It's late on a Friday afternoon, and there is no better late-on-a-Friday-afternoon reading than the comment thread on yesterday's hottest topic: the Feast of San Gennaro. Vitriol directed at the 11-day street fair (we're only in day two, people) seems to be at an all-time high, and yesterday was no exception. We heard from both sides of the debate?those who think San Gennaro is a unique part of New York City that should be preserved, and those who think anyone who agrees with that is an idiot. After reading through the whole discussion and simultaneously laughing/cringing/crying/craving deep-fried Oreos, we decided to boil it all down to our 10 favorite rants:
10) "These people need to shut the fuck up about quality of living- its a FEW days worth of an event that I'm sure you were aware of before you bought your million dollar apartmnet off the old Italian granny who lived her whole life there. I bet it would be a lot more appealing and comfortable for the 'community' if say, Martin Scorcese set up to shoot a movie there for a few weeks or Radiohead wanted to erect a stage and put on a concert."
9) "What's left isn't an Italian festival. Vendors don't live anywhere near the neighborhood. They are bloodsucking leeches who come in with their giant SUVs and trailers to sell tube socks, plastic combs, and other assorted CPS (cheap plastic shit) from China. A few sausage stands don't make a festival Italian."
8) "The event was never supposed to be a crap fest benefiting vendors from outside NYC or the company that produces the event. Also, the people that are complaining at the community board meetings are the 'old Italian granny' types not the people who have purchased apartments. BTW, it's important to note that although the Feast is 'for the benefit of children' the sponsor of the event hasn't actually given any money to the needy in recent years."
7) "San Gennaro got sold out by the organizers long ago, it would be GREAT if someone took it back, made it respectable, and gave it some dignity. AND gave the neighbors some consideration."
6) "When people buy a home next to an airport, guess what? There's airplane noise. The airports have been there way longer than almost all of the residents. In Little Italy and Chinatown you have lots of tourists and festivals. When you move there you accept that! So stop your belly aching and MANGIA!"
5) "The only good thing about 9/11 was when they were forced to cancel San Gennaro."
4) "anyone who says they don't are giving money to charitys is a liar. LIAR. I curse you. I hex you. I give you the evil eye!!!"
3) "I *fled* the neighborhood after two years. The first year, I wisely listened to my neighbors and took a two-week vacation and stayed with friends. The second year, it was like Guantanamo-style water torture. The dunk the dummy moron screams into his amplified system night and day. I almost got into a punching fight with him."
2) "Everyone who is complaining about San Gennaro Feast are absolutely IGNORANT! Go complain about how you were all born without intelligence. I am an extremely rightfully proud Italian American and find it DISGUSTING that racist people with narrow minds moved in Little Italy. You did not move to 'Little America' so STOP DISCRIMINATING against the San Gennaro Feast that has been going on for years!!!"
1) "I'm amazed that people on here can argue that funnel cake, Shoot the Geek and cotton candy are reflective of an Italian celebration. I get it--this isn't going to disappear but make it 2 or 3 days not 11. And for those of you who will still call us living here whiners, please send me your address so I can stand outside your apartment building with a few horns, screaming and throwing garbage on your stoop for the next 11 days. If you get lucky, I'll even throw-up."
· Curbed's San Gennaro coverage [Curbed]
[Photo: jamoladd/Flickr]
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