There’s a reason it’s “Jenny from the block” and not “Jenny just arrived.”
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed his anger over pop star Jennifer Lopez’s assertion about being a New Yorker.
“Everyone wants to claim our city,” Lopez stated, asserting that true New Yorkers must be born in one of the five boroughs.
A Test of Authenticity
Lopez was candid in her remarks during a recent interview that aired, with de Blasio, who served as mayor from 2014 to 2021, calling her comments “absolutely outrageous.”
He emphasized that there should be “no test for purity,” arguing that New York is fundamentally an immigrant city.
At 65, de Blasio was strong in his defense of immigrants, claiming that the city’s culture is quite the contrary to what Lopez suggested.
“In fact, it was the opposite. We said, ‘Come here and be one of us,'” he added.
Living in New York
De Blasio mentioned that he considers himself a New Yorker not merely because he was born in Manhattan but because he has “lived here a long time and raised my family here.”
“This place has given me everything in life,” he said, continuing that one’s definition of home is deeply personal. “New York City was my whole world.”
Lopez countered this perspective, making it clear during her appearance that while she’s lived in New York for 50 years, she does not see herself as akin to those born there.
“No, you have to say you *live* in New York. You develop New Yorker traits…You’re a true New Yorker when you’re born here,” she maintained.
The Importance of Self-Love
Before her brief interview concluded, Lopez promoted the idea that schools should teach “self-love” from elementary through college. She argued that if students struggle to pass exams yet possess good character, they shouldn’t be pushed into the workforce.
“Because they tell us things intellectually, but people without emotional intelligence can be dangerous! Dangerous people. Got it?” she concluded.
