated in English, Italian, and Spanish. This paper has ads to but the restaurants are more locally known, less upscale and do not promote the bourgeoisie attitude of the newcomers.
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Mandee
5/26/2013 01:12:25 pm
YES, YES, YES ! AD's definitely have a profound impact on the way that society views specific groups of people. But to go back to the topic of "Community", whose responsibility do YOU think it is to take care/create a community? I would like to hear more about your personal opinion. How do you feel about the hipsters moving into your community? Do you feel offended? I sure as hell would.
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Luna
5/24/2013 04:54:53 am
I agree with you guys as well. In my community, I am the ultimate minority. I live in Glendale, Queens, where there are very minimal Latinos. When I first moved in, my neighbors would be suspicious of us, assuming that the stereotypes that surrounded the hispanic community were true. W've lived there for 5 years now, and although my neighbors now have a better view of us as they realized the stereotypes do not pertain to ALL hispanics, it still bothers me that these preconceived notions affected our initial relationship. It shouldn't be that way.
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Mandee
5/26/2013 12:35:43 pm
And whose fault is it that Hispanic's have this stereotype? Is there someone to blame? If you think about it, every ethnicity has this "preconceived notion"...but I believe that the media is to blame for every single one. The media acts as a net. It scoops and captures everything to then release it to the public.
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Gene
6/16/2013 07:58:54 am
I agree that the media has definitely added to these unfair and preconcieved notions of races, but are they the only ones to blame? We have been surrounded by stereotypes even beofre any of us knew how to walk, and they surround us also because of even family beliefs and ou own environments. We subconciously know of and are aware of these stereotypes even if we don't want to be, so I don't think we should just blame the media.
Mandee
5/26/2013 01:07:32 pm
I can best define diversity as a variety of things. Anything really. A variety of culture, people, colors, personalities, beliefs, views...voices. Without diversity, this world would be nothing more than one person. Believe it or not, there is great diversity even between just two people. No two people are alike, thus creating diversity and differences. Our world was created holding many different kinds of people, and is meant to remain that way. Responsibility in a community should be taken by those living in it. It is not the job of one individual or a few individuals to create and look after a community...after all, a community by definition is "THE PEOPLE OF A DISTRICT OR COUNTRY CONSIDERED COLLECTIVELY, ESP. IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL VALUES AND RESPONSIBILITIES; SOCIETY." I honestly do not feel like there is a way to resolve the tension between development and change of the good and bad. Good and bad constantly clash, period. They do not get along. If one perceives something to be good while another perceives it to be bad, there is little option to resolve the issue. The best thing to do, in this case, is for the good and bad to just avoid eachother.
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