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February 28, 2005
Greenwich Dream Time
Greenwich dream time
by: David Rakoff
from: National Geographic Magazine, February 2004 v205 i2 p118(5)
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0402/feature6/index.html
Article abstract: The article introduces life in Greenwich Connecticut and explores the issues surrounding life in an exceedingly wealthy town including egos and arrogance. In Greenwich, the fight between old and new money has become a social equalizer.
Greenwich Facts from the Article:
• Zip Code: 06830
• Population of Zip Code: 24,552
• Homes worth a million or more: Nearly 2,000, or 47%
• Median Family Income: $105,500
• People Living Below Poverty Line: 1,350
• Located just over an hour from Manhattan by train
• Today, only 28 percent of today's residents were born in Connecticut
Ego and Arrogance
In Greenwich, there is a sense of longstanding privilege evident in the very structure of their city. Appearance is so important to some people, that they feel obligated to drive out-of-towners through a working-class neighborhood, where they point out the Boys and Girls Club building – a project supported completely by private donations.
Town residents say, “There is ego here, but almost no arrogance.” Appropriate for a place where there is always someone with a more, and older, money.
Old Money and New Money – Social Equalizer
Greenwich’s wealth, specifically Old Money, is in instances older than our Nation. However, Old Money is on the out as new investment firms take root in Greenwich, creating a hedge fund capital rivaling Manhattan.
With this increase of firms and people with New Money, astronomical wealth has become a social equalizer.
Everyone in Greenwich is rich.
Summary
Greenwich is a symbol of the Republic’s promise.
Suggestions to improve the article for Web experience:
Sentences should be shorter and easier to scan. In addition, sentences should be able to stand on their own.
Visually, the article needs more than just a girl in a beautiful dress on an elegant stairwell and a picture of a large estate. Graphs illustrating their wealth compared to Middle America and a picture of the town’s ego and arrogance would be helpful.
How the information changed for my version.
I had to leave out a lot of the language that made me want to visit Greenwich. The language in the original article illustrated the uniqueness of the city and created an image of people who just happened to be extraordinarily wealthy. I wanted to be able to visit Greenwich and marvel at the wealth. For this version, I hope that people researching Greenwich as a vacation spot, will see it as the city that captured the American Dream.
Posted by arosenst at February 28, 2005 08:11 PM