New York Is Sending Its Less-Hip Citizens Down to DC
Though newsroom budgets in our nation's capital have been slashed again and again, the Washington Post staunchly maintains its editorial commitment to keeping its Hipness Desk fully staffed. The young, hip vibe that has swept the town like a stiff Potomac wind is transforming the sleepy riverside burg into an honest-to-god destination spot—not just for hip homegrown anarchists, but for the hippest demographic of all: New Yorkers.
Today, the WaPo takes a jokey journey inside FUME, a jokey group of jokey NYC expats in DC who jokily gather to joke about how much they miss the real city (New York). What does this mean for DC's inherent hipness? Could it be that the city is not yet "ready for the big time (of hipness)?" Or could it be a signal that New York, while praising DC's hipness to its face, is, in fact, using the tiny territory as a dumping ground to jettison those who weren't hip enough to "cut it" in the big city (New York)?
"When I'm in New York, I don't ask people what they do for a living," says Emily Anthony, who has just been asked by a reporter to meditate on urban differences. She works in education policy and moved from New York with her boyfriend-now-husband a few years ago. "Here, we wear our jobs on our sleeves."
Uhhhh yeah, you know why you didn't ask people what they did for a living in New York, Emily Anthony? Because the people you hung out with at the education policy parties weren't doing anything hip. We eased you on down to DC, which we thought would be a little more... your speed. Don't worry; it's hip down there, too. Hip, and young.
