The Staten Island Stigma

Who knew there was so much to say about Staten Island. Slate writer Jonah Weiner has written a breathless piece on The Island of Self-Identifying Guidos — tying it all together with three central characters: Angelina, Vinny and The Situation. That's right, three Jersey Shore cast members are, unsurprisingly, from there (if you can even count Angelina, who left the show early due to a sudden case of being terrible). The author notes that while Staten Island can be a historical haven for mobsters, "it is best known today as Planet Guido," and nothing we've seen on the big or small screen has done anything to negate that image. While other boroughs can lure city folk to their far-off corners, Staten Island has had less success — being "politically, culturally, and sociologically the strangest bedfellow in the city's ménage à cinq." But who's to blame — has pop culture single-handedly created the stigma the island can't seem to shake? [via Curbed]

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By Jen Carlson in News on January 22, 2010 3:20 PM

Comments [rss]

zincink

I have no problem with Staten Italy, they keep the malls packed on weekends and holidays.

Joe

i live on Staten Island and while it does contain many of the things you mention you all can still get off your high horses and fuck yourselves.

Guest

"New Yorkers" are hilarious. At least Staten Island still has an identity, and that's something to be proud of. Most people that live on SI are real New Yorkers, as opposed to the rest of the city which is rapidly succumbing to the Ohio refugee phenomenon. Manhattan lost it's soul a decade ago, and Brooklyn isn't far behind, yet the people who live there still think the sun shines out their asses.

NannyState

Yes, and it's rarely eclipsed by New Jersey's moon.

Joe

i live on Staten Island and while it does contain many of the things you mention you all can still get off your high horses and fuck yourselves.

NannyState

You CRUSH!!

Bubba

Give Staten Island to New Jersey.

openheads

New Jersey declines...............

NannyState

Give them all oars so they can row themselves to New Jersey.

openheads

I think you mean back to Brooklyn.

Staten Island is the devil spawn of NYC. You can't pawn it off of New Jersey, no matter how much you want to.

just saying

You people are so cold. I favor a more benevolent approach: let Staten Islanders stay where they are now, but make them pay huge surcharges for bridge tolls, ferries, etc. whenever they try to leave.

just saying

Now some people are going read all this and say this is just another reason why Staten Islanders do not deserve the big discount that they (and only they) receive to use the Verrazano Bridge. This story will be used as proof that every possible measure needs to be taken to keep SI'ers confined to their island.

tnturner

Myeaaaa... but it's different coming from a certain type of lunkhead. Pretty sure he's not a comic book fan. He's a fan of CRUSHING!

oofstar

i never knew staten island had any sort of stigma that the rest of the outer boroughs had until i was an adult. so i say it's pop culture. but that would mean all the idiots commenting as if there aren't lots of different sorts of people in SI, all the same sorts that are anywhere else, were going by something they saw on tv and not any sort of real thought. and that wouldn't be, right?

oofstar

i didn't mean for that to be a reply. but anyway, i don't live in SI, i grew up in westchester.

oofstar

some of us are both.

tnturner

It's true. I'm in the unfortunate position of doing some freelance work with a company based on Staten Island and just 2 days ago a co-worker said "you wouldn't wanna see me when I'm mad, I CRUSH!". I thought that was the word they used for "sex", but apparently it's as versatile as the word "fuck". I want to quit that gig.

jaycjay

You realize that's just a paraphrase of "The Incredible Hulk," and has no specific connection to Staten Island? Comic book, TV show, and movie viewers everywhere have been using variations of that line for years.