How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from West Side Story.
Quote #7
JETS: Yeah, but these PRs are different. They multiply. They keep comin'. Like cockroaches. Close the windows. Shut the doors. They're eatin' our food. They're breathin' all the air. The end to free enterprise...
Isn't this a familiar argument? We hear it all the time, every time someone's struggling and tries to blame it on immigrants or on a different race. They'll overrun us. They'll take all our stuff. It doesn't work that way, but it's an easy way to get people riled up.
Quote #8
BERNARDO: Who jumped me the first day I moved here?
ACTION: Who asked you to move here?
If you listen to the nightly news, you'll hear this kind of talk a lot. Maybe this is why West Side Story gets produced year after year after year.
Quote #9
BERNARDO: Come on, you yellow-bellied Polack.
The word "Polack" is a slur against people of Polish descent. We're pretty sure Bernardo didn't start the slurring, but he knows it will get a rise out of Tony. That may be the most awful weapon these characters use against each other. Like all types of racism, Bernardo learns it from others (the Jets) who hate as well.