Many of you probably have seen Humans of New York stories on Facebook and Twitter. With millions of likes, shares, retweets and followers, HONY has reached many and shared a diverse amount of experiences from thousands of people just like you. Their six year success has created a beautiful compilation of daily lives from many and can truly put the reader in other people’s shoes. Here I’ve listed some main points of HONY and why you should set aside 76 hours to read every single story. The blurbs with matching pictures are truly amazing, a quick, easy read and creates compassion amongst the human race. Go read!
- New York is considered and ethNYcity. Queens is dubbed the most ethnically diverse county in the nation, and guess where that city is located. If you said New York, you won $1,000. Due to the diverse nature of New York, there is a greater awareness of differing cultures within an area, thus creating a bigger understanding for a large variety of people. More understanding creates more love in the world, less misconceptions, stereotypes and ostracizing cultures. Who knew learning creates a more peaceful and accepting planet. The more you know!
- Humans of New York has donated thousands of dollars! Not only are these stories genuine, clever and eye opening, but on top of all that, the creator Brandon Stanton donates to schools, individuals and programs that make society better! Who could resist the pure nature of this project?
- Economic status varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. New York’s population is roughly made up of 19.8 million people (yowza that’s almost 0.3% of the world’s population) and guess what, that mean socioeconomic diversity! Or in other words, a great mix of lover, middle and upper-class citizens. This gives readers a chance to hear stories from all walks of life and illuminating struggle and success. It helps people be more empathetic and understand not everyone’s the same and at the same time, maybe people aren’t so different from one another.
- Stories aren’t just from New York. This project has gotten so much hub that Humans of New York stories are international. From Iraq to Kenya to Ukraine, Stanton shares the stories of many. Readers can now be educated from people within their own country and others too creating a greater appreciation for all cultures, people and countries. Inmate, refugee and Syrian American stories are available too – how cool! The world is literally at your fingertips.
- This project addresses the young, old and everyone in between. Within entries from Humans of New York lay wisdom, youthful hearts and positivity from all ages. The stories with the best inspiration is the high maturity level from a 5-year-old and the youthfulness of a 90-year-old. These stories give readers insight and break ageist stereotypes that can occur in our society.
As anyone can see, HONY has made great strides in connecting nations, people and cultures with simple stories from the average person found on the street. Our world is amazing and it’s about time we become informed about the people that inhabit it. Grab your laptop, smart phone or tablet and get ready for exciting reads from people located around the world. You’ll soon be addicted, three days will pass and you won’t even be close to finishing or being able to close the website.
