Blog 2

I have experienced neoliberalism throughout my whole life,  as the times changed the achictecture and neighborhood changed as well. What was once a small bodega that serviced the whole community eventually became luxury apartments that overlooked all of Brooklyn and the Williamsburg Bridge. The landscape in New York has mainly changed in the outskirts of the city, neighborhoods that were once feared because of the reputation suddenly became ” trendy” and  THE area to live in. Neoliberalism can be seen in general with the gentrification of any area. What was considered ” ghetto ” is now “Semi-Private Housing” ironic because these types of homes are affordable housing that people cringed to even think about. Neoliberalism doesn’t even have to be necessarily public facilities, there are a lot of small businesses and landmarks that brought the community together and upheld each other that had to close or relocate to make room for business that would monopolize the local business. I believe money talks in all situations and these are examples were money spoke louder than a sense of community or connections to the areas we came from.  This can be connected to Dickinson’s text, where the topic of control and money was discussed, the more involved money is in a situation the more control there is. The type of environment and what’s acceptable around an environment come into play with each other, in an expensive neighborhood it’s odd to see a small mom-and-pop shop.  It does not fit the aesthetic that’s where laws on graffiti come in, it’s not okay for there to be any color in a neighborhood when the whole aesthetic is grey and white.  Think about it like this the more money I have = the more properties I own = the more I get to decide what type of things are around and what vibe should surround these neighborhoods. Overall it would mean that there are still traces of the culture and life before gentrification and neoliberalism, and that just isn’t okay lol. Cultures and communities become watered down every time art or tradition is muted to fit someone else’s vision.