We can kick your city’s ass!
Apparently, in the mid-90s there was a small wave of support, including that of Mayor Rudy Giulani’s, for the slogan, “we can kick your city’s ass.” Seriously. It was meant to help arouse a feeling of pride in New Yorkers, although it never really got anywhere. During its moment of consideration, New Yorker writer Ian Frazier wrote a hilarious Shouts and Murmurs column capturing this “attitude” called, “Your Face or Mine.” He read it today during a talk with Mark Singer and I couldn’t help, but post an excerpt below.
“First thing every morning when I site down to eat, I get in my breakfast’s face. I violate the space of that breakfast - the dry cereal, one-per-cent skim, fruit juice, what have you - I really get loud with it. I tell it what I want it to do for me that day from a nutritional standpoint. Hey, I’m a New Yorker - my food doesn’t give me ulcers. I give it ulcers. Then I eat it. I go at that breakfast one hundred per-cent. And I don’t care what you’re havin’ eggs over, hash browns, grits like they got down South (grits! what a joke!), my breakfast can kick whatever you’re havin’s ass. It’s not what’s on the plate, it’s the attitude. With the right New York attitude, I can take my breakfast and beat your breakfast, then take your breakfast and beat my breakfast.”
Ah, good stuff.
