Right-Wing, Apathetic What?
Know what I’m sick of lately? Activist types showing up here, getting all up in our faces about our part in advancing gentrification — or at least that we don’t weep enough about gentrification. The worst part is that for all their many hundreds of words on the subject, they can never seem to get any real ideas across. They’re infected by vapidity and are crammed full, top to bottom, with empty rhetoric. It’s hard to even look sometimes.
I had actually been somewhat avoiding the subject of gentrification, mainly because whether we debate it or not, it’s inexorable, a given. I didn’t see the point. What little bits I let slip as I otherwise walked on eggshells here brought me nothing but whining and hate posts. So you know what? Fuck it. I’m putting down the shield I use to bounce weak anti-gentrification spitballs back at their launchers and pulling out my bazooka — and I’m taking no prisoners.
Take, for example, poor Katie. She’s a volunteer at Make the Road by Walking, every Bushwicker’s favorite two-million-dollar-a-year protest organization. She’s a freshly-minted college liberal on a mission to “combat inequality in all its incarnations.” Aw. But it seems after Round One, she’s been KO’d. What a disappointment.
She’s bitten off more than she can chew, but instead of fighting the good fight, she retreats to the safe confines of her MySpace account to get pats on the head from her yes-man friends. “I’m not articulate enough!” “Aw, sure you are! ur like, super-articulate!” Witness:
gentrification (part 1)
this whole conversation makes me angry
especially since i can’t seem to articulate or defend my ideas even after 4 years of college with 4 years of “identifying underlining assumptions”. i hate feeling weak against stupid right-wing bloggers. ludicrous! i shouldn’t care, but i do and i don’t understand how other people can be so apathetic.
Four years of college, sure, but don’t forget those many tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt! All that, and she can’t even hit back after ONE response to her comment. I just blew on her and she collapsed into a whimpering heap.
I’ll continue here what I started in the offending post — zeroing in on nonsense statements whose intent is to muddy the clear waters of debate, and blowing them up.
The “stupid right-wingers” comment sticks out prominently to those whom I have shown the post. The response from each has been “…right-wing?” There’s not a single word in this entire post that could be reasonably construed as right-wing — unless the intent is to smear, and thereby discredit, anyone in any disagreement whatsoever with Katie. She must have majored in the Sean Hannity school of debate — anyone who doesn’t want to suck the president’s dick is a terrorist; anyone who disagrees with Katie wants to have Hitler’s babies. In fact, I’m surprised she didn’t employ the most over- and misused word in the college-liberal vocabulary: fascist.
Really, if you can’t even get some simple ideas across after four years of, *cough*, “identifying underlining [sic] assumptions,” who exactly is the “stupid” one here, sweetheart?
“Apathy” is another liberal favorite. If you don’t vote, for example, you’re “apathetic” — instead of someone who simply realizes that since voting changes nothing, time isn’t worth wasting at the voting booth. In this case, however, since I don’t share her views and spend my time caring about the things she cares about, I’m “apathetic.” See how that works? Rocks as a rhetorical device against the dumb. Flops against those who pay attention.
But wait, don’t think Katie is all mad love for Bushwick: her “FUCK YOU BUSHWICK!” post is a must-read — one can’t help but feel bad for someone whose bike AND car were both chopped on the same day. Although, as every good liberal knows, cars are evil. Maybe Bushwick did her a favor.
I might regret having been so mean in the morning (it’s almost 2am). But there’s nothing like being called a stupid right-winger to snap one out of one’s apathy!
(PS: I don’t have any student loan debt. Know why? Because I never went to college! *maniacal laugh*)
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:44 am
I’m with you, man. This us-vs.-them bullshit has gotten very old. It’s like we’re evil for even moving in to this neighborhood.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I think it’s hysterical that her bike and car were chopped in one day. That’ll teach her.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:13 pm
what i hate is when people post to message boards and feel that this disqualifies them from ‘apathy’, you know, since it’s so much work to post on message boards. still, i feel for her, i was young, naive and sure that I had it all figured out. pace yourself, Katie, you’ll soon be one of us …
car chopping is part of the colorful culture of bushwick and shall not be impugned by aliens.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
You’re so apathetic Jeremy. When was the last time you hoped things would get better? I bet never! At this rate, pretty soon no one will hope things get better! Personally, if it weren’t for my good intentions I don’t know how I’d keep going.
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:03 pm
ha, that’s like that Simpsons episode in which Ed Begley Jr drove a car powered only by his sense of self-satisfaction at driving a non-petroleum burning vehicle.
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:16 pm
At the risk of seeming to ride in on a high horse, I must say:
Why don’t you all take a mutha–f*ckin chill pill and stop REACTING back and forth to all this gentrification nonsense?
It only fuels the fire on both sides.
If you’re partial to doing community service to improve your neighborhood, by all means do so. If you’re partial to expressing your desire to improve your neighborhood by simply keeping your own house and stoop neat and clean then by all means do that instead, or as well.
I’d protest outside of that Grove St building simply because it’s UGLY. Ugliness is a great offense to humanity, period.
Stop the ugly posting and comments on Bushwickbk.com. Sometimes this place turns into a big tiresome bitch-fest. There are other Brooklyn blogs that focus on the architecture, history, resources of neighborhoods.
Jeremy has more power than anyone to steer this ship towards higher ground. I’d love to see him do that.
“LIVE and LET LIVE folks!” Armstrong says, galloping into the sunset
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Actually, after some thought, I realize my horse has a black tail..
I’ve posted my own share of negative BS on here!
Oh well, what can I say – I contain multitudes. Discuss.
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Won’t somebody PLEASE wish that somebody would hope to DO SOMETHING!!
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:34 pm
I’m always wishing that more people will do something in the area business-wise. i would love to see something open up that’s not a nail salon,99 cent store,bodega,or church. i would do it myself if i had the finances or investors, as I’m sure a great deal of you folks would. Not just bars and coffee shops,but some good ethnic restaurants that aren’t just mexican and chinese. The day that an indian or falafel place opens up in these parts, you can be sure I will be there on opening day.
Yes, I am a dirty gentrifier to a degree and hold no guilt about it.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:27 pm
I tried to promote and hi-lite individuals who I thought cared enough about the neighborhood and said many positive things on this blog. But it kinda got taken the wrong way.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:33 am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwick,_Brooklyn says that Bushwick was populated by German-Americans, then Italian-Americans, then African-Americans and Puerto Ricans began moving in during the 50’s and 60’s (reverse “gentrification”?). Are the current changes “gentrification” or just part of the natural migratory patterns of our society? I strongly suspect it is the latter and would love to hear arguments as to why it is not.
August 24th, 2007 at 9:31 am
The negative is the yang to the positive’s yin. Life isn’t always rainbows and puppies. Also, I have demonstrated before that I don’t do “high road.” We can still have cool shit on this blog, and we do, but I won’t sit here with a stuck-on smile while I’m spit on, like some namby-pamby white bitch who bends over for a black rapist so that people don’t think she’s racist.
I’m glad you checked yourself Armstong, cuz I might have had to do it for you. *snap*
August 24th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Wine bars on one hand and rabid right-wingers on the other. What are we, anyway? John Birchers quaffing vintage Bourdeaux while plotting the downfall of the UN? Bring on the right-wing, white-power sushi salons!