Viva monoculture! How the Knicks brought an unexpected second victory to NYC

The Knicks proved that monoculture isn’t a dirty word.For the first time in their lives, New York City’s Gen Z population experienced a truly unifying common cultural experience over the course of the team’s playoff and championship runs, flooding the streets of the five boroughs in celebration of each win — but especially the final one.It was a milestone for a generation of digital native.A moment of cultural unity shared in the flesh.

People pocketed their phones and came out in droves to rejoice with neighbors.Political and ideological differences didn’t matter.Scenes from Saturday’s stunning spontaneity were a thing to behold. Outdoor watch parties were held across the city, from major parks to bars and restaurants where people watched TV through the windows.

During the playoffs, a pizzeria in Carroll Gardens drew crowds by broadcasting the game on a TV set up in the back of a Jeep on Smith Street.On Saturday night, a West Village resident with a projector and a blank wall across 10th street attracted a crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see Saturday, all to watch the nail-biting game together. “It was just a boy with a projector and a dream to unite New Yorkers,” one attendee noted on social media.After the historic win, crowds dripping in Knicks orange-and-blue filled blocks with cheer as they sang along to Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.” Subway cars and buses were taken over by self-appointed DJs as groups of strangers embraced one another and sang together.People filled their fire escapes to get in on the action.And while phones didn’t completely disappear, they were used to document history rather than for mindless scrolling, as everyone shared blissful videos from block parties.“Full body chills.

New York is a movie right now,” one young woman wrote on TikTok.“This feels like world peace,” another said.It was a collective experience where twentysomethings who probably have never introduced the...