Forever Staten Island

American Idol is one of those shows for me that slipped under the bed and was largely forgotten. However, my parents informed me that this season a girl from Staten Island had made it to the big stage. Immediately I was like well I have to see this for myself. There is always some sort of pride that you have for the girl representing your town. Unfortunately, she got the boot and was denied a spot to the top 13. But what really bothered me was the fact that when they reviewed the performances from the night before, the guy from TMZ started out his critique of Brielle, with “Well, her name isn’t very typical Staten Island.” Why does her being from Staten Island have to do with anything? Staten Island seems to haunt islanders, no matter where they go. It’s this invisible label that people put on you. It’s a barrier that some people can’t seem to look past. Being from Staten Island is not a disease. You’re not all of a sudden gonna have a New York accent, get tan, have some Guido hair cut, smoke pot or have some mafia background. Staten Island is just a place like any other. Sure it does have some unique characteristics. It’s a bit overwhelming and we have some reputations that will never be forgotten, but that shouldn’t be some cross for all of us islanders to bear. We are not all like what The Mob Wives seem to portray, some loud mouth, jail bate trash.I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone else be labeled from where their from so fast as Staten Islanders are. Nothing makes me more angry than when people judge me, mock me because I am from Staten Island or trash the Island in front of my face. No one said Staten Island was paradise, and neither is really any place on this earth. What makes you so much better? Do we judge you by your hometown? I don’t see anyone else on American Idol being judged because their from Austin or LA or Detroit. No one brings it up because really no one cares, but if you mention Staten Island no one will ever forget it and that’s basically all you will see from the start a  “typical” Staten Islander. There’s nothing typical about us. There is no reason to judge someone on where they came from because we have every right to do it back.