New York History question - surrounding 9/11?

Asked by mowens (8403

) August 31st, 2013

So I was watching the first season of the Sopranos, which aired in 1999. There is a scene where Tony’s mother was talking about New York, and how she hated the city. Here is the exact excerpt from the script:

Mom- I don’t like the people here.
Tony – You don’t know the people here.
Mom – And that city.
Grown men soiling themselves.
Tony – It’s not like that anymore, ma.
Mom – That giuliani.
Tony – Maybe we should just stick to the field trip.
Mom – Mothers throwin’ their babies out of skyscraper windows.
Tony – You’re always with the babies out the windows.

My question, and I don’t mean to be morbid… if this was 1999, that is before 9/11. What is she referring to?

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7 Answers

She’s referring to actual people throwing babies out of windows.

It happens.

A quick search showed this from this year.

fortunately, the baby in that story survived.

Seek (34805

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Not surprised the infant survived, they are bouncing babies after all.
Maybe it’s all made up, a tall storey if you like.

ucme (50047

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Haha. The baby was shielded by his mother’s body. Myth confirmed.

Seek (34805

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Relevant-ish

ucme (50047

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I don’t understand what chucking babies out the window has to do with 9/11 ?

Besides that, sometimes a mother is overwhelmed by having a baby and abandons it one way or another.
We see stories of babies found in dumpsters, babies by the side of the road, babies in baskets at peoples’ doorsteps (the archetypal orphan story). Where people live in tall buildings, letting the baby go while holding it out the window is an option she doesn’t have where people don’t live in tall buildings.

dabbler (18896

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