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FINDING THE FORGOTTEN BOROUGH
Staten Island still exists somewhere out there, but rediscovering it is proving to be a daunting task
“That’s where the dump is, right? Does it smell bad?” For as far back as I can remember, those words or some variation of them greeted me whenever I told someone that I was from Staten Island. Even native New Yorkers, people who have been to Staten Island, would ask about the smell emanating from the now-closed Fresh Kills Landfill, though that likely has more to do with their own need to insult the fifth borough than any real concern about the olfactory health of its residents.
If you happen to check out MTV from time to time, you’ve probably come across the latest slander of Staten Island, broadcast from coast to coast. In “True Life: I’m A Staten Island Girl,” MTV followed three “typical” Island female residents around for a few days and chronicled how they lived. If you haven’t seen the show, don’t bother. Just think of the worst Tri-State suburban Italian stereotypes you can imagine, like a bad episode of “The Sopranos.” Everybody is so tan they are orange. One Island girl is desperate to move off the Island and work and live in Manhattan. Another is dying to be an actress, but is convinced that her heavy Staten Island accent will prevent her from getting serious roles. A third is only interested in “Staten Island guys,” with their spiky hair, orange skin and steroid-esque muscles. Everyone lives at home with their parents.
Since it first aired, the jokes have moved from the garbage to the girls. Their often appalling, train wreck behavior, complete with refrains of “whutevah” when faced with adversity, have become the new butt of jokes for those looking to diss Staten Island. I’ve been asked about my lack of spiked hair or ultra-fake tan more often than I care for in the last few months. The general response to the show from my friends has been embarrassment. No matter what you do or who you are, simply by living on Staten Island, or having been born and bred there like myself, you are that stereotype, whether it’s true or not. You might not be Italian and you might not live at home, but tell someone you’re from Staten Island and they figure that on the weekends you spike up your hair, put on your tightest shirt and head to the club for six hours of bad house music and overpriced vodka. All after a good blast in the tanning booth, of course.
Some Staten Islanders are attempting to differentiate themselves from that stereotype. If you’re familiar with the borough, you know that there is a huge chasm between residents of the Island’s north and south shores. North shore residents probably heard about the MTV show and quickly dismissed it. “Nah, that’s not me,” they would likely say—“those people live on the south shore. We are a more cosmopolitan community on the north shore, and we do not tolerate such over-the-top ethnicity-based fakery. Any girl caught expressing such uncouth ways is assuredly from the south shore, and has no bearing on me, or my life.” I certainly felt this way, having grown up on the north shore, that is, until I saw the show. Our desperate-for-Manhattan entrant into the stereotype Olympics, while shopping for a cute outfit to go clubbing in, walked past the street I grew up on. You could almost see my house. This problem affects us all.
One brother and sister team has taken up the challenge of restoring Staten Island’s credibility and showing the world it’s not just filled with techno-bumping goombas. In November of last year Mary Ellen and Nick Rosak, collectively known as The Very Nice People Society, launched www.SaveStatenIsland.com, dedicated to producing a documentary film showcasing the Island’s burgeoning arts scene and other cultural attractions, and shattering the image that MTV has helped push forward.
“We want to show people all of the great things that are happening on Staten Island,” said Mary Ellen, a resident of the north shore. The Rosaks are not scripting the film, but are simply asking anyone interested in getting involved three simple questions: what is the worst stereotype about Staten Island, what do they like the most and what could be done to make the Island better. Though the responses on the film vary, respondents on the website’s forum make it clear that the borough’s low brow image is the worst part of Island living. All the more reason to make the film.
The Rosaks have been seeking out people of substance for the film. At one point, she even heard from one of the three girls featured on the MTV show, desperate to fix her own image and tell her side of the story. “We never heard from her again,” laughs Mary Ellen. Another famous Island resident is Tristan Wilds, star of HBO’s “The Wire.” When asked what good qualities he sees in Staten Island, Mary Ellen said Wilds’ answer was simple: it’s home.
Wilds has a point. If you have a family and want to own a home within the five boroughs, your best bet is usually Staten Island. Real estate is cheaper, backyards are more common and apartment living is almost unheard of. A top complaint about the Island, said Mary Ellen, is the total lack of public transportation. The ferry takes forever and there is no subway, as there is in every other borough. But while those factors might drive up commute times, they do keep home prices down.
Mary Ellen has been pitching her case to anyone who will listen. The group’s MySpace page grows everyday, and numerous community meetings and civic groups have invited her and her brother to speak before them. Even there, the gap between both sides of the Island is evident. While they have presented their camera and questions multiple times on the north shore, south shore residents, probably more personally affected by their MTV portrayal, have been less likely to seek them out. “I’m begging to get on the south shore. I can’t get people to invite me over,” said Mary Ellen.
The Rosaks hope to have the film completed by June, after which they will make the ultimate pitch to MTV: You damaged our home, now do what you can to rebuild it. Until the film is complete, Mary Ellen said they will have no contact with the network, preferring to show them a completed project. “They’re either going to be totally not interested in this or way too interested. I want to be prepared,” said Mary Ellen.
Compared to the other four boroughs, Staten Island is something of an anomaly. While the Republican Party has been dying elsewhere in the City, it thrives on the Island, living in an apartment rather than a house is sacrilege and everyone drives. Why all the cars? The meager public transportation that does exist on the Island is, frankly, awful (imagine only being able to take a bus from Wall Street to Washington Heights and you start to get the idea). If the Island is known for anything, it is known for its negatives.
Alas, despite some cultural and public image progress, MTV is not the only culprit when it comes to Staten Island slams. A few years ago, Snapple sold bottles with jokes and trivia written on the underside of the caps. Snapple’s question: “The most recognized smell in the world is -----?” Snapple’s answer: “No, it’s not Staten Island. It’s coffee.” Ah, dump jokes. How I long for those days.
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