This is What’s Trending Today…
During Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate, candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump argued about “New York values.”
Cruz appealed to conservative Republican voters that Trump, a New Yorker, would not be a good candidate. He said, “Everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal and pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage...”
Trump replied that after the terrorist attacks of September 11, “The people in New York fought and fought and fought, and we saw more death, even the smell of death … And we rebuilt downtown Manhattan, and everyone in the world watched and loved New York and New Yorkers.”
And then Trump added, “I’ll tell you, that was a very insulting statement that Ted made.”
Most of the people on Twitter and Facebook seemed to agree.
On Friday, the top trending hashtag on Twitter was #NewYorkValues. People wrote about what “NewYorkValues” mean to them.
The New York Daily News, known for its colorful headlines, responded to Cruz’s comment with “Drop Dead, Ted” on its front page.
Today's @NYDailyNews Cover: There's just no 'value' to @tedcruz's criticism of ‘NY Values' https://t.co/upgX5wyRf4 pic.twitter.com/mCisWP1nZ1
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) January 15, 2016
Like Trump, many people mentioned the city’s resiliency after September 11.
Everyone from FDNY & NYC EMS has #NewYorkValues not just on that terrible day ...but everyday.@tedcruz got it wrong pic.twitter.com/QXqPbTVuH3
— NYC EMS Watch (@NYCEMSwatch) January 15, 2016
Other people wrote about the diversity and cultural awareness in New York.
#NewYorkValues? Being able to differentiate between a Muslim and a Sikh.
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) January 15, 2016
Some people wrote about small acts of kindness, like returning a wallet found in a taxi or helping people find their way in a complicated subway.
#NewYorkValues leaving ur wallet in a cab on the way to JFK & the next passenger finding it, checking your ID& Fed-exing to ur address in CA
— Audra McDonald (@AudraEqualityMc) January 15, 2016
Some pledged their allegiance to the various sports teams in New York, like the Yankees and Mets, along with popular food items – like pizza and bagels that New Yorkers love to tout.
#NewYorkValues coffee in these cups. Big time. pic.twitter.com/bypHjos1q5
— Grace ℓ. Williams (@gwill29) January 15, 2016
On my last visit I got two slices of pizza AND a soft drink for $2.75 #NewYorkValues pic.twitter.com/a5x6TO7rQw
— Daniel Feit (@feitclub) January 15, 2016
Others tweeted about a different kind of “value” -- about how many things in New York are expensive.
What do you mean #NewYorkValues? There's no value to be found here! Everything is exorbitantly priced! $8 tubes of toothpaste, $20 daiquiris
— 👻 Gary Scargoyle 🎃 (@leducviolet) January 15, 2016
But with the current drop in prices on the stock market in New York, another person said there actually are values in New York.
"With stocks on sale, there are some great #NewYorkValues to be had today!" - SP500 social marketing genius
— Cuffy (@CuffyMeh) January 15, 2016
#newyork at night#NewYorkValues pic.twitter.com/O4svcu5sr0
— of Verona (@ofVerona) January 15, 2016
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
What are the values of the city in which you live? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
Words in This Story
resilience – n. the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens
awareness – n. feeling, experiencing, or noticing something
expensive – adj. costing a lot of money
bagel – n. a bread roll shaped like a ring
allegiance – n. loyalty to a person, country, group, etc.
tout – v. to talk about (something or someone) as being very good, effective, skillful, etc.
