Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 427

"I know this isn’t going to be a popular opinion, but...

"I know this isn’t going to be a popular opinion, but I’m gay, and I don’t think there’s nearly as much discrimination as people claim. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve experienced discrimination. But it hasn’t been a huge factor in my life. I feel like a lot of people bring discrimination on themselves by getting in people’s faces too much. They like to say: ‘Accept me or else!’ They go around demanding respect as a member of a group, instead of earning respect as an individual. And that sort of behavior invites discrimination. I’ve never demanded respect because I was gay, and I haven’t experienced much discrimination when people find out that I am."

"We were talking every day. Then her replies started taking...

"We were talking every day. Then her replies started taking longer. Then she stopped replying all together."

"I’ve been making music my whole life, but I have the...

"I’ve been making music my whole life, but I have the hardest time selling myself. And selling yourself is necessary if you want to be a successful artist. I can play something amazing, and I can say: ‘That’s just how I like it.’ But then I always lose my confidence, and say: ‘But who am I? And why does it matter what I like?’"

Going to be sitting down with my friend Chase Jarvis for a 90 minute live interview tomorrow in...

Going to be sitting down with my friend Chase Jarvis for a 90 minute live interview tomorrow in...

"Who would you say has influenced you most in your life?""My 7th...

"Who would you say has influenced you most in your life?"
"My 7th grade math teacher, Mr. Tejada."
"How did he influence you?"
"It’s hard to explain. He’s the only one who would give me extra credit when I was failing. And if I didn’t know something, he’d know what to do."

A couple of weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by several...

A couple of weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by several different emails telling me that HONY was going viral on Chinese social media. I tend to follow a complex business strategy of: “Wow, that worked! Do more of that!” Therefore, all HONY posts will now be translated into Chinese. These posts can be found on the official HONY Weibo account: http://www.weibo.com/humansofny

If you have Chinese friends, parents, cousins, colleagues, pen pals, lovers, stalkers, or enemies, please feel free to direct them to the page. As I figure out the best way to do this, hopefully I can use it as a model for translating HONY into other languages as well.

"My mother died rather suddenly when I was eighteen. One thing...

"My mother died rather suddenly when I was eighteen. One thing that I didn’t expect was the amount of resentment I would feel. I know it’s not fair of me to put that sort of thing on other people. But when I see someone walking down the street with their mother, I feel jealous. I know their relationship is going to have its ups and downs, and it’s going to evolve, and it will have this trajectory to it that I’ll never have, and it just seems unfair. Of course I know it’s absurd to talk about fairness in the universe."
"Why is that absurd?"
"Because there’s no such thing as karma. I mean, when you’re a good person, people can sense it and they’ll reciprocate that goodness. But the universe isn’t keeping some balance by guaranteeing you a reward."

"I’m studying atomic processes. Specifically the behavior...

"I’m studying atomic processes. Specifically the behavior of electrons on the surfaces of solids when they are illuminated by light. Hopefully it will lead to the discovery of new materials that can be used to make more efficient solar cells."

The success of Susie’s Senior Dogs has really become one...

The success of Susie’s Senior Dogs has really become one of the brightest spots in my life right now. We started the page on a whim, and now it seems like every day a new senior dog finds a home through the page. If you want an immediate boost to your mood, watch this fifteen second video of 20 year old Wally and his new mom— all the way from California. And yes, Wally is 140 in doggie years.

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?""Struggle? What...

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"
"Struggle? What does that mean?"
"Challenge."
"Ah! Being a good grandmother."
"What’s the toughest part about being a good grandmother?"
"Oh, I don’t know if I can answer in English. Let me see.. Be Present. Listen. Be Loveful. Did I say that right? Loveful?"