Last weekend, we had a picnic at Prospect Park with our friends Michelle and Victor. It was Spanish-themed because Victor is Spanish, literally. He is from Spain and speaks English with a slight Spanish accent. He seems as Spanish as any human can become. We appreciate that about Europeans, like a British man acting very British and a French woman being very French. “You are so French,” we would say affectionately.
I suppose it’s not limited to Europeans; “You are so Japanese,” I’ve been told many times. And, I’m not sure “You are so German!” is a good thing.
As we ate the authentic tortilla (which was too thick and fragile for making tacos), we talked about the current mayoral race. I know practically nothing about the candidates, but American politics today is very much like casting a movie; there is no need to know what the actors personally believe or stand for. They just need to look the part. Imagine yourself as a casting director for an upcoming Hollywood movie about the mayor who resurrects the city from the devastation of the COVID lockdown.
I agree with New York Times; Kathryn Garcia looks the best for the role. We’ve already had a black mayor before. We want a fresher idea. Something we’ve never seen; a female mayor. The idea is ripe, particularly because the movie with Hillary Clinton was canned not long ago despite the demand. I can also see Garcia as a competent mom replacing an incompetent dad.
How about a black woman? No, that feels too radical at this time. The new mayor will have to deal with a long list of problems as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the city economically. We cannot be too idealistic. A white woman feels just right.
How about an Asian man? No for the same reason. If Andrew Yang looked more like Bruce Lee, not like Jackie Chan, maybe. Even then, he needs to be taller to compensate for the fact that Asian men don’t look like a leader.
How about a Jewish man? If Scott Stringer looked like Woodie Allen, it might be interesting, but otherwise, optically speaking, he would look too much like just another white man. Too boring.
So my money is on @kgfornyc
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