New York City Is Not a Melting Pot

Snapshot of Black Man Asleep On A Jewish Man’s Shoulder Unleashes (Virtual) Love Fest  By Steven Volynets The social media frenzy spawned by the cell phone photo of a black man sleeping on the shoulder of the 65 year-old Brooklynite Oscar “Isaac” Theil—an observant Jew—culminated in a recent New York Daily News article, which called Theil's patience an act of “Morphean heroism.” A tabloid, which still does tough local stories, the Daily News gave in to the “1.3 million ‘likes’ and 172,563 shares on Facebook.” And why not? In a world where clicks drive ad revenue and social media increasingly determine news content, a picture that, according to one Facebook user, affirms “there is still hope in humanity” is an editor’s godsend. I often take the Q-train, where the photo was snapped. And when I do, riders of all...

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