For this blog post I decided to read an OpEd on the same topic as my argumentative essay. Im writing on gentrification in New York City however, I wanted to read about gentrification in other cities. I found the “How Hipsters Ruined Paris” by Thomas Chatterton Williams, an author who has written other pieces on social issues for many  newspapers.

“How Hipsters Ruined Paris” talks about how what was once known as: la Nouvelle-Athènes” is drastically changing. its originality has been striped away and becoming more like New York City by replacing dry cleaners and pharmacies that have defined the neighborhood for decades with organic food places and “upscale cocktail bars’. Williams argues that the gentrification occurring, is eliminating the originality of what the place once was and that its feeding into the “basic” social media culture where things are supposed to look aesthetic. Williams argues in the 9th paragraph, The logical extension is to “curate” our urban spaces like style blogs or Pinterest boards”. Williams also argues that the environment that gentrification creates is not  always good it could be appealing, provocative and even repulsive (Williams).

To introduce his argument, Williams first begins to use emotional appeals though his use of word choice to describe how Paris once was,It was the Paris of Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Gustave Moreau and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.” The author paints lovely picture and then in few words he pints grey clouds to tell the reader as soon as they begin reading why gentrification is problem. To validate his argument the author uses an appeal to authority in the 6th paragraph. the author includes a personal story to further expand his argument When my wife and I first moved here in 2011, I wasn’t sure what to make of living in the middle of a functioning red-light district.” The author includes the story to confirm to the reader the he knows what he. s talking abut because he has lived through it.