RSS for this post's commentsWait a minute — does Queens rule?
Posted by Steve on Saturday, June 9th, 2007
A few days ago, I unilaterally declared that Central Queens would never be graced by one of Virgin Mobile’s snarky “You Rule” ads that have been popping up in fashionable neighborhoods around the city and proceeded to create my own for Forest Hills.
But shockingly, I spoke too soon! On a spring photography walk through eastern Forest Hills and western Kew Gardens this afternoon, I spotted the specimen at right, appropriately on a bus shelter directly in front of Borough Hall. Full text after the jump.
QUEENS, YOU RULE
You’re not trying to become the next Manhattan–for what? You’ve already got a baseball team and a freaking modern arts museum. Seriously, who else could rock a name like Flushing? And unlike your neighbor, you’re not trying to prove how cool you are. You know you’re cool. Hey, a million Greeks, Indians, Dominicans and Koreans can’t be wrong. Queens, you’re a borough of the world! So rather than tie you down with cell phone plans that have annual contracts, we’d like to offer you freedom. Because, as the Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “Yo, it’s like a free country, whatever.”
As has been pointed out of other neighborhood variants, this ad is just a little bit two-faced. I love the backhanded slap at Brooklyn, which Virgin cannot even bring itself to mention by name, despite its loving paeans to such places as Bed-Stuy and, probably, Bushwick.
I also dispute the “not trying to prove how cool you are” line. I damn well am trying to prove how cool we are.
But Virgin does get one thing right: Queens does indeed rule. Now that this is up, is it so hard to kiss our asses by neighborhood? Or does Rego Park not quite rule enough on its own?
