3 ms·
Not at all. Jews in NYC have a distinct culture, as do Ethiopians in DC, as do Vietnamese in Houston, as do Chinese in San Francisco. It's not "Epcot for pleb
by CuriouslyC 3y ago
Not at all. Jews in NYC have a distinct culture, as do Ethiopians in DC, as do Vietnamese in Houston, as do Chinese in San Francisco. It's not "Epcot for plebes" as you so pejoratively state, it's diaspora adapting to local conditions and selectively integrating to create something actually new, unique and interesting.
You can drive across whole swathes of country where small towns are hard to tell apart both visually and culturally. I can say with zero irony that the most interesting distinction between a lot of small towns in Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma is which style of barbecue they feature, and if you're not into cowboy shit or outdoor activities your options are limited (if there are any at all).
- ctrlp 3y agoThe comment was about small town culture. Your examples of big city cosmopolitanism don't contradict my argument. But to answer your points on your own terms, the survival of some subculture in NYC is dependent on separation. What Jewish culture are you referring to if not the intentionally separate Orthodox? Or what Ethiopian DC subculture if not the first generation whose children and grandchildren will abandon those interesting restaurants as they integrate into the cosmopolitan diaspora and melt into a global sameness. The sameness that every big city is trending towards.
- tptacek 3y agoIsn't this a little like saying "what is Irish culture without the potato farming and horse thievery"? Is the assertion here really that there is not genuine Jewish culture outside of orthodox Judaism? Because that's obviously not true, right?
- ctrlp 3y agoSeems like a non sequitur. The point was about self-separation, not orthodoxy (except so far as orthodoxy demands separation).