David Brooks - How the Bobos Broke America

[Tomconroy]

David Brooks has a long article up in this month's Atlantic. His thesis, as I understand it, is that our politics today is driven less by ideology than by a bitter resentment of the educated elites who have come to dominate culture and finance because of their ability to take tests as teenagers.
His proposed solution to the problem might just be Joe Biden, the first non Ivy League President since Reagan.
It's an interesting read and you should be able to access it if you haven't read the Atlantic recently. It's what all the Bobos will be talking about.



https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/09/blame-the-bobos-creative-class/619492/

[Coventina]

1. I can't stand that self-hating, sniveling Reagan fanboi.

[stillcool]

2. mirrors are everywhere

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. This dude just makes shit up.

Reminds me of this old classic takedown:

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2004/04/01/david-brooks-booboos-in-paradise/

[vanlassie]

4. Really, no offense, but David Brooks is a horse's ass.

[misanthrope]

7. For those of us living in the reddest parts of America

Brooks is a welcome diversion from the type of conservative that has overtaken the Republican Party. Live in Alabama for a few months, where Brooks is considered a "Republican in Name Only" and downright liberal by some, and you'll begin to see his sanity in comparison.

[CTyankee]

18. Brooks always seems to be apologetic for his previous life as an "explainer" for Republicans...

I read somewhere that he had one of those enlightening "moments" in his life as a Republican explainer and found "religion." But for him it was less dramatic because his Jewish background was playing in and he decided to re-think his rightward drift. Yep. Trump happened. Brooks "found" himself once again. It's a nice story and I think it probably is true-ish. But there was an untidy divorce involved. I'll bet that threw cold water on him. Wife divorced him and he's remarried. Don't know any more details but I'll just bet there's more...

[-misanthroptimist]

5. Republicans and the media broke America

End of story.

[Tomconroy]

6. I hope someone reads the article.

I occasionally venture over to the swamp of Patriots.win. It's not about issues. It's all about resentment over there.

[Igel]

8. Interesting complement to the

"elite overproduction" idea circulating in some quarters to account for protests and some Millennial angst.

[brooklynite]

9. There have always been educated elites...

...maybe the difference is that, until the 50s and 60s, voters didn't see them being elitist.

[Tomconroy]

12. Brooks' theory was that the old WASP elites

(who often were rich because their ancestors got here first and
Bought up all of the land) had more of a sense of obligation than their educational elite successors. I don't know if that is true. But being a baby boomer myself, individual freedom and self indulgence seem to be highly valued.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. .

[JHB]

13. I suspect the highly-paid columnist misses the mammoth in the room...

...the nonstop encouragement of such bitter resentment by every level of conservative media.

Every
Single
One
24
7

[Tomconroy]

14. They certainly do that and the roots of the resentment

Go back a long way. But Trump was really able to personify the resentment. I remember Chris Matthews saying something back in 2016 to the effect that his appeal was to everyone who wanted to give the middle finger to the elites. And over time that appeal continued to grow.

[BlueNProud]

15. The Republican Party broke America and Brooks helped them.

F that guy.

[tinrobot]

16. Creative, educated, liberals broke America? Perhaps some things needed breaking.

n/t

[Tomconroy]

17. I think his idea is that the Bobos were content

To sell out the working class, encourage monopolistic corporations that bust unions all the while enriching themselves at others expense

[hatrack]

19. So, trying to drive readers who missed it to your shitty Bobos book?

I lasted about 30 pages, and his insufferable "wit" was puke-inducing.

The distance between his actual "cleverness" and what he thinks it is can be measured in light years.

[Johonny]

20. How people like David Brooks broke America

he was certainly on the bandwagon of mount Bullshit hyperbole against Clinton and Obama. Now suddenly he forgets who he was/is.

[betsuni]

21. I enjoyed "Bobos in Paradise," but this article is weird, doesn't make any sense.

Oh, David. Maybe it's one of those things where you make sure you're wrong so that you'll get a lot of attention because everyone rushes to correct you. A long time ago he said the best way to get attention is to be a little wrong when you write an article. Completely wrong or completely right, people will read but not comment or talk about it.

[Tomconroy]

22. What is it Rodney Dangerfield used to say:

Rough crowd tonight. Rough crowd.

[Bucky]

23. I've always been impressed by David Brooks's ability...

to deftly waver between the blindingly obvious and the stunningly wrong. Shouldn't a man who's made a career of regurgitating conventional wisdom at least be able to occasionally hit the target?

[Tomconroy]

24. I think he might have this time.

Democrats need to establish programs that benefit the working class. Obamacare did a bit, but if you missed out on the subsidies, the costs for healthcare were quite high. We need to think about child care, increasing social security, in home care for the elderly and way higher taxes on the wealthy. No more alienating the working class. Oh, and please, be tough on crime.

[betsuni]

25. But why does anyone think Democrats don't try to establish programs that benefit the

working class? The ACA passed the House with a public option, that and other great ideas were taken out because Democrats had exactly 60 votes in the Senate for four months and ten days and more conservative members wouldn't vote for it. Then of course, Republicans took over the House for the next six years. Now they're 50-50 in the Senate. How are Democrats supposed to pass things without large majorities?

It's a myth that Democrats are elites who don't care about the working/middle classes because they're all corrupt.