I interpreted the parent comment as a plea to journalists to actually listen to what the residents of ENY are saying, rather than simply relating the changes happening around them.

I don't think they were implying it's the fault of the people in ENY [ie they weren't suggesting they bootstrap themselves], just asking to hear their actual perspective.

I agree. I think everyone who replied misread the parent comment, (s)he makes a good point.

First, these are strawman arguments. I said nothing about bootstraps or market forces at all.

The general tone (the emotionally charged use of the word "fucking," and so on) is also entirely uncalled for. Are we here for a rational discussion, or to berate and insult those who disagree with us?

Second, do you honestly believe that nobody at all in ENY is trying to do anything at all to try to make anything better in their own community?

Or do they sit idly by and wait for a wise, educated, ostentatiously sympathetic, upper middle class white liberal to come in and fight off the various boogeymen that they are incapable of tackling themselves?

Don't you think that's a rather condescending and patronizing attitude to take to people whom you clearly regard as your inferiors, whom you regard as incapable of doing anything for themselves?

> Second, do you honestly believe that nobody at all in ENY is trying to do anything at all to try to make anything better in their own community?

I believe most people in ENY are just trying to get out. I'm not sure anyone is terribly optimistic about inciting change from the inside.

You may be right. I don't know. I haven't spent months going around interviewing people in ENY.

This is precisely the sort of thing that the author should have covered in the article.

I have a friend who grew up there, getting out was his top priority. Fortunately, he succeeded.

Wow. I think it's sort of silly to spend so much time arguing about your evaluation of the reporter's competence. If you were truly interested, you could have gotten their opinion by now.

What about the place being a hellhole and how to fix it?

You DID though, implying that it's the community that needs to take more concerted better action on its own, to reverse 100 years of endemic sociopolitical dysfunction.

It's basic libertarian boilerplate bullshit.

You are, again, putting words into my mouth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

I said nothing at all about the community needing to do anything whatsoever. I was talking about the article, not the community.

I also very explicitly said that all the various outside forces that the author blames for these problems are probably true.

You think a community taking action on its own to better itself is a bad idea?

Every successful group in history has gotten there by assuming the victim-position and being saved by wealthy activists. /s