Neoliberalism is not something new in this country we live in and in particular, New York City. Growing up in District 2, Lower East Side, and Chinatown area, I have seen the tremendous change in residents. As a low-income community, money is an issue and as the economy grows and inflation widens, a lot of landlords are in desperate need of cash intake so that they can pay for property taxes and more so that they can feed themselves and their families. The lifestyle in the neighborhood is that “you just have to make enough to spend and live on”. Many people like my parents have no hope or praise in moving to a better neighborhood or going anywhere up the economic ladder simply because they do not have the ability to do so. They rely on their kids and generations that have it better than them, to complete that task for them. These residents in the Lower East Side/ Chinatown neighborhood get crushed even more when prices in their neighborhood start to raise, rent increases, and people are forced to move out and find a new home because the market is demanding a wealthier lifestyle. This is closely related to gentrification and the conquering/ replacing of many neighborhoods and their people. Neoliberalism to me is like a domino effect because once it is destroying the lives of many, it only gets worst. Businesses in the area were closing and being rented to wealthier people as studios… The idea that a business that profited owners and consumers gets turned into a studio for personal use only… A neighborhood filled with liveliness and traditions became a place so quiet and dull. With this happening, those who win will keep winning and those who are bound to lose will lose always. As Dickinson mentions in his writing, Neoliberalism makes it that poor people will no longer even be needed and totally discarded even when they were the building blocks and pieces necessary for the rich to even be able to get richer. Poor people would contribute to jobs that wealthy people did not want, and help sustain the workforce and supplies, now almost 80% of them are unemployed. The outcomes of Neoliberalism are scary and inhumane.
2 thoughts on “Neoliberalism”
Comments are closed.
This is facts! I can definitely relate to this because I’ve been in this neighborhood since I was like 4 and I have been seeing many changes overtime. Recently I’ve been noticing a lot of jews and hispanics moving into this apartment. I’ve also noticed throughout Brooklyn many neighborhoods have a lot of white people now such as Bedstuy, Crown Heights,etc.
I agree with what you said and how you mentioned: “you just have to make enough to spend and live on.” It reminds me of the phrase “living paycheck to paycheck.” It’s unfortunate because people that live like this are just making money to barely survive in the city.