What “Sh*t New Yorkers Say” Says About New Yorkers

By now, most New Yorkers and Pat Kiernan fans who have access to the Internet have seen – or at least heard of – a viral video called “Sh*t New Yorkers Say.” A new thread on a meme that’s been making the rounds lately, this skewering (or celebrating, if you will) of New York residents by comedian siblings Eliot Glazer and Ilana Glazer struck a major chord with viewers, garnering over 700,000 hits on YouTube as of this writing, barely 24 hours after it was uploaded:


At once a rant against everything New Yorkers hate about our city, and a paean to everything we love about it, the video neatly – and hysterically – captures the essence of what it is to live and work in Gotham:

“Where is the train??!”

“I HATE tourists!”  Move! MOVE!”

“You HAVE to go to Brooklyn, it’s the LAW!”

“I don’t really leave Brooklyn on the weekends…”

“Look, they’re shooting ‘Law & Order’ – eh, who cares…”

And of course, the grand finale:

“…I love you, Pat Kiernan!”

Lots of reactions have been written online in response to this great video, much of which are about people’s visceral and immediate connection to many of the clip’s dead-on jabs at the heart of life in New York City – the, “Oh my God that’s TOTALLY how I feel!” aspect (myself included). But in doing so, New Yorkers are also revealing a lot about their own character.

In a recent interview explaining how the piece came about, Eliot asserts that he wanted to capture the great neuroses we New Yorkers have, and that the things we say are indeed funny on their merits – he colorfully encourages us Gothamites to “take pride in our eccentricities,” and in so doing, has created a simply fantastic, spot-on caricature of NYC culture.

Just what does this video say about us, though? After watching it a few times, several descriptives become clear which should be no surprise to anyone who makes there way here, day in and day out.

To me, the video accurately portrays we New Yorkers as:

1. Smart
2. Impatient
3. Emotional
4. Judgmental
5. Funny
6. Different
7. Restless
8. Extremely proud to be New Yorkers

And you know what? I’m cool with that.

Next week is our “Why We Love NYC” pop culture trivia night at The Bell House, hosted by Pat Kiernan! Learn more about why we’re doing this event in the first place, or purchase tickets by clicking here.