Multiculturalism, Overheard Style

Hipster girl #1: Oooh. She’s all Chinese and thinks she’s cute. I hate her.
Hipster girl #2: Actually, she’s Japanese. I’m pretty sure there’s a difference.
Hipster girl #1: Yeah, the price of the food.

–Grand Central Station

Overheard by: Amber Lowery

Black guy #1: She wanted to suck my dick watching Sanford and Son at 2AM.
Black guy #2: White niggas don’t understand the principle in that. There ain’t nothing wrong with that.

–2nd & 1st

Overheard by: Errol Stairpath

White girl: Yeah, they’re actually adults. They just look like children because, you know, they’re Asian.

–Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, Union Square

Overheard by: Kelly

White girl: He really was the smallest black guy I’ve ever fucked…and believe me, I’ve fucked plenty of black guys.

–Union Square

Black guy to Asian woman: We fucking taught you people martial arts! Egypt? What!

–Washington Square Park

Jewish girl to black friend: I want a black boyfriend…what if I turned really ghetto? What if I start to wear baby phat? I’ll be like, this is what Kamal likes. Ohmygod, what if he has his own made-up name? I’ll be like, oh Styx just called me.

–98th & Madison

Overheard by: nathalie

Guy #1: I really think African Americans are bipolar. They all seem to have high self esteem, are hyperactive all the time, and are easily irritable.
Guy #2: Shut up nigga. You know I’m better than those cats.
Guy #1: And they can never hear themselves talking.

–F train

Conductor: Okay, okay…all you white people get off the train here. That’s right, hippies and hipsters. If you under thirty-five and white, you don’t want to stay on this train no mo’. The next stop will be the ghet-to!

–Flatbush-bound 2 express train at Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum

Overheard by: chagrined hipster

A flight attendant on an Atlanta to NYC plane is attempting to communicate with two Israeli twentysomethings in broken Spanish.

Flight attendant to Israeli guy: Sir, por favor, sit down. If no sit, I will telephonar el capitan and he will have to turn off el engine. It will take una hora to get to the gate if that happens.
Guy: I don’t speak Spanish.
Flight attendant: What?
Guy: I don’t speak Spanish. Speak English!
Flight attendant: Fine. Sir, please take a seat. The fasten seatbelt sign is still lit. If you do not sit down, I will have to call el capitan.

–Landing strip

White guy: Excuse me, sir?
Black guy: What’s up papi?
White guy: I’m trying to get to 14th Street.
Black guy: You’re in the South Bronx papi.
White guy: Holy shit! How do I get the fuck out of here?

The black guy laughs and walks away.

–149th & 3rd

White girl #1: Look at that Asian girl! She’s such a whore!
White girl #2: Dude, there’s this Asian girl in my psychology course, she’s a whore, too.
An Asian girl: Excuse me? Um, what is your problem? What, do you think all Asians are whores?

A very long pause.

White girl #1: Yes.

–Madison Square Garden

10-year-old white boy: He thinks all dark people are Osama Bin Laden.
10-year-old brown boy: That is a disgrace to me. I’m not even Hindu, yo.

–24th Ave & 29th St, Astoria

Overheard by: kelly