Rosie Revisited
First Rosie was on Brian Lehrer. Then we blogged about it. Then she led a panel at WNYC. Then New York Magazine cornered her and blogged it. Here’s a clip from the New York Mag post: Perez got pretty slammed on the Brooklyn blogs for her comments. As much as I find Rosie Perez to…
First Rosie was on Brian Lehrer. Then we blogged about it. Then she led a panel at WNYC. Then New York Magazine cornered her and blogged it. Here’s a clip from the New York Mag post:
Perez got pretty slammed on the Brooklyn blogs for her comments. As much as I find Rosie Perez to be a decent actor, sexy and certainly part of NYC’s charm, I must say comments like these make me want to kick her in the shins, wrote one commenter on Brownstoner. We cornered Perez after the show, and she was happy to clear up what she worried was a hostile comment. What I really wanted to say was that, yes, I’m nostalgic for the past, but I’m also excited about the present and hopeful for the future,” she explained. “Things do change. Water always has to flow or else it becomes stale. But with change, you can bring along some of the good minerals that came from the top of the waterfall.” She said she’d read some of the blogs and seen the nasty comments. “I think it’s their guilt of being the gentrifiers. They don’t know how to take it,” she said. “But I had to look at myself and I realized it came off a little hostile, to be honest.
Her parting words? “Even if you’re in a bad mood, just give me a nod. We’ll do one better: Come to the Flea tomorrow, Rosie, and we’ll buy you a pupusa!
What's Your Take? Leave a Comment
Still working…
…on metaphor…
…of minerals coming down from the top of a waterfall…
…has Rosie been reading too much Thomas Friedman? (The waterfall distributes more minerals when the earth is flat…)
“miss priss…I don’t know what its like in Ft Greene but in Bed Stuy, EVERYONE says “Good morning” or “hello” to everyone else. It was amazing moving here from Manhattan and experiencing this every day on the way to and the way home from work. Maybe Ft. greene is really too close to Manhattan, in which case some of the comments are actually spot on.”
just to point out, Bed Stuy is mostly filled with people from the south and everyone says “Good morning” or “hello” even if you don’t know them.
also Perez is loaded. so this is all lame.
“white women in their 30s and 40s with young children ive noticed are actually the least friendly group of people ive ever encountered in nyc. and a lot of other people feel that way too.”
And white women in their 30s and 40s with young children probably think you’re unfriendly too, espeically with that big chip on your shoulder. So it goes.
Entitlement? To what? Newcomers get accused of being “entitled” if they want crime lowered, the streets beautified, etc. What’s so bad about that? I would have thought everyone wanted those things. Obviously there are some culture clashes–like loud music on stoops at night where, at risk of oversimplifying things, the old and new may part ways, but, come on, new people are not moving in looking to push out or disrespect the people that are already there. it’s paranoia.
Col Austin, you probably have a valid point about the “rule the space” mentality of new people in a neighborhood with too much time on their hands and a sense of “we paid more” which someone else alluded to. It seems to most vehemently and arrogsntly revolve around the children’s “needs” most of the time.
brooklynista- I’m going to take the lighthearted approach and say because we are eternal optimists? 🙂
Maybe none of us change our opinions, but its fair to say that, whether for good or ill, the level of awareness gets raised. I wonder how many gentrifyers ever thought of the impact they have on residents of a neighborhood they’ve moved into? How many long time residents realize how many gentrifyers really do care about the neighborhood and love living there, even without a Starbucks on every corner?
I’m a great believer in dialogue- even if it seems futile because on some level we gain more understanding. Maybe the issue is what are we doing with that understanding? Some people just dig in their heels, others will think about it. You never can tell:-)
Right, even though Broklin may not win the award for most compelling argument of the year with his/her position of “I was here first,” it’s still how he/she feels and with that feeling comes tension. To talk about the tension is helpful, to tell someone they shouldn’t feel that way, is not.
Attacking the messenger is a lot easier than attacking the message.
Rosie’s main beef seems to be the growing sense of elitism and entitlement that is sweeping the neighborhood. She’s of the opinion that people seem to think since they’re paying a premium for the lovely neighborhood, they should be able to rule the space.
Recent netroots efforts to displace the FG park soccer crowd and efforts to get the PS 20 principal fired are examples of this ‘rule the space’ mentality.
you people are missing the point. she is NOT telling new people not to move to fort green, she is NOT saying she owns the place. what she is saying to many new comers, specifically young white families is.. STOP BEING SO LAME!
*rob*