Ashley and I went to the park in the middle of the Bushwick Puerto Rican community to get a sense of the generational gap between the older men and women we had already talked to, and their children's generation. What we found was that overall the younger generation (we targeted high school-age kids) are much more ethnically integrated and less tied to their heritage than their parents.
In the handball and basketball courts, the neighborhood kids all congregate and everyone seems to more or less know everyone; cliques are ethnically mixed between Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and blacks. Around the baseball field, however, a general survey we made of the older generation showed that almost everyone was Puerto Rican, and groups congregated very much according to ethnicity.The high school kids' clothes were typical Hip-hop-urban fare, sometimes with red-white-and-blue touches. Their parents, by contrast, dress more conservatively, typically in polo shirts and shirts for men and a T-shirt and shorts for women. Accross the generations, there are usually touches of bling - stud earrings or gold chains for men, sometimes name-pendant necklaces or earrings on women. Kids seem to listen to all kinds of music, while you'll usually hear latin salsa blasting from a car radio or from a storefront where men are sitting outside; the kids also speak mostly English and not much Spanish (though it differs case to case), while the older men and women all converse in Spanish.
Profiles:
We asked students a number of specific questions. Here are their answers.
Peter Torres, 18 yrs old
Were you born here? Yes, born in Brooklyn.What kind of music do you listen to? Hip Hop, Reggae, Salsa. Currently listening to G Unit.
What kind of clothes do you like to wear? Abercrombie and Hollister.
Who lives with you? My mother, stepfather, and sister. My grandparents live nearby but don’t visit often.
Do you eat Puerto Rican food at home? Yes.
Do your parents teach you about Puerto Rico? My parents want me to learn Spanish because they think it would be useful living in America. I don’t celebrate 3 Kings Day.
Who are you friends with and who do you prefer to date? In high school everybody hangs out with each other. I'd date anybody but would prefer to date a Puerto Rican.
Do you speak Spanish? No.
Jonathan Gonzalez, 16 yrs old (far left)
Born where? Born in Brooklyn.
Music? Everything except bluegrass and country. Currently listening to NERD.
Clothes? Wears anything that is comfortable and cheap (Modells/ Graham Ave stores)
Live with whom? Lives with mom, dad, and sister. Grandparents live in the same building and he sees them a lot.
Eat Puerto Rican food? He eats Puerto Rican food every day.
Taught about Puerto Rico? He celebrates 3 King Day and his parents would prefer him to date a Puerto Rican because they believe she would understand him the best.
Friends with? Everybody, meets people through school and church. Likes to date Hispanics, whites, and Asians, but would prefer a Puerto Rican.
Speak Spanish? Yes
Daisy, 17 yrs old (left)
Born where? Born in Manhattan.
Music? Listens to alternative music. Currently is listening to Lincoln Park.
Clothes? Says she likes to wear dresses.
Live with whom? Sisters with Erica, but was adopted by a Puerto Rican woman living in Brooklyn. She currently lives with her mom and siblings. Also has family who live two blocks away.
Eat Puerto Rican food? Her mom cooks Puerto Rican food everyday but she goes and gets pizza because she says she doesn't like it.
Taught about Puerto Rico? Does not celebrate 3 Kings Day. Family not that traditional she says.
Friends with? Hangs out with mostly Puerto Ricans and would prefer to date Puerto Ricans.
Speak Spanish? No.
Erica, 19 yrs old (right)
Born where? Born in Manhattan.
Music? Hip-hop and RB. Currently listening to Lil Wayne.
Clothes? Likes to wear t-shirts, jeans, whatever is comfortable and cheap.
Live with whom? Was adopted into an Italian family living in Staten Island.
Eat Puerto Rican food? Says she eats Italian food mostly but likes Puerto Rican food.
Taught about Puerto Rico? Mom is Italian but has Puerto Rican family members who have married into the family as well as friends who are Puerto Rican. They don’t celebrate 3 Kings Day but her mom tries to educate her about Puerto Rican culture.
Friends with? Hangs out with Puerto Ricans and blacks mainly because of the area she grew up in in Staten Island. Says she has dated both types of men but would prefer to date a Puerto Rican.
Speak Spanish? No.
5 comments:
Wow! This is so great you two, I really appreciate the character profiles and found them fascinating, the fact that we have a picture to go along with the interview is great. Getting a chance to look at their style really bring this together because its something we all can identify with.
The disconnect between the older and younger generation is so interesting, it seems almost odd that most reported to live only a sort distance from much of their family yet didn't feel that connected.
I also thought the variety of music was interesting among the younger people.
do you think that the younger generation has the same culture as the older, if they have developed their own, or if the high school age kids have a collective culture at all?
I find it super interesting that they all preferred to date Puerto Ricans, and that their parents preferred that as well even though they had many friends of different backgrounds and didn't particularly identify themselves with everything Puerto Rican. I also found it really interesting that they all seemed to have mentioned that their grandparents all live near by, or even in the same building. I know my family is all over the country and even world, so it's interesting to examine a culture where there family network is so close to each other. I think the idea of family and generations is a huge part in defining your culture.
Great profiling guys! It was really interesting reading and comparing their answers to the older generation.
The really interesting thing to Ashley and I is this disconnect between the young and old. I think Puerto Rican-New York culture is on the move, evolving more and more with each new generation. So in response to Jill - I think it's all part of the same cultural makeup, but the interesting thing to us is that as an identity for these people it's always changing and not completely jelled. But as Megan noted, the community is really tight-knit, and even younger kids with very little sense of their heritage prefer to date with 'their own kind.' A conservative nod to their parents, I guess.
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