It behooves us to support the newcomers to our beautiful city—the young people who are not only enchanted by the wonders of living in New Orleans, but who also perceive New Orleans as the “land of opportunity.”
Now this is something we haven’t seen in a long time, and we welcome the fresh new ideas and fresh blood to the city, with the caveat that if you’ve just moved to New Orleans, we’re glad you’re here, but please take some time to understand and appreciate that this place is not like the place you lived before, or before that, or that you’ve ever lived in.
Things are different here: we think differently, we treasure strange traditions; we put up with a lot more crap than do residents of other cities, mainly because New Orleans is so unique that in reality, we don’t really want it to change too much. This is the basic paradox of New Orleans. A lot of the ideas that might make it more progressive are also the ideas that might turn it into just another city, like everywhere else in the country. Let’s face it: most American cities are relatively homogenous—and pretty boring.
New Orleans has achieved its reputation for all things weird and funky over centuries, and we ain’t about to flip that over at the flash of a fedora.
I had an old friend say something to me last week when we started discussing the demographic changes in New Orleans. She said “You know, it’s great to see a lot of young people here, but it takes them about a decade before they really ‘get’ what New Orleans is all about, and at least 10 years before they have any idea of what the culture is all about.” At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but on reflection, I can see where it takes someone in their 20s ten years or so (into their 30s) before they understand anything about why New Orleans is really different, and why they should endeavor to keep it that way.
Years ago, another friend of mine said to me once that the city’s dysfunction is the thing that makes it charming. Crazy I know, but truer words were never spoken.
So, please: newcomers, keep it weird, keep it crazy, but keep it traditional. Keep it rooted. Don’t try to change it too much, or you’ll destroy it. It’s not New York, or Brooklyn or Hollywood South, or Dallas or Atlanta. Or even San Francisco.
Take the time to experience the culture of the city without imposing judgments on how it “should be.” New Orleans, after a time, engenders a particular state of mind. Before you try to set the world on fire with your ideas, get to know the people who have lived and worked here, who are ensconced in the city’s culture. Listen. Learn. Listen some more. Pay attention to the cultural elders. You’ve chosen to live here: make New Orleans better, but please, don’t try to make us in a preconceived image of a functional city like everywhere else. That would really be a loss.
As I write this, I hear a brass band playing loudly across the street, and I am sure they are creating someone’s idea of a noise ordinance violation. You know what: that’s more than music to my ears; that’s what makes New Orleans my city.
