(This is going to be a journalistic piece about getting inside the mind of New Yorkers who are leading all different types of lives and looking at how they all come together )
“Mass hysteria is a terrible force, yet New Yorkers seem always to escape it by some tiny margin: they sit in stalled subways without claustrophobia, they extricate themselves from panic situations by some lucky wisecrack, they meet confusion and congestion with patience and grit–a sort of perpetual muddling through,” E.B White, Here is New York, 1948.
In White’s “Here is New York” he gathers that in this city, the connection and separation of two lives is found eighteen inches apart.
A lawyer, a supermodel, a college student, a musician, a mother of two and a homeless man all assemble tightly side by side at 8:00 am on the 6 train uptown. One head stares up in relief of making it on in the nick of time, one head down in distress of the day ahead, one pair of eyes closed, one set of headphones in, one book, and one big bag of God knows what. If they are lucky they could find these eighteen inches between them to relax their shoulders for just a few minutes before they march out into the streets and face the demands of the day.
Between these eighteen inches are endless stories of victories and tragedies. There are moments of breakdown and breakthrough. There is loneliness and fellowship. There is a constant influx of bright-eyed dreamers and the departure of beat-down visionaries.
Being a New Yorker comes with a different type of brain chemistry; in turn, a different way of handling life, or not handling life. Researchers led by Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg of the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany, have found that growing up in the city doubles the risk of psychosis and other mental health issues later in life.
“I am so stressed out,” says Sabrina C., a student at Baruch College in Manhattan. “I have like 5 papers due this week and my sister is about to have a baby any minute. I have so much going on and my professors are giving us a whole book to read for each class on top of regular assignments that are due. It’s like they think we have nothing else to do except schoolwork. And on top of all that I have to work, too.”
I think this topic definitely works. I mean, we are all New Yorkers, so you already got the “making it relatable” part out of the way. Second, although it might seem pretty obvious that in a city like NY, a supermodel, a college student and a homeless share the same spaces everyday, we don’t think about it often. So, it is nice to explore something like this. Regardless of how different our lifestyles may be, we all have one thing in common: our city and, to some extent, the way we see life because of living in this city. Also, I like that you will take a journalistic approach–and because of that, I assume you will interview at least 2-3 people in order to diversify your content. Because, I think, doing the whole piece on one person is unsustainable. No one is THAT interesting haha. Anyway, good luck and don’t hesitate to interview me, as I definitely have a lot to say and whine about NY
Good job, I like this introduction to your piece. I think that it is extremely relatable to all New Yorkers. I also liked how descriptive this piece is, while I was reading this piece I got a clear image of this scenario. I think with some interviews added to this piece, it would make an enjoyable story. I can’t wait to read more.