What it means to be New York Tough.
Just like loyal little fans who gather their tiny faces around the TV screen to watch every episode of Sesame Street, many anxious New Yorkers tune into Gov. Cuomo’s daily news briefings. It is our salve being at the epicenter of the coronavirus.
Three months ago, we began watching primarily for information. We learned about the daily death counts as we watched in horror the numbers climb. Then peak. Then descend. Fast forward and today, we view the Governor ’s noon broadcasts with measured relief and optimism as he reports that our state has “flattened the curve.” We are told this success is thanks to healthcare workers’ unrelenting professionalism and sacrifice in addition to New Yorkers’ diligence in wearing masks and observing social distancing.
A DAILY MEET-UP WITH GOV. CUOMO
Not to be disrespectful, but having spent so much time with our Governor, some of us now call him “Andy.” We listen intently to his fatherly homily at the end of each newscast. We crave his words of experience and wisdom. We respect his commitment to “following the facts” for his decision making. But most of all, we look to Gov. Cuomo for his steadfast leadership. In short, most New Yorkers know Andy has our back locally as well as in Washington.
When we hear the Governor describe the attributes of a New Yorker, we puff up our chests with local pride. He assures us things will get better. Why? Because New Yorkers are smart, caring, united, and finally, tough. Hearing this last word—tough—with Andy’s hard-edged, nasal Queens’ accent, we know he is speaking of the requisite tenacity and resolve typical of a New Yorker. But the Governor is always quick to add that being “tough” is also like being a parent watching out for their child’s welfare. In other words, tough love.
ATTRIBUTES OF BEING A NEW YORKER
During his daily broadcasts, Cuomo repeatedly enumerates the same set of values that represent who we are. I suspect this is part of a carefully orchestrated branding campaign for the state, one which we acolytes allow to caressingly drift over us like the calming scent of lavender. It is what our minds seek out to get through each day. The Governor expands. Being New York Tough” he tells us means not just tough, but also “smart, disciplined, and loving.”
Over the past three months New Yorkers have had these values drummed into our heads, principles needed to endure the Pandemic. Andy reminds us that “this is not our first rodeo” invoking how we collectively made it through 9/11, Sandy Hook and other local disasters as a community with a shared mission of survival and recovery.
MANEUVERING CHAOS AND DIVERSITY
Normal day-to-day living in New York, even without these extreme challenges, is not for the faint of heart. With a population of eight million at last count, we live in crowded, noisy, congested neighborhoods. Our business environment is competitive, high pressured, and unforgiving. In both work and play we cross paths with over 200 separate nationalities. On any given day there are 200 different languages being spoken throughout our five boroughs. Being a New Yorker is all about surviving as well as thriving in chaos and diversity.
But most of all, it is this rich, ethnic mix of old and new immigrants—and how we peacefully coexist—which makes our city and its citizens unique in America. Maneuvering through this multiplicity of humans requires adept toughness. While each group has its own defining characteristics, under it all there are two consistent values knitting us together which for me defines “New York tough:” mutual respect and caring.
DEFINING NEW YORK TOUGH
I asked several of my friends to describe how they define the term “New York tough,” with or without reference to Covid-19. Joan Brower, a native of the city, describes it as “being sturdy on the outside and tender on the inside.” She continued, “We are a resilient, forceful population but especially empathetic and considerate of our diverse communities. We stand up for each other because we care about each other.”
Sayle Milne, a transplanted southerner, has a different take. "New York City, to me, is like the ocean. Its energy is relentless, beautiful, at times scary, but always productive. You can either handle that energy for a weekend and leave, or you can savor that energy for a lifetime, making it a very part of your DNA. New York tough means that, even on the worst days in New York, you would rather be there than the best day anywhere else. ‘New York tough’ is a cross-stitch of humanity; we are woven together. I can sit next to you on the subway and we have nothing in common other than we both love this city and we all reserve the right to be here... together, the strongest and weakest among us. And that makes us a fabric that is impenetrable. ‘New York tough’ is resilience in diversity."
THROUGH THE LENS OF COVID-19
Bruce Weininger, retired businessman and another life-long New Yorker, offers his interpretation. “I think what Governor Cuomo means, when using the term ‘tough’ in describing New Yorkers, refers to the strength and resiliency in the people confronting any adversity with grit and determination—be it the Corona virus epidemic, September 11th, blizzards, hurricanes, blackouts, economic depression or recession. No matter what it is, we New Yorkers will prevail! We are tough!” Bruce declared emphatically, referring to our ability to adapt and overcome adversity.
Like Bruce, Harvey Shapiro, a copyright lawyer who specializes in the entertainment business, describes New York tough through the lens of Covid-19. “Most of us have been ‘sheltered in place’ only going out to groceries, pharmacies and wine stores, and maybe going out for some fresh air. Otherwise, just huddled at home staying safe. Doesn’t sound very heroic. Being quarantined for 14 days, also not so heroic.”
But, then Harvey dives deeper. “Having a job which is deemed essential (e.g. driving a bus, working in a meatpacking plant) but which also places individuals at an unacceptable level of risk, doesn’t sound very heroic either.” On the other hand, Harvey hits the nerve when he states, “The heroes who are ‘New York tough’ are those who knowingly place themselves at risk but embrace the opportunity to help their community such as the health care workers.”
THE SUM OF THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN ITS PARTS
“New York tough” to wine marketer Lila Gault means an ability to put the greater good ahead of our personal benefit by staying home, wearing masks and social distancing. It means, “being part of something bigger than ourselves - the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. ‘New York tough’ means having patience to deal with the fear, inconvenience and boredom of the pandemic.”
Janeen Sarlin, corporate chef and cookbook author, moved to New York from the Midwest many years ago but now considers herself a New Yorker to the core. “To me ‘New York tough’ means that I’ve been through thick and thin times. In each circumstance ‘we tough New Yorkers’ collectively stay strong, obtain the facts, change direction when necessary, and accomplish the task at hand with integrity and finesse!”
BOSTON STRONG DEFINES LOCAL SPIRIT AND RESOLVE
While we may embrace the “New York tough” mantra as our own exclusively, we know other cities in America and around the world have also exhibited a collective toughness under tragic circumstances. Consider “Boston Strong,” the rallying cry which emerged after the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon which killed three people and injured at least 264. This slogan referred to how the community came together under adversity shutting down the entire city to help the police find the bombers.
REFUSING TO RELINQUISH A WAY OF LIFE
This same attitude of not giving in was exhibited in Paris, too, after a series of terrorist explosions in the fall of 2015 killed 129 people around the French capital. The expression and hashtag which went viral, #JeSuisEnTerrasse—literally meaning “I am on a terrace”—emboldened local citizens to continue enjoying their city’s iconic café culture, even though the extremists’ targets included multiple sidewalk cafés and bistros.
Like New Yorkers, Bostonians and Parisians also refused to allow their respective cities to go dark. The “New York tough,” “Boston Strong” and #JeSuisEnTerrace hashtag share a similarity. Each of them reflects a commitment to overcome adversity when local citizens rise above themselves in a display of collective resolve, power, and resilience. As Governor Cuomo frequently reminds New Yorkers, these are times for “our better angels in each of us to come out” to show our civic boldness and pride. This is what he means when he says we are “New York tough.”