MovieChat Forums > State of Grace (1990) Discussion > 'A tidal wave of yuppies and dog feces.'

'A tidal wave of yuppies and dog feces.'

posted 11 years ago by Bilwick1
7 replies | jump to latest

(I cleaned up the line a little.)

I moved out of Hell's Kitchen in 1983, so I wasn't around to see if the "tidal wave" Frankie was talking about--alluded to earlier in the film by Gary Oldman character--actually was as bad as they said it was. I do remember when the sidewalks of Lexington Avenue were dog toilets, but that was before the Pooper Scooper Law was passed. But I know what they were talking about. The Sun Belt city where I live now, is, where it isn't a ghetto or a barrio, Yuppie Heaven, and they all seem to have dogs--and not small dogs either, but gigantic poop-producing machines. I guess they feel they need humongous mastiffs to guard the McMansion.

[–] Toby_gibson002 11 years ago

I understand exactly what they were saying. My ex-wife and I were both (3rd and fifth) generation california kids from San Diego, and we were punk rockers around 1980. The people who grew up there would see us and just see kids from the neighborhood. The yuppies came there and wanted us out, and wanted to change the way we lived. I'm sure the cultural difference was even more accentuated in Brooklyn- there was a lot6 more culture and history there. It's kind of a paradox- you want the neighborhood to prosper, but when it does the neighbors get pushed out. There is no right answer. My ex and I have both lived in Hawaii for the past 20 years- sometimes you just have to cut your losses and begin again.

[–] Bilwick1 11 years ago

Me, I don't mind the Yuppies. I recently moved into the low end of a recently Yuppified neighborhood, and I am enjoying seeing Yuppies all over the place rather than derelicts (as I did in my previous neighborhood). It's the big trophy dogs with their humongous poop that bothers me.

[–] Ironman54 11 years ago

Well that ain't the way it went down in Hells Kitchen. It was a matter of developers coming in and tearing down the century old tenements and putting up high rent addresses for the yuppies to move in to. And the Jacob Javits Convention Center itself took up 6 blocks from 34th to 40th alone and was one of the first signs of the 'change'. Construction began around '80 and continued through '86. Control of the project, including labor racketeering was a sticking point between the Italians and the Westies mobs. The old neighborhood was on the way out along with Jimmy Coonan/Micky 'Feathers' and the gangs. The yuppies didn't chase them out, thats for sure.

[–] shamrock1847 11 years ago

I grew up in and, until last year, lived in South Boston. It has gentrified like crazy the past 15 years. Very interesting and sad to see. I obviously see some of the benefits, property values have shot through the roof, etc. But the whole fabric of the neighborhood is changed and totally unrecognizable. My wife and I moved just out of the city last year, finally priced out. As far as the dog thing, I hear you, but I'm a huge dog guy so it doesn't bother me at all. We have a chocolate lab. I disagree on the types of dogs, though. I love big dogs, but I feel like all the yuppie girls have the tiny toy dogs. I can't even really think of them as the same type of animal as my chocolate lab, but to each their own! Anyways, love State of Grace, one of my favorite movies

[–] Boromir (10059) 5 months ago

Very interesting. I've always been fascinated by New York. I wondered what Frankie quote meant and how close it was to the reality of that time. It seems that the complaints of the characters in the film reflected the processes that were actually happening, including the issue with dog poop.

[–] liscarkat (18536) 5 months ago

Gentrification isn't necessarily a bad thing. A run-down slum with derelicts crapping on the sidewalk, graffiti on the walls, and gangstas selling drugs on the corner is not in any way superior. That being said, my yuppy in-laws insist on having giant $6,000.00 designer dogs, which I find ridiculous.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77552) 4 months ago

It’s totally changed now, all the good Irish have relocated to the North Bronx and Yonkers. They mostly speak Spanish on the West Side now, it’s completely different. The Hispanics are actually not awful, a lot of them are very nice, it’s just a totally different culture, you’ll want to tread lightly, they can be clannish and they don’t particularly like white men.