by Justine I got this really interesting email from reader Brendan this morning and wanted to share it.
So, I have been waiting to move to Brooklyn for years now, and I finally did (today officially), onto a block of Eckford Street that I liked particularly for how many trees it had (between Norman and Nassau.) Unfortunately, if I had a blog, the title of today’s entry would be “A Tree Goes in Brooklyn,” which is pretty…
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That was an extremely quick response from the Parks Department and actually quite thoughtful. I am a total advocate for keeping Greenpoint green and hope if the tree is removed, a new one is planted in its stead.
Action is greater than words- I know it is possible to arrange for new trees to be planted by the city and if Brendan is truly concerned, perhaps he can file the appropriate paper work, coordinate with the landlord, and even organize a petition from other landowners on the block to get the tree replaced.
Brendan- if you are anxious to adopt Brooklyn as your new home, you should lose the stereotypical hipster lameness. "The younger hipsters, for the most part, tried to hide their surprise and interest under the usual veneer of general disdain." Hipster jokes are totally played out and do nothing but propagate some ridiculous stereotype. Greenpoint is a great place to live because it supports an amazing Brooklyn born community as well as young working professional transplants. It is Greenpoint's open mindedness that makes it a great place for creative types to flourish.
In my years here, I've noticed that Greenpoint residents enjoy a strong sense of ownership to the community, regardless if they were born here or moved here. The disdained hipsters you spotted were probably merely normal people expressing concern as you were, that something was up in their neighborhood.
The hipster buzz word only serves the media as a means to create some false sense of elitism and cultivates division and cynicism within a community. Totally a strange place to take a stand against hipster jokes I know, but the point is don't stereotype a community you just moved into.