--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city…" description: "\"“It was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city without normal services most of the time. The garbage piled up and stank during long strikes of the sanitati..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/edmund-white-2376_1970s_it-was-a-grungy-dangerous-bankrupt-city_1964306.jpg" --- # It was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city without normal… ![“It was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city without normal services most of the time. The garbage piled up and stank during long strikes of the sanitation workers. A major blackout led to days and days of looting. We gay guys wore whistles around our necks so we could summon help from other gay men…” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/edmund-white-2376_1970s_it-was-a-grungy-dangerous-bankrupt-city_1964306.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/edmund-white-2376_1970s_it-was-a-grungy-dangerous-bankrupt-city_1964306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/edmund-white-2376_1970s_it-was-a-grungy-dangerous-bankrupt-city_1964306.jpg) > ““It was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city without normal services most of the time. The garbage piled up and stank during long strikes of the sanitation workers. A major blackout led to days and days of looting. We gay guys wore whistles around our necks so we could summon help from other gay men when we were attacked on the streets by gangs living in the projects between Greenwich Village and the West Side leather bars...The upside was that the city was inexpensive…”” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A gritty urban landscape with danger, poverty, and community solidarity among gay men is described, highlighting both hardships and low cost of living. **In simple terms:** A dangerous city with a supportive gay community and cheap living. Key Takeaway Seek community support in hostile environments. Themes urban decay L solidarity LGBTQ+ life economic hardship survival Mood defiant reflective Type memoir social commentary When to use this quote - street safety - housing - health services - activism - affordability Key Concepts intersectionality resilience social networks Questions to Reflect On - How do marginalized groups create safety nets? - What costs are hidden in cheap living? A Different Perspective Even with community, systemic neglect persists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gay Guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-guys/) [Gay men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-men/) [Greenwich village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greenwich-village/) [Homophobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homophobia/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Most of the guys I grew up with let the streets and the gangs influence them. 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Is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darien-cox/it-was-like-he-was-being-lured-toward-the-other-man-against-his-will/) [Darien Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darien-cox/) > [You want to help gay kids, you have to reach them in middle school and high school, when they're being bullied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/you-want-to-help-gay-kids-you-have-to-reach-them-in-middle-school-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [“That the United States Government can swiftly offer to help in gay fashion designer Edwin Chiloba's murder probe, which has been unraveled while ignoring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-santo/that-the-united-states-government-can-swiftly-offer-to-help-in-gay/) [DON SANTO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-santo/) > [This is unexposed film of Greenwich Village because nothing ever happens there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-unexposed-film-of-greenwich-village-because-nothing-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never felt at home. I stuck outIn New York City, especially in Greenwich Village, down among the cranks and the misfits and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mitchell/i-never-felt-at-home-i-stuck-outin-new-york-city-especially-in/) [Joseph Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mitchell/) > [“People talk a lot about all the homosexuals there are to see in Greenwich Village, but it was all the neuters that caught my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-talk-a-lot-about-all-the-homosexuals-there-are-to-see-in/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Esther liked books out where everyone could see them, a sort of graphic index to the intricate labyrinth of her mind arrayed to impress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/esther-liked-books-out-where-everyone-could-see-them-a-sort-of/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [My father took me back home, back to Greenwich Village, and he thought by taking me out of the orphanage he'd be out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-corso/my-father-took-me-back-home-back-to-greenwich-village-and-he-thought/) [Gregory Corso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-corso/) > [My background did not start with the East Side; it started with Greenwich Village, which is West Side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-corso/my-background-did-not-start-with-the-east-side-it-started-with/) [Gregory Corso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-corso/) > [These people, as far as I can see, do not congregate in the notorious centers of the movement, like the North Beach in San…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/these-people-as-far-as-i-can-see-do-not-congregate-in-the-notorious/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I regret profoundly that I was not an American and not born in Greenwich Village. It might be dying, and there might be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-regret-profoundly-that-i-was-not-an-american-and-not-born-in/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I always got a kick out of it when they called it the California Sound because it really came out of Liverpool and Greenwich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-always-got-a-kick-out-of-it-when-they-called-it-the-california/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [“Ultimately, the salon, Steffens noted, helped change the public perception of Greenwich Village, although hardly in the manner Dodge had hoped. What had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hartshorn/ultimately-the-salon-steffens-noted-helped-change-the-public/) [Peter Hartshorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hartshorn/) > [What are you going to do? "Can't say - run for president, write -" "Greenwich Village?" "Good heavens, no - I said write -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/what-are-you-going-to-do-can-t-say-run-for-president-write-greenwich/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More 1970s quotes > [As someone who came to New York in the 1970s, I was, like so many of my friends, a certified member of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/as-someone-who-came-to-new-york-in-the-1970s-i-was-like-so-many-of-my/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [The 1970s, the decade of my teenage years, was a transitional period in American youth culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/the-1970s-the-decade-of-my-teenage-years-was-a-transitional-period-in/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [Back in the 1970s, it was mostly all-black audiences coming into the theaters. So, we presented stories they could relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ray-moore/back-in-the-1970s-it-was-mostly-all-black-audiences-coming-into-the/) [Rudy Ray Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ray-moore/) > [I'm a product of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/i-m-a-product-of-the-1970s/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [Once, bit-fetching was the job mainly of children. 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We had all the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denny-laine/wings-was-one-of-the-first-bands-in-the-1970s-to-do-stadium-tours-as/) [Denny Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denny-laine/) > [The whole idea of making 'James' was to make an action film in the style of the 1970s and '80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-gopal-varma/the-whole-idea-of-making-james-was-to-make-an-action-film-in-the/) [Ram Gopal Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-gopal-varma/) > [All I know about 1970s New York City is that it's where I grew up, and you always have an umbilical connection to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/all-i-know-about-1970s-new-york-city-is-that-it-s-where-i-grew-up-and/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [I have lived my whole life just outside Youngstown, Ohio. We watched the steel mills close and 50,000 jobs disappear in the late 1970s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ryan/i-have-lived-my-whole-life-just-outside-youngstown-ohio-we-watched/) [Tim Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ryan/) > [When I was growing up in the projects in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 80s, Cadillac was the car to have. But I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/when-i-was-growing-up-in-the-projects-in-philadelphia-in-the-1970s/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [I don't really have a treasured possession, but I do love my family's proper old photo album. We all have hundreds of photos on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-walker/i-don-t-really-have-a-treasured-possession-but-i-do-love-my-family-s/) [Nicola Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-walker/) > [My family had been involved in gangs since the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cabral/my-family-had-been-involved-in-gangs-since-the-1970s/) [Richard Cabral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cabral/) > [When I was in high school in the early 1970s, we knew we were running out of oil; we knew that easy sources were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/when-i-was-in-high-school-in-the-early-1970s-we-knew-we-were-running/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [When I was younger, I remember families like mine who had to deal with the disastrous policies of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-scheer/when-i-was-younger-i-remember-families-like-mine-who-had-to-deal-with/) [Andrew Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-scheer/) Browse all 189 1970s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city without normal services most of the time. 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