I'd been scrolling through my Facebook news feed as I do every afternoon. Anti-Trump memes and photos of pretty afro girls dominated the screen of my smartphone. Typical news feed material... that is, until I came across a link titled "Connecticut Slang 101" an Odyssey article written by Marla Narowski. As a CT native, I had naturally been intrigued, especially when I'd laid eyes on the subtitle, "Everything you need to know about what your CT friends are saying." Attending college in Boston, it's often I'll say something to my Bostonian buddies that will make them cock their heads. Though I never catch myself using words like "packie" or "cumby" and I'm pretty sure my Mass. friends understand the definition of "beaches" on a New-England-level, as well as the words like "bonfire" and "apizza." However, there was one definition that had caught my eye in particular. The name of the city that I call home: New Haven.
New Haven, according to foreigners of the city, is a place of violence and poverty. The news media makes a hobby out of exploiting each and every petty crime that happens behind the borders of New Haven, delivering a faux image of the Elm City and what to expect when you stray from the uppity, suburban areas and travel to this side of the state.
Now, according to Marla Narowski, New Haven is "One of the few places in America where rich white kids and poor black men coexist," and "A little city with ridiculous ghettos but also million dollar homes...Yalies (people who attend Yale University) and homeless people share the downtown." This is not the worst description I've ever run into, but because Narowski admits to allegedly copying and pasting those definitions from Urban Dictionary, I had become even more irked by her audacity.
First of all, this city's population is not made up of "rich white kids" and "poor black men," a phrase that suggest a class system among race and salary. Contrary to the thoughts of those ignorant enough to put faith in this definition, New Haven consists of people of all financial backgrounds (and futures). There are impoverished white people as well as wealthy Black people. There are people of color in New Haven with $100,000-$1,000,000 homes. There are white people who seek refuge in homeless shelters nightly. And there are white kids in New Haven who's parents don't make a whole lot of dough, but still present themselves as if they stem from rich families because of definitions like "One of the few places in American where rich white kids and poor black men coexist" -definitions that promote white supremacy, the idea that no matter the moral, social, or financial stature, whites will reign over Blacks.
Narowski, like many white people, may not have realized she was promoting white supremacy, but she was (on top of dissing my hometown). Her narrow-mindedness makes her that lesser of a credible journalist; like I said, this city's population is not made of "rich white kids" and "poor black men," a thing Narowski may have known if she were knowledgeable of New Haven. Our mayor is Black, after all. (As well as many of New Haven's most prominent entrepreneurs.)
People like Narowski, who don't stick around New Haven long enough to get to know its residents, may find themselves stuck when asked to properly define the city, and therefore begin blurting ludicrous opinions forged from mal-media and things they've heard grown-ups say at the big-folks table. Including poor definitions from Urban Dictionary... or so she claims.
"The city is home to extremely wealthy and prestigious individuals, and the neighborhoods they reside in are so picturesque it almost seems unreal. Many movies have been short in New Haven for this very reason. Tree lined streets, gorgeous Colonials and Victorians with luxury vehicles in their driveways. Such neighborhoods include East Rock, Westville, and Beaverhill." One of many definitions derived from Urban Dictionary (though while this definition may not be cruel and small minded, others on the site contradict the truth of New Haven). Lots of definitions follow the search "New Haven" on Urban Dictionary, but none reflect the definition Narowski felt obliged to feature on her article.
New Haven isn't only a city of people who've got tons of zeros on their checks, it's also a city that harbors those who are struggling to get by. People who live paycheck-to-paycheck and can only afford to splurge on 30-day bus cards in case work calls them in unexpectedly. These people are New Haven's kindest, most like-minded individuals; as they strive for greatness, they inspire others who may have lost their ways.
My mother, for example, dreamed of starting her own Daycare Center, one that would dominate and succeed over the rest. She started off small, with an at-home daycare service. She did this in our little apartment in the Tre (New Haven [neighborhood] slang) for almost ten years before she saved enough to rent a space she'd soon call her very own daycare center. Before she knew it companies started tossing grants at her and asking for her to franchise her center. We moved into a house in Westville and my mother continues running her achieving business.
Not that Derby resident, Narowski, would know. I doubt she'd been anywhere past Broadway. Same goes for her friend, Emily W.. In response to a comment I made on the "Connecticut Slang 101" article, Emily W. accused me of ignorance, claiming I didn't know the truth about New Haven because I lived in Boston. I told her I go to college in Boston, though I'm from New Haven, then asked what she has against my hometown. Her response:
"It's your city, so you're the one we get to blame for making it such a terrible place. Now I don't have time to argue with children about how New Haven is gross." -Emily Watson
People like Narowski and Watson will always have something negative to say about the Elm City, and they will continue to encourage others to promote and think bad about it. But it's up to us New Haven natives, us New-Haven-born-and-bred's to rise up and put these people in their places. They seem to prefer their "safety" behind their suburban picket fences any way.
