Floating City Quotes

“Today’s champions of globalization are so busy celebrating the wondrous wealth and the charming artifacts of food and music produced by international interchange that they have little time for the plight of the invisible underclass that helps make it happen.”
― Sudhir Venkatesh, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy

“Clearly, he was a bit shaky on the concept of sociology. “I’m not a social worker,” I said. “You don’t want to help?” said the man with the rubber band. “Why don’t you want to help?” said the woman in lingerie. All three pairs of eyes focused on me.”
― Sudhir Venkatesh, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy

“As Mayor Giuliani began his cleanup of the Times Square area, nobody in power gave any thought to the thousands of “support” people whose survival would be affected when the economic driver of sex was removed from the scene. And the optimistic view that these workers would be forced toward more legitimate work turned out to be puritanical hypocrisy—it was crime itself that gave these men an entrée into the straight world. In time, Santosh began selling laptops of dubious origin, Rajesh started offering small short-term loans, and Azad operated an increasingly successful sideline as a job referral service for undocumented immigrants. Whenever otherwise legitimate employers found themselves in need of some quick off-the-books labor—and they often did, even the hedge fund titans and investment banks down on Wall Street—Azad made it happen for them with one phone call.”
― Sudhir Venkatesh, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy

“But good sociology is always a mixture of close focus and long shot. You dial in and pull back, dial in and pull back, a delicate dance over the data gaps.”
― Sudhir Venkatesh, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy

“The skill, ingenuity, and resilience of those taking an “alternate economic path” in life cannot be boiled down to the laws they transgress,”
― Sudhir Venkatesh, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy

“Don’t pity us. Don’t treat us like victims. We’re more than our hardships.”
― Sudhir Venkatesh, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy