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People and ideas from faraway lands aren't interested in Chicago or what happens there. No one is fascinated by the people and ideas that have come through Chicago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_ ... Expositionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_Progress http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_crime_in_Chicago -- Yeah no one has ever been fascinated by this part of Chicago's history. Nope. Not one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama -- You know our President? He's got a few Chicago ties. Just a few though
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19619624 -- If Chicago didn't matter, why would they ever report on a teachers' strike?
Now I could go through and dig up a multitude of other things that shows you, yes, people are interested in Chicago...but I'd like to debunk a few other statements:
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You don't see Japanese tourists laying on their backs taking pictures of buildings in Chicago.
Well...first of all, I could go down to the Bean in Chicago right now and round up a bunch of Japanese people taking pictures...so that's wrong.
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Immigrants never dream of finding their way in Chicago.
You also don't realize that in my own neighborhood I am constantly hearing Eastern European dialects spoken at restaurants, on the street, etc. Lots of immigrant Jews, actually!
Hey did you know that Chicago has the 2nd largest Polish population outside of Warsaw (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poles_in_Chicago )?
Oh have you ever heard of Pilsen? It's a massive Hispanic (mostly Mexican) in Chicago (
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/tr ... d=all&_r=0 ... look at that an article in the NY times!). What about Little Italy? Yes we have a Chinatown. Greek town. Even a Little India (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Avenue_%28Chicago%29 )
And I quote:
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"Chicago has one of the richest immigration histories among American cities. Already in 1870 immigrants made up a larger proportion of the city's population (48 percent) than any other place in North America. During an 80-year period between 1880 and 1960 the size of Chicago's foreign-born population was second only to that of New York City."
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Your problem is you take the casino mentality to life. You're obsessed with "hitting it big", proximity to money and success. It's the mark of a totally classless person - someone who has no real identity, affiliation or value system. Money does not make the world go round; people do. And what motivates people is affiliation, ideas, culture. You don't think there have been shallow and self-interested people looking to make a buck at any point in history? Those people have always been around, always with a deluded notion of their own importance, but the big winners in history aren't those most successful at making a buck, it's those who are successful at creating new ideas and ways of life. Things that unite people and motivate them to great purpose. And of course those who are utterly motivated by self-interest no matter what are invariably carried along by the undertow.
Again you show how little you know of me. All I said is that New York's financial markets are one of the biggest reason it's so important on a world stage. That is true. Go ahead and argue that it's not. London's financial sector gives it that extra leg up when it comes to Europe.
And NO - I don't only care about money, you asshole. If I did, I would have been a finance major. I hate Goldman Sachs, Banks, and generally distrust Wall Street. How many times do I have to tell you about this?
Saying that New York's financial capital status is one of its most important features does not diminish the historic or cultural significance of New York.
BOTTOM LINE: I don't think Chicago is "better" than New York in all things....or even most things. However, I don't think New York is the only city that matters.
Go ahead and argue Chicago sucks.
Allow me to quote Mark Twain on Chicago:
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"they are always rubbing the lamp, and fetching up the genii, and contriving and achieving new impossibilities"
But really...
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In the face of such massive transformations and dislocations it would be foolish to claim that a single urban center now plays a dominant role in the nation's economic and cultural life, whether it be New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wh ... oid=882456
