"I am young, despite my best efforts to age. I am a Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And what is supposedly the most devastating of all — I refuse to apologize for that," Zohran Mamdani said in the New York City Mayoral campaign and won the hearts of New Yorkers.
For "Vreme" from New York
Residents New York they already voted for the mayor during _mischief night_. On the crowded L subway line toward Brooklyn, groups of costumed commuters made their way to the car doors that night with a shout of unison. "maaaamdaaaniii", to celebrate their small victory after stepping onto the platform by hopping at stations along 14th Street as the train, with an American flag on the front, sped on toward Williamsburg.
The jovial uproar in the "night of mischief" turned into something much more serious after the polls were counted. The shout with which cheerful New Yorkers pushed through the crowd was the name of the new hizzonera Zohrana Mamdani.
One new item has been added to the list of unwritten rules of behavior in the city.
The old rules are more or less familiar: don't ask what those who say they are from the City mean, for there is only one place in the world that can be called that name—you will be foolish in society; never suggest to those who grew up there that they go to Times Square with you, whether it's for the Christmas fireworks or the new Uniqlo store — they'll look at you like there's something wrong with you; don't stop while walking down the street, go straight to your destination without stopping — it can easily happen that someone pushes you off the road; if you're not looking for trouble, don't sit in one of the two joined seats at the beginning of the carriage metro — they are reserved for sleeping for those who have no other roof over their heads; do not eat anything from street kiosks, because there is no running water in them and no one knows where the sellers go to the toilet; If you like Asian cuisine, look no further Chinese restaurants that look like bypassed places — that's where the best food is; be careful in communicating with the female world, because those who say something wrong will be treated to a juicy curse about smoking what girls don't have; don't ask a police officer on the street for help, because they'll act like you don't exist — call 911.
The list of desirable things is much longer, but at the moment the first place is "democratic." socialism".
You learn about democracy from kindergarten, but it's a little more difficult with the latter. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Joseph Stalin or the red rose? Das Kapital, Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? McCarthyism or Trump's anti-communism?
Things are often much simpler — it's just a matter of a sense of equality and justice. The authentic, extremely clear knowledge that those born here will not be able to live in their city when they can no longer work, unless they have at least half a million dollars in savings invested in stocks and government bonds.
As apartment rents continue to rise, one-bedroom apartments already cost between three and four thousand dollars a month, and a quarter of the earnings go to child care. City buses run at a speed of 16 miles per hour in a city where Hawes Park is more than 250 miles from Long Island. The nearest Walmart, where everything is usually cheaper, is across the river in New Jersey, so a gallon of Horizon milk costs New York to the gods more than eight dollars.
Zohran Mamdani, a member of the New York State Assembly who a year ago was unheard of, defeated the Republican and Democratic establishment by spending tens of millions of dollars on the election campaign — with social media posts and a willingness to talk to people on the street about their problems — aware of all these problems. Mamdani is progressive even by New York standards, which is probably the most liberal city in the country.
Voters loved him not just for what he said, but for his campaign style, which spoke the language of social media. But no Facebook or X, where words are important, but of the visual algorithms on which Instagram and TikTok.
His inexhaustible energy and promises of a rent freeze, universal children's protection, cheap grocery stores, and free transportation, the New Yorkers developed a closeness to this naturalized fellow Ugandan, who had never before been in any leadership position.
Mamdani himself says that he is far from a perfect candidate.
"I'm young, despite my best efforts to age. I'm a Muslim. I'm a democratic socialist. And, arguably, most damning of all — I refuse to apologize for that."
Probably his stories about an additional tax on the rich next to the center of corporate capitalism on Wall Street, or claims of Israeli genocide in Gaza in a city where more people live Jews than in Tel Aviv, not everyone will like it, but to say that he is young despite his efforts to grow old and that he will not apologize for what he is, are part of the authentic spirit of this city that many have recognized and loved.
They can often be found at America self-confident and bold, and New Yorkers are usually at the forefront of this. Unlike those who live in, for example, Miami, where these qualities turn into arrogance, the inhabitants of the City are kind, pleasant, cheerful and sociable - just like their future mayor, for whom they voted, because he showed that he knows how to listen to others. To understand that for many, everyday life, despite all the privileges of the city that is the center of the world, is often tiring, uncertain and difficult. To offer a vision that the leadership of the Democratic Party does not have.
By repeating the mantra of elites betraying the people, Donald Trump came to power. And when he sat down in The White House, a new narrative needs to be found — Republicans will not be swayed by emphasizing identity issues over the basic needs of workers.
Zohran Mamdani's ideological predecessors used to say that one cannot be a Kerensky after the October Revolution. When earthquakes happen, everything changes, there is no turning back.
Now the new mayor has to make good on his big promises, because New Yorkers don't like being cheated. Regardless of their willingness to believe in miracles and messianic promises, Mamdani is expected to perform.
If they don't get what he promised them, they will pass like those who annoy the world of women with inappropriate remarks or stop in the streets to stare at the shop windows and thin solitaires with a hundred floors, in which two people cannot pass each other in front of the elevator.
Yes, passengers from that L train flooded the streets of Brooklyn the night before Halloween. One of the city parties was right next to Berry street, in those apartments where you enter via the stairs from the street. Every time the DJ spun something like Geese, who have become a musical attraction of the city, the number of people dancing in the room increased — random passers-by walking in from the street. They'd have a drink, chat with the others, and leave after "100 Horses" further into the Brooklyn night, trying unsuccessfully, with their new mayor, to grow old.
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A black picture and the breakdown of the rule of law subscribeThe archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
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