I'm perpetually amazed at what people can be condescending about.
It's interesting that this idea seems to be somewhat pervasive though. The north shore / North Sydney for example is often seen as pompous and never wanting to 'head across the bridge' to attend events etc. Again with the same separation that you need to be on trains/tunnels/bridges to cross the harbour.
Same in many places. "South of the river" in Londen, "Noord" in Amsterdam.
Maybe B&T was an insult 30 years ago but since some of the most trendy neighborhoods in NYC today are in Brooklyn....yeah not so much.
Really? I lived close by and never got a B&T vibe from Union Square.