The Staten Island Idea

By: Robert Bernardo

The borough of Staten Island can be described as a world within its own. This island contains many towns and neighborhoods in which people affiliate themselves with. On one side of the Island is Tottenville, and on the other side is Saint George. Between these two ends of the island, all of the other neighborhoods exist. The geography of the Island is simple, yet the lifestyle of each person differs, and is complex.

Stereotypes go hand in hand with living on Staten Island. People from other states or even boroughs have a certain picture in their head when they hear a person is from Staten Island. People often think that a person from Staten Island is Italian, or tries to be Italian. They feel that we are often loud, try to have a brooklyn accent, and are selfish or full of ourselves. This is true for some people, and they tarnish the reputation of an entire borough. For example, my summer baseball team went to a tournament in Aberdeen Maryland. This was a legit tournament, with many top teams from the east coast participating. The umpire made a call that could go either way. A player on my team threw his helmet, and cursed at the umpire in front of an entire stadium. The player was ejected from the complex, and whenever the officials of this tournament hear a team is from Staten Island, they have instilled in their minds that all people conduct themselves in this manner. This shows how the action of one person further instills a stereotype in the minds of others about Staten Island.

On the contrary, many people from Staten Island are hard working people who live in the middle class. Staten Island is divided into the North Shore, and the South Shore. Some of the people from the South Shore are the people who promote the stereotype previously mentioned. The people from the North Shore are often people of lower economic stature, who conduct themselves in a more presentable way. They are less flashy, and do not need the expensive cars or the big house to be happy. Having lived in the middle of the Island, I have seen the difference between the two different lifestyles, and their truly is a distinction. The Island is a place where everyone knows each other. Each group of kids has their own clique, and everyone is involved in each others business. Staten Island has its own stereotype, and is all about being divided into groups. With all the criticism about the Island, I am still proud to have lived there for eighteen years.