Over the past year, a large percentage of high-net-worth urban residents have moved to another place. New Yorkers moved to Miami. San Franciscans moved to Truckee. Londoners moved to the countryside. More space and air meant less exposure to germs. Threat averted. Now, the local people who have lived in these markets for years are resentful. Miami now feels like New York, and long-time Truckee residents are being priced out of their homes.
When I was a kid, on a good year, we went on vacation. Johannesburg (my home) was a city, and for those of us lucky enough, we’d get to travel to one of the magnificent coastal towns to enjoy the beach for a few weeks of the year. The best time of the year. When we arrived at either Durban or Cape Town, we would try very hard to assimilate and appear local to the locals. But, we were easy to spot even when our suntan settled in. We spoke differently. Our mannerisms were different. Our energy was different. It was hard to hide our enthusiasm for being in such a magnificent place. We were known as and referred to as “The Vaalies” (people from The Transvaal). The locals hated us. We took over their beaches, the best surf breaks, the sidewalks, restaurants, and stores, and we soaked in their sun. I could almost hear the cheers when we got back in our car to head back home.
It sucks to not feel wanted.
The thing I love most about New York is the fact that everyone has a common bond of being from somewhere else. It is our diversity that unites us. (I know very few Indigenous New Yorkers and those that I’ve met seem more akin to global citizens). We embrace our diversity and resilience like a badge of honor. Not our sameness. Yes, we too have our shortcomings when it comes to being territorial. We get agitated when tourists walk slowly or stop suddenly to gaze upwards.
But – we know that it is our differences that make us special. Every New Yorker has a story that begins somewhere else and if you come here from another place, we will have our arms open. The artists, the students, the entrepreneurs, and the dreamers.
Let’s do this.
-Shaun