U.N. Integral part of NYC as World Capital
Guest blogger Blaine Zuver from Miami (escaping from the city over run by Cubans) is in town to cover some events at the UN. One of the commenters on his post got me riled enough to write this one
The commenter says
Does anyone else feel frustrated with these diplomatic events? Luckily, I don’t have to drive, but I feel like these diplomats come to NYC, clog up the whole city like a toilet in a poor-quality mexican restaurant, and get together for some seemily arbitrary meeting. It seems every pointless to me, and more a source of frustration for NYers than anything else.
This is one of the most myopic tirades I have heard in a while.
New York has forever been the de facto “capital of the world”. Go anywhere in the world and utter the word USA. Depending on where you are geographically you will either get brickbats (mostly) or boquets (rarely). However politics aside, the one city that the world relates to is New York. The city has pre eminence as the center of the financial and cultural world.
And this was precisely the reason that the United Nations decided to set base here in 1945 when it was formed.
And hence, we can safely claim to be residents of the world capital. With every bragging right comes some inconvenience. Yes traffic is all crazy, and the Midtown East is a no-go-to neighborhood. But so what. Its for one week in a year. And it’s only prohibitive for cars to be in that area. Which diehard NYCer drives. So then what are you bothered about ?
At the same time, the city gets an opportunity to be host to the heads of nations from all over the world. We should be proud of it. The UN according to me is an integral part of the world. There will be many that disagree. Thats a topic for another post.
However to whine away about inconveniences is so not NYC !!
Are we going soft in the belly ?? Just yesterday I heard about protests by people who want the Fashion Week moved out of Bryant Park. Why ?? Because some people could not sit out in the park for a week. Come on !!
If you want to sit in a park, go to Central Park. Its a whole bloody jungle out there.
Same way. If the traffic inconveniences you, go live in New Jersey. If you don’t come back running within six months, I will say good riddance. And if you do…well what can I say.
So welcome to the world leaders coming to the UN. You have my support and good wishes. If you wish to hear more of my views on making the world a better place, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
And you whiny NYCer, comments are open. Cry your heart out here, and leave the UN alone.
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well said. i couldn’t agree more.
Arzan, I couldn’t agree with you less. I respect where you are going with this, and while I do feel inconvenienced by the meetings, that is not why I am frustrated here. I think the UN is the most powerless organization in the world. They have no real authority, and are truly a shill “power.” This is represented over and over again. For instance, whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not, the US decided to invade even after the UN said we shouldn’t. Iran, Iraq, and North Korea ignore sanctions with no real consequence until a force steps up and forces them to comply. Another perfect display of the futility of this organization is the fact that Iran is even here. They have no intention of talking to the US or the other allies about disarmament, and the US has no intention of talking with them, so they are here basically for show. Further examples (excluding Iran, Iraq, and North Korea):
- How can a viable organization that sells itself as putting innocent people first make Cuba a member country? The Castro government is a brutal, selfish regime of warlords.
- Same for Venezuela. The stated goal of Chavez is to destabilize US power, and he has turned his country into a human rights mess. One of the largest oil suppliers in the world, yet they have record high crime rate in Caracas, and an infant mortality rate of 22/1000 babies.
- Doing very little (if anything) to help the people of South Africa during generations of apartheid. They joined in 1945, and apartheid went from 1948-1990, the UN stood idly by.
I could go on all day, but I don’t want to make an ass out of myself. Just thought I would opine.
NOAH
You have spoken like a true self aggrondizing American.
Who asked the US to invade Iraq.
Who had asked the US to kill hundreds of thousands in Vietnam.
If the real intent of the most powerful country in the world was to catch the terrorist Bin Laden, how come they are stuck in the sand in Afghanistan.
Who are we to judge as to what Castro does. The fact that millions of people havent overthrown him for so many years, means that even though he is an asshole, he still is tolerable.
The same way that the UN was in a way powerless against apartheid, is the same way that the UN is powerless against occupation by Israel.
All the points you raise are just a very subjective opinion of an American who thinks that the center of the world is the Times Square.
And your last statement
….if you really meant that you would have stopped after the first few words. Now its too late.
Couple things… First of all, are you uncapable of responding without insult an opposing viewpoint? You are calling me aggranadizing, but I can assure you that I am as well-read and historically aware as anyone you will meet. In a knee-jerk reaction, you have responded and proved my point. Yes, who asked the US to do any of these things. I am not defending the US, as my POV here is irrelevant. My point is that the UN is powerless to promote or discourage any country from doing anything they want. Until the member countries decide they will truly support a UN decision, the UN is just a figurehead. Specifically, what line in my post did I defend the US for any of its actions? Please share.
Wilson’s idea for the League of Nations was a strong cohesive unit designed to make the world a better place. The UN has become a source of sensationalism and headlines, but doesn’t do much in the way of helping others, militarily or otherwise. I suppose an argument can be made that they help dole out funds for disaster, but if that is their primary function, why do we need regular meetings of top-level leaders, and what is the use of the billions and billions that go into its administration?
Also, though I disagree with most of the other things you say, the one specific point I want to make is in response to your take on Castro… So you are saying that if someone isn’t overthrown by their own people, they are tollerable? What a naive, one-sided, closed-minded viewpoint! So Hitler was tollerable? He killed himself when the Allies were coming from him. How about Pol Pot, who ruthlessly killed millions but died of a heart attack? Kim Il Sung (willfully starved thousands and thousands of people, but died on his own terms)?
If their goal is not to help people escape from horrid situations, what do they do? Sounds like you are a bit feisty because they can’t drive Israel into the ocean. While I don’t agree with the point, it serves as a perfect example of what I mean. Thanks for that!
People see what they want to see; hear what they want to hear - you can’t change someone else’s perception of things, even with the facts!