insanity

...is that New Yorkers are within a unique social group wherein the five moral "primary colors" as suggested by Steven Pinker in his recent NY Times piece The Moral Instinct—harm, fairness, community (or group loyalty), authority and purity—are present in a bizarre configuration unknown by other cultural groups in this country, and perhaps the entire world.

Furthermore, I believe that we have a readily accessible dataset that will make analysis and verification of this thesis trival. I offer for your examination selections from Overheard in New York:

Putting Me in the Lead for Valedictorian. Booyah!

Nerdy white boy whose homework just blew away in the wind: Dang!

Ghetto girl: Looks like you ain't doin' yo' math homework tonight, nigga!

--7 train

and

I Heart New York (A Short Story)

Wheelbette (editorial: that is, a "bimbette" in a wheelchair): Excuse me, sir -- do you have the time?

Guy: Shut up.

--26th & 6th

and

Actually, in Trenton, You Do

Tourist: Is this the 1:13 to Trenton?

Suit: No.

Tourist: Oh, well, where is that?

Suit: Are you just, like, picking track numbers and hoping for the best? Go read the screen, you dumbass.

Tourist: You don't have to be rude.

Suit: You don't have to be stupid.

--NJ Transit

and I'm sure there are more.

You decide. That is, assuming you can figure out what I'm talking about. Go read the article, you dumbass.