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I dont understand why so many people are so concerned with safety when thinking about moving to Nyc. Dont get me wrong safety is important but i think some people just blow it out of proportion sometimes. In my perspective Nyc is no different than any other city when it comes to safety, crime happens everywhere and their is no dodging death when it is really your time to go. I just want to know what created this fear in some of these poeple!?Maybe they have been in some personal experiances that give them the thought of fear instantly. If you are one of these people share your experiance(s) and if you have overcame them or are still going through them...
I dont understand why so many people are so concerned with safety when thinking about moving to Nyc. Dont get me wrong safety is important but i think some people just blow it out of proportion sometimes.
More than just 'sometimes.' I happen to think you're absolutely right...although being a native-born New Yorker, I might possibly be biased in my observation.
1. A lot of people's fears of NYC stem from the way the city was in from the late 1960s until the mid-70s. At that time, heroin (and the attendant crimes, e.g., drug dealing, robberies, prostitution) ravaged the city, blackouts, rioting, arson, white flight, strikes, Mafia-style shootouts, growing numbers of homeless (deinstitutionalized) psychiatric patients with no means to support themselves, etc. were constantly in the news.
These things were broadcast around the world and their images created an aura of danger.
2. Many people are also put off by the aggressiveness of some New Yorkers and generally do not have the street smarts to handle it, also adding to the fear factor.
Quite a few people outside of NYC are unaware of the changes that have taken place since the 1970s, and cling to those old images and hearsay. Thus, whether their fears are real or without merit, many associate a sense of menace and vulnerability with NYC.
Im not a native born New Yorker but i am not in fear at when i go to visit. i love the vibe of Nyc, the way it embraces me,and i love the fact that theres so many different cultures to learn from...this is exactly why im going to move to Nyc
That was a bit off topic but it was on my mind and i had to get it off...Marie can you give some examples of the type of street smarts you need in Nyc?...I have street smarts but i think the ones i have are different than "Up North" street smarts...becuase i was not raised in a fast paced place i think my street smarts pertain more to the southern urban style of life.I was born in Carolina and lived there for a while before i moved to Va now everytime i go back to Carolina to visit i feel that my brain is miles ahead of most of theirs...and i feel the same about myself moving to Nyc "maybe" yalls brains are miles ahead of mines you understand where im coming from??In Carolina the cultural diversity is not there and i learned that at an early age from experiance.
street smarts is just basically knowing not how to get screwed over in the city. it's pretty much a subconscious thing, something you develop from living or working in an urban environment, i don't really know if i can describe it or if it can be taught. an obvious example, if someone dropped a cell phone in times square right in front of you, you can't assume someone really dropped it nor that someone's trying to distract you to steal your wallet. what i do is pick up the phone and back up against a wall (so no one can get behind me) before calling out "anyone drop their phone?" if a subway platform with a crossover is completely empty at four in the morning, i stay upstairs near a manned metrocard booth until i hear the train come so that i'm not down there alone. things like that i guess, i dunno.
2. Many people are also put off by the aggressiveness of some New Yorkers and generally do not have the street smarts to handle it, also adding to the fear factor.
I think the direct, non-b.s.-y way we communicate with strangers intimidates them a bit, and probably comes across as rude. Anyone who's ever been to an Italian, Greek or Puerto Rican family gathering would probably understand why these habits have rubbed off on NYers, haha. No "Hi, how are you, great weather today. Um... I was wondering if you knew where such and such street is, I have a doctor appointment there and I'm running late; I'm so sorry to bother you." It's just "Hey, you know how to get to such & such?" What's funny is I dated a girl who moved here from California, and apparently NYers are typically active listeners while Californians are typically passive listeners, so we literally got into arguments over communication on a regular basis. I always had the impression she was never listening because she was so silent during my stories while she had the impression I was always interrupting hers (and thus not listening...). No native NYer has ever told me I have a bad habit of interrupting, yet multiple non-natives have, so I guess it's a culture thing after all.
...Marie can you give some examples of the type of street smarts you need in Nyc?...I have street smarts but i think the ones i have are different than "Up North" street smarts...
Hip Hop Head,
You've asked a very broad question, as "street smarts" encompasses a broad scope of skills. But I'll give it a try.
Street smarts in NYC includes:
- Knowing how to read people, i.e., whether they are likely to hurt you or not, whether you can trust them or not
- Developing a sixth sense about people that comes from exposure and experience in dealing with a wide variety of people.
- Developing instincts you can trust and acting on them. In other words, knowing how to sense danger and then avoiding it.
- Knowing how to defuse potentially dangerous situations, i.e., knowing when to fight back (not physically, although some situations may call for that) and when to back out or run. There is no shame in running if you are outnumbered or are facing someone with a weapon and see a way of escape.
- Knowing which neighborhoods/places to avoid
- Not walking around looking at everything as if it's all new to you (although it might be...but you don't want anyone with bad intentions to target you)
- Not wearing clothing that is very different from what most New Yorkers would wear. Basically try to look as if you fit in as much as possible.
- Giving off the body language of confidence, i.e., keeping your head up and being aware of what’s going on around you without looking paranoid. Learning not to show fear.
- Knowing when to mind your business and when to get involved
- Staying in well-lit and populated areas as much as possible, even during the day
- Always keeping a mental plan at the back of your mind of what you’d do in a variety of dangerous situations, e.g., someone attacks you in an empty stairwell vs. catching someone pickpocketing you on a crowded train, etc.
These are all skills that are developed over time. I hope I was able to help you, somewhat.
Last edited by Pivot Point; 07-14-2008 at 07:56 PM..
I know most of those Marie but some of them are new to me...the ones that seem relative to living in Nyc...I just wanted to test Southern street smarts vs Northern street smarts since thats where i want to live...I dont really consider Va Northern even though i dont have a drop of a southern accent...Thanks for clearing that up though Marie i appreciate it!
street smarts is just basically knowing not how to get screwed over in the city. it's pretty much a subconscious thing, something you develop from living or working in an urban environment, i don't really know if i can describe it or if it can be taught. an obvious example, if someone dropped a cell phone in times square right in front of you, you can't assume someone really dropped it nor that someone's trying to distract you to steal your wallet. what i do is pick up the phone and back up against a wall (so no one can get behind me) before calling out "anyone drop their phone?" if a subway platform with a crossover is completely empty at four in the morning, i stay upstairs near a manned metrocard booth until i hear the train come so that i'm not down there alone. things like that i guess, i dunno.
Andy i know what street smarts is of course LOL i was just trying to find out the difference between Southern vs Northern Street smarts or slow paced living vs fast paced living street smarts...their are street smarts that i dont have that will come from experiance...
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