Waylon 4

I went driving around the area today, interacting with the Island to get material for my next video. My first stop was Walmart – the Centereach Walmart. Now the Walmarts in my area each have a different personality, and I think the difference has to do with the average income of the clientele. The Walmart on 347 must draw a crowd from the 25A region – the people who could stand going to a more expensive store every once and a while, but we’re thrifty and go to Walmart. Centereach seems to draw a crowd whose economics, for whatever reason, need to shop there.

While I was driving around, I popped on the public radio and listened to an Expert talk about how great cities are. I can’t remember his name, or where he works, or what his book’s called, but he spoke with an authority that exuded Expertness. He posited that urban poverty is actually a good sign. He argued this by saying that impoverished people move to the city for greater economic opportunities. The part he leaves out is whether the people were poor when they got here, or were born here into poverty and stay poor. I don’t know what the case is in Long Island, but it would be worth finding out.

I could even expand the question to ask, “Where do all these people come from? Are they really just overflow from NYC, or is there something else going on here? What is it, exactly, that makes Long Island such a desirable place to live?” I’m here for Stony Brook University and the proximity to the City, but I’m a non-permanent visitor. How does one become a Long Islander, and why does one start the process?