Comments on: Review: ‘Hard Times: Lost On Long Island’ A Narrow, Insubstantial Look At Unemployment

By: Scott Briggs

Scott Briggs — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

I haven't seen the film yet, but I plan to after reading this
review: I grew up in Levittown myself, from 1973-1987 or so,
and, I've been through the place again several times for various
reasons the past seven years or so, and I can tell you that it has been
through some TRULY hard times. Also, Levittown was never upper middle
class, or maybe through the 1960s it might in some cases have been CLOSE,
but Levittown was never exactly Sands Point or anything remotely near it.
It was/is a conformist, post-war model suburban bedroom community,
as it was planned to be, but man the past 20 years or under have NOT been
too kind to it. I recently took a spin to what replaced the Nassau Mall there,
it's a basic strip mall now with a Best Buy and BJs, ok, no problem, movie
theater, still there, but not as nice as it once was to put it mildly, and the worst
horror is driving to the old Center Lane Village Green shopping center
and seeing that recently, the pizza place there closed (though relocating),
covered in nasty graffiti, and the Youth Center there closed many years ago already,
now a Senior Center of some kind, if it lasts, and the rest the shops are closed down
or about to close. So, you can talk about 2009 all you like, but things are NOT
getting any better in Levittown, really, from what I can see. And, for nearly 20 years
now, (20 years!) or close, the old TSS shops that was later a Caldors or whatever it was,
IS STILL DERELICT. That alone should tell us the kind of post-80s ordeal that
this once-thriving community has been through.

Mainly it looks the same, from the outside, but that alone is an ever-present symbol of the better times this place once
enjoyed/exemplified. I hate to say it, but it's mainly turned pretty "ghetto," but on
the other hand, it's not the worst ever seen. Levittown, despite my and my old friends
love/hate relationship with the place (mainly bordering on hate as far as culture or
anything interesting was concerned–although even through the late 80s we had record shops,
game rooms, cooler malls, better movie theaters, hobby shops, and other things
that made life somewhat bearable, even a few bookstores), never depressed me like it does these days. The nightlife on L.I. even in the mid 1990s, was actually pretty cool, for goodness'
sake….now forget it. Take a club like Paris NY in Huntington….could match the best of
NYC almost in terms of alternative chic in those days…..then it ALLL died. Even The Malibu
in Lido Beach was something cool….now, nothing. Just nothing.

Then again, that's just my visiting impressions…I don't live there any longer. But
all of L.I. has taken a beating and that's the truth of it. And I as in Manhattan working
in midtown on 9/11, so I know all about THAT as well.

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

The lack of empathy in this comments section is astounding.

By: Randa

Randa — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

Previous comment was computer error.

By: Randa

Randa — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

I could be wrong but you seem like a snob. You come across as a person belonging to the "pull up your boot straps" school of thought. Until your have been in the situation of a that can't find a job, no contacts, no extended family to l end a hand. Until you have beenin the deep hole

By: Sally

Sally — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

The reality is many of us don't live in upper middle class neighborhoods such as those featured in the documentary. Unfortunately, many people suffer from wanting the big house, the very expensive car, etc….I know many people in our small SW Florida town who have had to have foreclosed on their home and literally downsized to much, much smaller living space. Unfortunately, all I got from the movie was that they wanted to continue having the "American Dream" and wanting to continue living in their upper middle class neighborhood but never got anything that said, "Maybe I am living beyond my means and need to move." People in our society want to have the "American Dream" and yet someone hasn't told them that they maybe simply cannot afford it. What about storing up money when things like losing your job come up……..maybe they used that up all ready but frankly I admire those people that I know whom are willing to take just about anything now in order to put food on their table and living life with contentment even if it means not living in a big fancy house or having a very expensive car.

By: John

John — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

The writer and Annie here have a serious mean streak, and probably don't know it. Pity Party, my butt. Concentrate instead on younger people? There's that age discrimination again. I'm one of those who is highly trained and unemployed for three years. Judging by hiring preferences now I may never be employed again, very much like millions of others like me over 50. And Annie, if you're in your 20's, you've got 40 years left to get things right. I'm 57, about to lose my home, and I have a student loan too, from that Master's degree that was supposed to make me more valuable to employers. And if you're 57, you don't have 40 years left to save yourself. Or your wife. And anything you tried to build for her over the years. I didn't get married to put her in a poor house. Young people should know that everything changes over time. They have substantial reason to hope. But if you don't have time, then you're where we are. And that deserves respect.

By: Annie

Annie — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

I wish Levin would have concentrated on the thousands of younger generations who will probably NEVER buy a house, who start their young adult life in debt due to student loans. We and others younger than me will never get a taste of the American dream as we know it. I was very disappointed that he didn't even touch on those subjects. But that's pretty typical coming from a greedy, self-centered baby boomer.

Why should I feel sympathy for a bunch of greedy baby boomers that used to work in the financial sector? Get a real job! How about interviewing teachers, policemen, nurses, doctors…people that do real work helping other people. I'm pretty certain that Levin could have found some of those people to interview. I could care less that some mortgage banker on Wall St. lost his job and his house. Those people and who they represent are to blame for this mess we're in now and I'm almost willing to bet, that probably half or more of those people in the film voted Republican. Once again baby boomers putting their self interest above everything else.

It's interesting that the silent generation implemented public policies to help their children move into the middle class and yet when the reigns were handed over to the baby boomers, they were more concerned with lining their own pockets than with helping future generations. This movie is a typical self-centered view for baby boomers by a baby boomer. Once again, the generations who have been cheated out of their stab at the American Dream aren't even taken into consideration. As if our story doesn't matter.

My hope is that my generation and those after me take a more community approach in implementing public policy. Eventually, the baby boomers will die off and we'll be rid of this greedy, self-serving attitude that sadly rules our political system today.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

Levittown, upper middle class? That's a bit of a stretch. It is nice enough, but pretty modest by most standards. Unless you're from Calcutta.

By: Rich registered representative

Rich registered representative — Fri, 13 May 2016 12:06:09 +0000

Why don't these idiot morons have non-qualified accounts setup that invest in municipal bond funds? That would be something that could be used for an emergency fund to help the through hardship. A job is horse crap anyway. Why be on a w-2 instead of being on a 1099? You write off more and you'll have e chance to be a part of the 1%. Wake up morons!