Tom Wolfe’s: O Rotten Gotham

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Tom Wolfe’s: O Rotten Gotham

“It got to be easy to look at New Yorkers as animals, especially looking down from some place like a balcony at Grand Central at the rush hour Friday afternoon.” (Tom Wolfe). “O Rotten Gotham” argues that New Yorkers are in a state of behavioral sink. It would not be long before a “population collapse” or a “massive die off”.

Throughout the article, Wolfe made his opinion clear. He believes everything New Yorkers go through is unhealthy and inhumane. Humans were compared to rats using the overcrowding, the ways of life, and the filth as examples. From the adrenaline rushes and car horns to helicopter noises and constant overcrowding, New York City is a constant stress causing environment.

Dr. Hall, another author presented in the article, saw this overcrowding in the city causing a lot of problems. He states that work takes place in massively congested areas such as small cubicles in offices. This, however, is not just a problem in New York City. All across the US people are confined to a cubicle for their work space. It is not the end of the world either. You are there a certain amount of hours a day, and when workers come home they can relax and spread out. New York City homes are not the most spacious, but they are not as bad as being in a cubicle.

Wolfe really makes you look at the differences your environment can make and how it affects its citizens. One with no knowledge of city life would probably be disgusted of it after reading this article. If they were looking to move to New York City, they would most probably think it through again. Who would want to live in filth with animals? What Wolfe doesn’t mention in his article are all of the good things about New York City....

... middle of paper ...

...ace to place to fit the needs of the area. When you listen to Wolfe, you get one side of the story. Without knowing the other side anyone would agree with him and his opinions. Thirty years ago the city was on its way to a massive behavioral sink, but has been cleaning up its act. The streets, subway systems, workplaces, and attractions have all cleaned up and done there part. More and more people are living in the city. Wolfe believes that this city is on its way to the sink, but the city is proving him wrong.

SOURCES:

Anderson, Chris and Runciman, Lex. A Forest of Voices: O Rotten Gotham.

Peter. www.citynoise.org/index.php?article=610

O’Sullivan, David. Morehead State University student from Yonkers New York.

Crime Rates and New York City. http://www.policetalk.com/nyc_crime_rate.html

NYC Subway Systems. http://www.ny.com/transportation/subways/

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