Wednesday, March 28, 2007

More New York

Before taking the train to the Guggenheim, we stopped in a Mexican restaurant in Queens. I wasn’t terribly excited about it since I can get Mexican food in abundance in Indiana. Steve promised a cultural experience. Well! I’m always up for a cultural experience!

We had just ordered sodas (not pop) when a little Oriental woman stood at our table. “DVD? DVD?” She was selling newly minted pirate DVDs. We waved her off.

I asked Steve how common this is. Before he could answer, a second little Oriental woman was standing at our table. “DVD? DVD?” She must have walked right past the competition as she came in. We waved her off, too. I marveled.

Steve told me this is extremely common in Queens. You can get an almost unlimited supply of knock-off goods. I’ll post more on this later.

I asked why the restaurant owners tolerate solicitors. Steve posits they are seen as harmless. I offered that if it happened in Indiana, the owners would toss them out on their ears. He agreed that few other places in the US would tolerate it.

It’s interesting to me that in New York, one of the media centers of the world, pirate DVD media is so readily available. Is the lack of enforcement due to a fear of upsetting the largely immigrant hawkers of this gear? Is it a matter of police priorities, like nailing the murderers and rapists? I could find no answer.

4 comments:

LP Mike Sylvester said...

You ought to see what goes on in China...

I was offered so many pirated goods that it would take several posts to describe the experience.

I would never have expected that in NY.

Mike Sylvester

Mike Kole said...

And what goes on in China goes on in NYC's Chinatown. Just wait til you see my post on crusing Canal Street for knock-off Prada bags.

Michael Jarrell said...

While I don't care for NYC I must say I admire the counter economy going on there. That's something I always admired about Hong Kong and the Middle East. A really free market...

Jeff Pruitt said...

I sincerely hope Michael is joking...