Posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 by Shachar Pessis
One in 8 Million – The Urban Dictionary has 16 definitions for the term “New Yorker” (warning: some are offensive). Half of the definitions here define a New Yorker in a positive light, as “Someone who has guts, brains, good looks, and the right attitude. Someone who is able to live in the greatest city on the face of the planet, in the center of the world, and enjoy it.” The other half on the other hand is less appreciative, including this one: “A New Yorker is an arrogant, primitive, money/pleasure-obsessed individual; irritable, angry and nasty type. A personality who doesn’t give a damn about others and only cares for his/her own well-fare.” I used to live in New York once and my personal definition for a New Yorker is this one: each New Yorker carries his or her own unique story, a very interesting story.
One in 8 Million (brought to us by the New York Times) has recognized this diverse individuality throughout the metropolis’ five boroughs, and has created a well designed website featuring stories of different New Yorkers. Each story is presented by an audio recording, accompanied by photos. I haven’t listened to all of them, but from the ones I have, I especially enjoyed Jesse Popp: The Struggling Stand-Up, Joshua Febres: The Uncertain Gang Member and Lolita Wolf: The Kinky Lover.
