Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 168

“My parents brought me from Guatemala when I was fourteen. ...

“My parents brought me from Guatemala when I was fourteen. Immigration wasn’t as big of a deal back in the 70’s. When I got to New York, I joined a soccer team with players from ten different countries. And you could just go to work and nobody asked any questions. My mother worked as a housekeeper at the Hilton for forty years. I was lucky. I didn’t have too hard of a time. I got to come over on a plane. But today it’s different. Right now, as we speak, people are hiding in bushes by the border. They’re running through deserts and swimming across rivers just to feed their families. I feel very bad for them. Things are very tough for the Latino immigrant. But it’s our turn. The last one to arrive has to pay for the broken dishes. You’ve got to blame somebody for the problems. It’s been like that since the first Thanksgiving. First it was the Irish, then the Polish, then the Italians. When the war came it was the Japanese. It’s just our turn. I’ve considered myself an American since I was born. I was born in Central America so that makes me an American—you guys even try to claim the name! I love the Yankees, the Giants, and the Mets. But it’s not too important what you call me. I’m just Louis, from Guatemala, living in New York. And I’m the luckiest guy alive.”

“I’m just trying to make people’s lives a little bit weirder. ...

“I’m just trying to make people’s lives a little bit weirder. During the week I’m a supervisor at an insurance company. I’ve got to hide my identity because I have four people working under me. I think it would be hard to hold the team together if they saw me like this.”

“We met on a hike 25 years ago. He made the first move. ...

“We met on a hike 25 years ago. He made the first move. He asked if he could help me up a hill.”

“I come from the small country of Gabon. It used to be the...

“I come from the small country of Gabon. It used to be the Switzerland of Africa. There are only 1.5 million people there. It has some of the largest oil reserves in the world. It is top ten in iron supplies, uranium supplies, manganese supplies—you name it. And it has the most beautiful rainforest. The country is so wealthy but the people are so poor. There is no clean water. People’s lives are defined by the search for bread. There is no education. And most teenagers have HIV. And when you get sick in Gabon, you die. I have goose bumps right now because my mother still lives there. The people are dying, yet the ruling family flies around in private jets. They give speeches at the UN and people clap. The president’s wife wears handbags that cost $25,000. The ruling family has been in power for 50 years and they get richer and richer every minute. And do you know why they’re in power? Do you know why they’re so rich? Because they hand over our natural resources to the French.”

“The War In Chechnya was going on during the time I was in law...

“The War In Chechnya was going on during the time I was in law school. I remember watching a news report where a young boy walked up to a journalist and asked for help waking up his grandfather. The grandfather had just been killed by a bomb. I decided then that I’d be a human rights lawyer. I went to work at the United Nations. I pictured myself drafting stronger human rights laws. I thought I’d meet with heads of state and convince them to form better laws and better institutions. And those meetings did happen. I did my research and made my presentations. You should have seen me— I was so passionate and confident and sure of my reasoning. The leaders would nod their heads, and say ‘thank you very much,’ but then nothing would change. Unless there was an economic benefit, nobody cared about protecting children, or empowering women, or stopping genocide. And it wore me down. My colleagues were worn down too. After ten years I had to quit. Last week I opened this bar. It’s not human rights, but at least now I can drink for free.”

“We both know this could become one of those iconic photos. ...

“We both know this could become one of those iconic photos. This could be one of those photos that they study one day: ‘Pretty Handsome Brother On The Corner With Obama Phone and $150 Watch.’ And we both know that if I wasn’t so statuesque, this photo never would have happened. You are about to get famous off Mr. Bradley. Now I don’t mind. I don’t mind if white, black, or purple people prosper. But when this picture sells for $10 million, you come back and find me. Cause I’m gonna need one-tenth of that.”

“We’re the worst terrorists in the world and it was a long...

“We’re the worst terrorists in the world and it was a long time coming. This entire country was built on the slaughter of innocents. And we got what we deserved. Just look at the history of US involvement in the Middle East. All those countries are artificial. We created those countries like plastic after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. And the only way to rule a plastic country is with a dictator. Assad, Hussein, the Shah—we propped them all up. Decades of torture, murder, and oppression. We sponsored it. So I say it whenever I can. I’ve had people threaten to kill me. I’ve had people threaten to rape my children. But I’ll keep saying it. You can call me a monster. I think the people in those towers died as representatives for the rest of us for our crimes against humanity. Not only do I think that 9/11 was deserved. I think it was one of the greatest events in human history.“

“I’m a probate lawyer. I represent people who contest their...

“I’m a probate lawyer. I represent people who contest their parents’ wills. I want to write a book about all the things I’ve seen. It’s not quite The Soprano’s, but it’s close. My colleague likes to say that contested wills are the final battleground of a dysfunctional family. Everything from childhood gets brought to the surface. You’d be amazed how long people can hold grudges. And probate court is their last chance to get revenge for ‘Mom loving you more.’ The crazy thing is how many clients would rather be right than be happy. It’s almost always smartest to settle. It costs both sides more to fight it out than to make a deal. Yet people still choose to spend all their time and money, just to get a judgment from the court that will prove they’re right one final time.”

“My daughter just graduated from junior high, so...

“My daughter just graduated from junior high, so I’m going to my first Demi Lovato concert tonight. It’s her and Nick Jonas. They have a big hit right now. I’m not sure what it’s called but I’ve heard it a million times in the car.”

“There are thousands of people like me. I saw them every time I...

“There are thousands of people like me. I saw them every time I went to the racetrack. Miserable motherfuckers, all of them. Always looking for the next big score that never comes. Always nervous and depressed. It’s a very bad addiction. I never drank. I never did any drugs. But I couldn’t stop gambling. I bet on thousands of horses in my life. The more you win, the more you bet, until you lose it all again. It was the same routine everyday. I spent every morning looking for enough money to get on the subway and get to the racetrack. I did menial jobs. I sold things on the streets: shirts, belts, t-shirts, sweaters. For fifty years I did this. A lot of times I didn’t have a place to live. At least I never committed any crimes. I know a lot of guys who did. It’s a real fucking curse.”