Multiculturalism, Overheard Style

Suit: Can you move a little?
Teen girl: I can’t. My hair’s stuck in the door.
Suit: Oh. That’s a good reason. Okay.

–L train

A black HS girl pushes her way past a white yuppie to get off the train.

Yuppie: Whoa, slow down, Boniva!
Girl: Shut the fuck up, Opie!

–L train

Girl: Oh hey, that’s my high school mascot!
Guy: What, a black woman?

–8th & Broadway

Black guy: Man, nigga, you’re really dirty. I mean, you’re a slob, nigga. You’re…you’re a fucking Mexican.

–Union Square

AMNew York Guy: Free Spanish newspaper! Assimilation doesn’t mean you have to give up your heritage!

–Park Slope

Drunk Asian girl: We should totally go salsa dancing.
Drunk white girl: Yeah, that would be so fun.
Drunk Asian girl: We’d be the only white people there, though.

–J train

Overheard by: Jim VB

NYU girl: So do they like hate everyone?
NYU boy: No, not everyone; just white people.

–Union Square

Asian suit: They were talking about how these 7th grade girls were trading blowjobs for pot.
White suit: When I was in 7th grade, I didn’t even know what pot was, or what blowjobs were. I was too busy playing video games and watching Star Wars.
Asian suit: I was in SAT prep class.

–51st & Lexington

Fratboy #1: Oh God, did you see that? That little Asian boy just fell down and skinned his Chi-knee.
Fratboy #2: Think he was running from Godzilla?

–Central Park

Overheard by: Matt Murdock

Girl: …So I asked him, “Do you speak German?” and he was like, “The only German I speak is: men to the left, women and children to the
right.” And I said, “Dude, you’ve been watching too much Schindler’s List!”

–13th Street between 6th & 7th

Overheard by: Joe Quint

Girl #1: Who wants to be Jewish?
Girl #2: Stacy!
Girl #1: I mean, you either are or you aren’t.
Girl #2: That’s not a very nice thing to say!
Girl #1: Sorry, I mean, why would you if you didn’t have to?

–49th & 5th

Suit on cell: Hey, guess where I am?…Guess…I’m in Glasgow!

–Carmine & Bleecker

Overheard by: Chris Cotterman

Preppy guy: How am I racist? I’m Irish! I can’t be racist!

–9th Street & 3rd Avenue

Overheard by: Miss Hipstah

Woman on cell: My daughter went to Montreal. I was like, “Why do you have to go where the French go? Why couldn’t you just go to Ontario?”

–55th & 3rd

Bag lady: Can I have a quarter? The Irish have taken over the YMCA.

–22nd & 5th

Overheard by: smanikas

Thug: Paisano?…It’s like “my nigga” but in Italian.

–Times Square

Overheard by: KRUD