Why does everyone hate Park Slope?

dailyheights

http://www.timeoutnykids.com/Details.do?page=1&xyurl=xyl://KIDSWebArticles1/20/city_living/fightin_words.xml

MOD

I know I know.. I read it too....

Don't hate da playa, hate da game

erskelyne

I predict good things to come of this thread.

epiphanyproudfoot

Don't hate da playa, hate da game

if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

MOD

epiphanyproudfoot wrote:

Don't hate da playa, hate da game

if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

What are you talking about? What is your solution to people complaining about babies and hipsters? Have a sense of humor. I'm not a breeder, not rich, not a homeowner, not hip. The article is like watching Access Hollywood, it's inconsequential gossip. Every town/nabe has a problem with something. Do you live in PS, BTW?

epiphanyproudfoot

yes, i do live in park slope. and i don't think the problem is people complaining about it. i think the problem is people not taking responsibility for their actions, not being held accountable, and lack of tolerance, and self-awareness, not to mention a stupid sense of entitlement. i'm saying that the problem is societal and the solution lies within the individual.

livetotravel

I still love the potential of Park Slope - everything is cyclical and even the stroller mafia will one day pass.

But the hipster must die!

brooke lynn knight

Because everyone needs to hate something. It's human nature. It makes people feel better about themselves.

And now that it's no longer okay to openly hate blacks, Muslims, women, gays, lesbians, fat people, poor people, Jews, Communists, etc, etc, there's only one group it's safe to proudly hate: sincere liberal upper-middle-class white people.

They're especially fun to hate because unlike other groups, the more you hate and punish them, the more they hang their heads, bite their quivering lower lip and ask what they've done to make you hate them, and how they can pacify you by being better people. So you actually get rewarded for hating liberal upper-middle-class white people! (And their kids too!)

It's just the icing on the cake that most Slopers take themselves and their politics and their commitment to social justice so very seriously. People taking themselves really seriously is always comedy gold.

So, to sum it up:

No danger of being called a bigot + no lawsuits or retaliations + predictable laffs = great value for haters!

willregistersoon

Great comment Brooke Lynn! I agree the article is idiotic.

ATTENTION people who hate Park Slope: Please move out so I can afford to buy something.

Anyone? Hello? (cue cricket noises)

wtgirl

"Brooke Lynn Knight" wrote: And now that it's no longer okay to openly hate blacks, Muslims, women, gays, lesbians, fat people, poor people, Jews, Communists, etc, etc, there's only one group it's safe to proudly hate: sincere liberal upper-middle-class white people.

Maybe. But the earnestness, money and angst lavished on the typical park slope child is silly. It is excessive and seems antithetical to the supposed liberal, save the world reputation that the slope once had. This new wave of parents are too busy buying bugaboos to send extra cash to Doctors without Borders. God Forbid little Fiona feels a bump on the sidewalk. What the potential of the slope was and the reality of what the slope is now becoming are in conflict

What does "K-mom's scary secret anonymous stalker" mean anyway?

willregistersoon

WTGirl - do you have any source of information for how much $$ people in Park Slope donate to charitable organizations?

belzjm

i think you all like to make generalizations about park slope moms in particular that really pertains to a small minority of those people. i encounter pleasant, down to earth, friendly and yes wealthy park slope moms all the time. just because someone buys a particular brand of stroller does not make a person a certain way. that way of thinking is even more juvenile that most of those being pushed around in said strollers.

open your eyes and realize that the existence of all of these parents and children in our midst is as someone said, perhaps cyclical but also a very good and healthy sign for our neighborhood to have become an enclave in the largest metropolitan urban city in america that people have chosen to live here instead of migrating to the suburbs.

this city is made up of many different quotients that play off each other and as much fun as you think park slope would be with no parents, it simply isn't healthy for the city or society in general.

i, for one will continue to take pride in my neighborhood...all of its residents rather than hating on a certain group because you don't get asked how your day was by every passing park slope mom.

as for the borders, tea lounge, starbucks, etc....

good...more people should ban these places from their repertoire so we can get some more of the businesses back that made park slope unique in the first place.

ever heard of a place called ozzie's? you all should try it sometime. not only is the coffee better, but the people there recognize you, it's a far more appealing space and it's a business unique to park slope.

brooke lynn knight

WTGirl wrote:
What does "K-mom's scary secret anonymous stalker" mean anyway?

I'd tell you, but...

...it's a secret!

(and scary!)

wtgirl

"willregistersoon" wrote: WTGirl - do you have any source of information for how much $$ people in Park Slope donate to charitable organizations?

I could look it up. But statistically African Americans give a higher percentage of their income to charity, rural Americans give a higher percentage of their income to charity, people on the west coast give a higher percentage of their income to charity then those on the East and finally according to the Wall Street Journal--the rich don't give as much to charity as the less well-off.

So using some deductive reasoning I assumed park Sloperes were giving less then they used to since there are less African Americans, more rich people and it is still located on the east coast.

carnivore

WTGirl wrote: [quote=willregistersoon]WTGirl - do you have any source of information for how much $$ people in Park Slope donate to charitable organizations?

I could look it up. But statistically African Americans give a higher percentage of their income to charity, rural Americans give a higher percentage of their income to charity, people on the west coast give a higher percentage of their income to charity then those on the East and finally according to the Wall Street Journal--the rich don't give as much to charity as the less well-off.

So using some deductive reasoning I assumed park Sloperes were giving less then they used to since there are less African Americans, more rich people and it is still located on the east coast.
I'd bet that basically all of those figures are skewed by donations to churches.

kosherdave

I like park slope, but what I want to know is, has anyone found my boy's lost hat?

sterling2000

WTGirl wrote: [quote=willregistersoon]WTGirl - do you have any source of information for how much $$ people in Park Slope donate to charitable organizations?

I could look it up. But statistically African Americans give a higher percentage of their income to charity, rural Americans give a higher percentage of their income to charity, people on the west coast give a higher percentage of their income to charity then those on the East and finally according to the Wall Street Journal--the rich don't give as much to charity as the less well-off.

So using some deductive reasoning I assumed park Sloperes were giving less then they used to since there are less African Americans, more rich people and it is still located on the east coast.

This response doesn't address the original question.

WTGirl took the % of income cop out rather than adressing whole dollars donated question as posed by WRS....

A larger % of smaller numbers doesn't necessarily add up to big $$.

sterling2000

kosherdave wrote: I like park slope, but what I want to know is, has anyone found my boy's lost hat?

Fantastic!

lmboogie

because someone buys a particular brand of stroller does not make a person a certain way

Belzjm: I don't think folks are complaining over the brand of stroller, at least I'm not. We live in NYC so anything that blocks the entire sidewalk and prevents me from walking down the street drives me insane. They should all move to NJ or LI!

They're especially fun to hate because unlike other groups, the more you hate and punish them, the more they hang their heads, bite their quivering lower lip and ask what they've done to make you hate them, and how they can pacify you by being better people. So you actually get rewarded for hating liberal upper-middle-class white people! (And their kids too!)

What in the world is this about? Not sure how we got here but the only connection to race that I see on this topic is liberal upper-middle class white people have more sense of entitlement and so they don't care about the rest of us who are trying to spend a quite afternoon at the bookstore. I can't tolerate them for that reason alone, not because I'm trying to tap into some wierd white guilt. Besides that's played out, most white folks are not buying the guilt trip anymore.

drano

WTGirl wrote: Maybe. But the earnestness, money and angst lavished on the typical park slope child is silly. It is excessive and seems antithetical to the supposed liberal, save the world reputation that the slope once had. This new wave of parents are too busy buying bugaboos to send extra cash to Doctors without Borders. God Forbid little Fiona feels a bump on the sidewalk. What the potential of the slope was and the reality of what the slope is now becoming are in conflict.

Ya, maybe. But that (liberal lip service, spoiled kids, and paticularly the "sense of entitlement" so often and lovingly mentioned in these threads) could describe a lot of places in New York City.

No, I blame the Co-op.

whyfi

Drano wrote: Ya, maybe. But that (liberal lip service, spoiled kids, and paticularly the "sense of entitlement" so often and lovingly mentioned in these threads) could describe a lot of places in New York City.

It could be used to describe a lot of places in this country and world - why do the haters think that this is particular to BK and specifically PS? Am I the only one that's caught an episode or two of those nanny rescue shows?

caaahyoko

The weird thing about hate is that it makes people obsess more and more about whatever it is that they hate--so much so that they end up mirroring a lot of the things they revile so much. Its true. I've seen it with me own two eyes.

rose

Drano wrote:
Ya, maybe. But that (liberal lip service, spoiled kids, and paticularly the "sense of entitlement" so often and lovingly mentioned in these threads) could describe a lot of places in New York City.

Yeah, hang out in Tribeca sometime.

I agree with belzjm that children (and parents of young children) are the last group that it's acceptable to hate.

Park Slope seems to have more than its share of sanctimonious and humorless people. Some of them are parents and some of them are all outraged about strollers.

drano

Rose wrote: Yeah, hang out in Tribeca sometime.

Well, that's in Manhattan, so it's ok - encouraged, even. And then those same people can turn around and toss off a few snide comments about Park Slope in order to convince themselves that they aren't self-indulgent assnuggets.

Cool!

sweet tea

Rose wrote:
I agree with belzjm that children (and parents of young children) are the last group that it's acceptable to hate.

well, let's not forget people from the midwest -- at least based on comments on this board.

[i'm not from the midwest. but where i'm from gets plenty of flak, too.]

windowdressing

What is the problem with Park Slope again? It's too nice? Too safe? Too many people think it's the perfect place to start a family? The brownstones look too well-maintained? The park is too green, too big? The food is too plentiful and varied? Too many varieties of flowers are sold on the corner? The canopy of trees provides too much shade? It's too pretty? People don't feel the need to spend 20 minutes in their closet before they pick up their groceries? Walking is too pleasant? There are too many dogs? Too many kids laughing and having fun? Not enough make-up? The real estate keeps increasing in value? Residents care too much about their neighborhood?

I love to hate on things as much as the next person, but I love Park Slope. Hate on it all you want, but it's the loveliest, nicest, most comfortable place I have ever been lucky enough to live.

I hope caaahyoko is right, and other neighborhoods start to mirror Park Slope. Because, as a public school teacher, I'm sure I'll get priced out of here soon, and I hope the next place I live has all the same characteristics. (minus starbucks, and add a few basketballcourts, and maybe a view of the ocean, and....)

reader

The people that hate Park Slope are resentful that they are not here.

I moved here in the 70's, it was not clean, safe or gentrified. The people who complan
that it is too nice, safe, beautiful etc. are the same people
who wouldn't visit me because they were afraid to leave the comfort of
suburbia.

Park Slope is great because the people who moved here when it was
edgey worked hard to make it reflect how they wanted to live.

Windowdresssing says it all, what are they complaining about?

Why do people assume that crime, graffiti, boom boxes and thugs
are a authentic NYC experience? If the poseurs want to live in an unsafe
and gritty nabe to feel authentic, move elsewhere, but don't badmouth
the Slope.

belzjm

everytime someone comes out from manhattan to visit me in park slope, they fall in love. they are in shock about how lovely, vibrant and beautiful it is. most, if not all have contemplated a move to park slope. i agree with the above that people hate park slope only out of pure jealousy. all in all, there really isn't much to hate. the beauty of park slope is that from ppw down to 4th avenue, we really do have something for nearly everyone.

escap

People who hate PS don't necessarily wish they lived there, but there's definitely a current of resentment in the mix. Resentment at the affluence, the illusion of blissful middle-class happiness with 2.3 smiling kids and a dog, etc. I'm one of the bitter types who hates kids and all that wholesome crap too--having to dodge strollers makes my stomach turn. That being said, I wouldn't claim that they are objectively "bad"--it's just my personal taste, like not liking the cold weather. I'm not openly hostile to young families, I just choose to live where they don't congregate en masse.

As far as people who it's safe to hate, not to worry--there are still tons of them out there. Let's think: it's definitely still okay to hate WASPs from Connecticut or the Hamptons who wear pink shirts and pleated khakis, frat boys, investment bankers, corporate lawyers, real estate agents, any kind of salesperson, rich people in general, chauvinists, hipsters, yuppies, gentrifiers, neighborhood newcomers, CEOs, executives of oil/pharmaceutical/financial companies, paparazzi, media barons, hedge fund managers, trust fund babies...and the list goes on. So breathe easy, haters, you still have plenty of viable targets out there.

MOD

I agree with belzjm. When my friends visited this past week, they fell in love with PS and Brooklyn in general. I like my neighborhood and all the surrounding nabes. I still get my hate on every now and then, but over all I'm a happy camper.
As far as the article goes, it's a dumb one sided page-filler. Low quality journalism, I'd rather read the boards.

wtgirl

"escap" wrote: Let's think: it's definitely still okay to hate WASPs from Connecticut or the Hamptons who wear pink shirts and pleated khakis, frat boys, investment bankers, corporate lawyers, real estate agents, any kind of salesperson, rich people in general, chauvinists, hipsters, yuppies, gentrifiers, neighborhood newcomers, CEOs, executives of oil/pharmaceutical/financial companies, paparazzi, media barons, hedge fund managers, trust fund babies...and the list goes on. So breathe easy, haters, you still have plenty of viable targets out there.

But isn't your list the "new" Park Slope resident?

I don't hate the slope by the way, just would rather not live there. (Happy to eat on 5th Avenue though and then come home).