No Takers For Red Hook Piece o' Crap

kudos to CHP for having the courage to speak out and tell the truth about a rather ugly aspect of this site. Maybe being faceless and nameless on the web brings out the worst in some of us but it's nothing to be proud of.

Posted by: jennyanne at September 27, 2006 12:10 PM

Bless you, CHP. Always the voice of reason. I would like to also point out that while you may not like the design of these buildings, some people may think they are wonderful. Not to everyone's taste (certainly not mine), but to some people they are attractive. Certainly they are better than fedders buildings- there is some attempt at detail and design.

You don't have to look under a rock to find racism or anti-semitism on this site. It's right out in plain sight.

"why is it that Hasidic developers always put up shit design and housing, even for themselves? Is it always about saving a buck ?

Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2006 8:18 PM"

What would you call that? A plea for brotherhood and tolerance?

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 3:17 AM

Great posts, Carolyn, and your questions are right on the money. I wish there were answers. Part of it might lie in the fact that SI is an island, while Brooklyn has long been easily accessible from Manhattan and Queens (discounting traffic of course). If your dad was right, SI was considered to be open territory and not under close scrutiny. And a bit of contempt for blue collar workers- something we still see today.

Another factor is historical. When brownstones and tudors were being built, the technology and craftsmen were available and these homes were built based on methods going back thousands of years. But once the Industrial revolution really got underway, and mass production became a reality, people looked to how to produce faster and cheaper. But there is an underlying premise to mass production- start up costs are huge, so you need to produce a lot just to get started. So you cut corners, simplfy designs, eliminate fancy details, use cheaper materials. And certainly the baby boom after WW II played right into that.

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 11:34 AM

Of course, that said, some people just have horrible design instincts.

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 11:35 AM

Wow- talk about hyper sensitive.

Have to disagree with you here, Rascal.

As a Jew I've heard that argument too often in a negative context (as in you Jews control everything, you're cheap, etc.) Moreover,CHP's comments were really aimed more at the idiotic posts of aster and jbjb, which are offensive. They are not talking about a cultural history of financial prudence, they made some pretty ugly assertions- "They have no interest in quality, architecture, or design beautification. It seems to be all about the money." and "THESE PEOPLE MUST BE STOPPED!" aster's rather hysterical contribution.

Am I wrong in assuming you're Italian? Because for comparative purposes we could delve into a history of anti-semitism vs. anti-Italian sentiment and see who has had the rougher time. But that would be a pointless exercise- everyone suffers from the effects of extremism, racism and prejudice, directly and indirectly.

I also note that you use Jews and Hasids interchangeably. Hasids are but one end of the spectrum and in no way define or characterize the entire religion or culture. I'm sure you would find it offensive if I equated all Christianity with the religious extremists like James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Pat Roberts (or it is Robertson? What do I know- you see one extremist you've seen them all). And it seems to me the consequences of that group of religious extremists is far more destructive of the quality of life than an ugly building. Oh- one last thing. This is Banned Book Week. Guess who banned Harry Potter? (Hint: not us financially prudent folk).

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 3:07 PM

I don't have an obsession with race or ethnicity until a jerk brings it up. And actually no I don't think anyone would have made a big deal out of it if it were Irish, or Italians or gay developers. But Hasids are a particularly unified group, visually and culturally. People find it easy to pick them out and take potshots.

"why is it that Hasidic developers always put up shit design and housing, even for themselves? Is it always about saving a buck ?

Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2006 8:18 PM"

The word Hasid need never have entered into the discussion. In fact, if you note, the first 28 comments never mention the ethnicity of the developer.and the quote above was the first.

If you don't get it, you never will. But what could I expect from someone who gets upset over a reference to Italians but is ok with comments about Jews. Indeed- physician heal thyself.

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 4:08 PM

I guess the point is, it doesn't matter who builds them, the end result is the same. A really ugly building. And ugly buildings are going up all over the city- so singling out one ethnic group is ridiculous. We seen and complained about loads of garbage buildings on this forum- many of them not built by Hasidic or Jewish developers. Yes in certain areas you'll find one group or another predominating, but that's a question of demographics, not cultural characteristics.

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 4:33 PM

above was mine- typekey didn't work.

Posted by: jennyanne at September 28, 2006 5:09 PM