the flights (and movies I saw for those interested) but I feel like in a
place that is so immediate as New York, I really need to get some things
down now, so the tide of time doesn't wash them away.
So I arrive in Harlem on a bus from the airport, and within 10 minutes I
have already stumbled across two crazies - one who managed to royally
piss off the Latino sitting next to me on the park bench by swearing at
the sky about how "it's immigrants, all immigrants that done it, coming
here in their alien ships.... etc etc" and then another who was on the
whole 'the end is nigh, Jesus loves you' trip. But other than that
things have been pretty cool - in fact I have been a little disappointed
so far that I haven't copped any of the well known, New York in your
face attitude - in fact a few people have even returned my smile !!!
One thing that does immediately strike me is the way people hang out in
the streets. Lots of young black guys (Yeah I know, we have all seen it
on the TV and Spike Lee movies, but this is an almost completely black
neighbourhood) hanging on street corners in groups of three or four, or
sitting on public benches on the footpath - playing cards, chatting or
smoking a joint, standing around in front of the ubiquitous milk bars
that sell fast food - (picture a roadhouse, without any petrol), or
fanging around on their BMXs. Maybe it is just my paranoia, but I keep
getting a feeling that they look at me funny because I am a white boy in
their territory, and I have to honestly admit that most of the time I
can't quite make out what they are saying so I try to avoid engaging in
case I completely say the wrong thing and set somebody off. Anyway, it
got me thinking about how maybe there is an inner bigot inside all of
us, and stoked by the repetitious negative portrayal of black men in the
US media, it is easier (and lazy) to just fall in to the idea that they
are dangerous and risky. Note to self keep that in check.
However, when I think about it a little, I notice that I don't actually
feel unsafe. People here are crammed in to these tiny little apartments,
where you can't make any noise lest you disturb your neighbours -above,
below and around you - and the only place to escape to, where there is
open space and no charge, is the street. In a way it is strangely
democratic, the street is open to everyone, so people use it - the
footpath isn't just a place for walking to get from one place to another
- it is a place to socialise, to do business, to catch up with people,
be seen and just hang out. Rather than making the place frightening it
actually makes it come alive - almost like a third world city - and in
complete contrast to that eerie emptiness of suburbia.
On with the exploration.
No comments:
Post a Comment