Photos and interviews by Muneeza Iqbal
Since the publication of this article Congressman Anthony Weiner has announced his resignation.
Getting people in Soho to share their views on Anthony Weiner and “Weinergate” last week wasn’t as easy as one might expect.
Asked to comment on Washington’s latest salacious scandal, bench- and stoop-sitters responded with snorts, chuckles and eye rolls. Women tended to look fairly disgusted and were generally more reluctant to talk about the congressmember’s tawdry tweeting, while men, on the whole, were amused.
This being New York, though, it didn’t take long to find people willing to weigh in.
Doshann Lee (student, Bronx)
“He was wrong and he should have just told the truth, ‘I did it!’ and that’s it. Why did he have to hide it from the wife and the country? Now it’s just a big scandal and people want him to step down. And he should.”
Matt Hoy (sales, Lower East Side)
“I think he exposed himself in a wrong way, and as long as it doesn’t distract too much from his job, he probably shouldn’t be booted away from it. I don’t think he will quit unless public opinion and pressure force him to. I think his aspirations are keeping him around and he’ll probably stick around the job. No one’s perfect — he just got caught!”
Stephen Vargas (construction worker, Long Island)
“Weiner? Whiner? You know what? Boys will be boys. You can’t do that these days because everything is recorded. You got to be more discreet, especially when you’re in the limelight like that. A guy like me can get away with it because who am I? I’m nobody! I’m not sure if he should resign. I mean, does it have to do with his job? Partly, yeah, because he had people coaching that one woman on what to say, using our tax money for that. Sure, that’s wrong. But his wife would be more P.O.’d than I am because it’s a more personal thing.”
M.L. Cinnel (teacher, Flushing)
“Like Spitzer, his problem and downfall was his hubris attitude and lifestyle. It’s total arrogance. More and more people will be exposed for what their sensual pleasures are. This really is just sensationalism, though. As long as his job is being done, I guess he doesn’t need to go.”
Charisse Wheby (researcher, Queens Village)
“As a politician you’re held to higher standards. I’m sure we have all done some goofy, silly things, but when you are in the public spotlight, you should be a little bit more meticulous about what you put in the social networking realm. He’s human, but honestly, even though I am politically involved, I really don’t give a rat’s behind. Like I said, we are all human and we all make mistakes. I think he should just pick himself up and move on. He probably will resign, but it’s debatable whether he should or not.”
