Andrew Yang ridiculed after saying Times Square was his favorite subway stop
Mayoral candidate mocked for favourite station and his wife spoke out against ‘racist’ cartoon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Andrew Yang, who is running to secure the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, has faced mockery over his favourite subway station.
During an appearance on Showtime’s Ziwe, he answered host Ziwe Fumudoh’s question of his favourite station with none other than Times Square.
When defending his choice, he said, “It’s big, it’s cavernous, there are entertainers there. Sure, what’s not to like?”
Yang lives in nearby Hell’s Kitchen, which was explored in a profile by the New York Times.
His answer sparked a lot of questions on Twitter by people aghast with his choice. Some made jokes about Olive Garden and others highlighted the similarities to The Office’s Michael Scott during his trips to the city.
He was also ridiculed online for saying that Encore was his favourite Jay-Z song, a collaboration he did with rock band Linkin Park.
However, a cartoon depicting Mr Yang as a tourist in the New York Daily News was labelled “racist” by Mr Yang’s wife Evelyn. Mr Yang has lived in the city for 25 years.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in hate crimes against people of Asian heritage across the world, according to reporting by Human Rights Watch. Former president Donald Trump exacerbated these tensions by using racist terms like “Wuhan Flu” and “the Chinese virus” to describe Covid-19. One of the most deadly attacks was a mass shooting in Atlanta – six of the eight killed were women of Asian background.
Mr Yang unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential election. However, according to a New York Daily News report, he is the most likely to win the mayoral nomination thanks to his high name recognition. In Democratic-heavy New York City, the winner of the mayoral primary is almost certain to become the city’s next leader.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments