Your title could have been “What is it with David Brooks?” and it would still have been accurate. He had another WTF column a few weeks ago about “what if we’re the bad guys here” which was also unmoored from actual reality and he was deservedly roasted for it. I have so much legitimately solid reading I can do that I am comfortable skipping Brooks.
You're very kind to posit that he's just joking somehow while he makes up fictions of the kind that also feature fairly prominently in GOP propaganda as a whole.
I don’t have a strong prior opinion on David Brooks, but I think the story about his high school graduate friend and the Italian sandwich shop reflects very badly on him as a human being. Taken at face value, the story is extremely classist humblebragging, and his “friend” is probably mortified by that description. But I also think the story is at least 50% lies.
"Brooks' descriptions of the menus of Franklin County had no relationship to material reality": In other words, he's a liar. But then, what do you expect? He is, after all, an advocate of policies whose effects, in material reality, are generally horrific. As Alex Pareene remarked, "When you want a truly vile opinion dressed up to sound innocuous, Brooks is your guy."* A joker he may be, but funny he really isn't.
Back when I used to read The New York Times, I would rage to my longsuffering wife that Brooks was a “professional liar,” a writer whose genius was to gerrymander any issue to make politically convenient lies look like universal truths. His restaurant shenanigans sound like the garnish to his usual menu.
Brooks gets rightly compared to Friedman because both traffic in simple cartoon conceits (are you an Applebees voter or a Pret a Manger voter, a Mac country or a PC country) that feel truthy, and also bite-size and reusable, to a certain kind of self-flattering stupid person who is likely to subscribe to the NYT. What is actually notable, though, is that they established this racket before the internet was the main vector for media, media clout, and media bux. Now, we might expect even dumber "bits" to catch on, and maybe they are. Or maybe not? There are Qanon fever dreams and k-hive delusions but those don't feel the same.
Are you sure he removed the spring greens mix? When I saw this I assumed it was just served “diner style” with all the fixin’s on the side.
Your title could have been “What is it with David Brooks?” and it would still have been accurate. He had another WTF column a few weeks ago about “what if we’re the bad guys here” which was also unmoored from actual reality and he was deservedly roasted for it. I have so much legitimately solid reading I can do that I am comfortable skipping Brooks.
Predictably, he blurbed this landmark book in the genre: https://www.simonandschuster.biz/books/Applebees-America/Ron-Fournier/9780743293747
You're very kind to posit that he's just joking somehow while he makes up fictions of the kind that also feature fairly prominently in GOP propaganda as a whole.
I don’t have a strong prior opinion on David Brooks, but I think the story about his high school graduate friend and the Italian sandwich shop reflects very badly on him as a human being. Taken at face value, the story is extremely classist humblebragging, and his “friend” is probably mortified by that description. But I also think the story is at least 50% lies.
looks like a double whiskey to me.
can't wait for the Brooks/Friedman collab: "The World Is Flat, much like this plate at the Applebee's Salad Bar"
"Brooks' descriptions of the menus of Franklin County had no relationship to material reality": In other words, he's a liar. But then, what do you expect? He is, after all, an advocate of policies whose effects, in material reality, are generally horrific. As Alex Pareene remarked, "When you want a truly vile opinion dressed up to sound innocuous, Brooks is your guy."* A joker he may be, but funny he really isn't.
*https://www.salon.com/control/2011/12/15/12_david_brooks/
Back when I used to read The New York Times, I would rage to my longsuffering wife that Brooks was a “professional liar,” a writer whose genius was to gerrymander any issue to make politically convenient lies look like universal truths. His restaurant shenanigans sound like the garnish to his usual menu.
i read "bonobos in paradise" and it made some good points, but he could've stopped there
Brooks gets rightly compared to Friedman because both traffic in simple cartoon conceits (are you an Applebees voter or a Pret a Manger voter, a Mac country or a PC country) that feel truthy, and also bite-size and reusable, to a certain kind of self-flattering stupid person who is likely to subscribe to the NYT. What is actually notable, though, is that they established this racket before the internet was the main vector for media, media clout, and media bux. Now, we might expect even dumber "bits" to catch on, and maybe they are. Or maybe not? There are Qanon fever dreams and k-hive delusions but those don't feel the same.
Jesus that flyover man tirade was just embarrassing
Presuming that Bobo must be doing a bit is giving him too much credit I think.
Great read but damn I hate this guy now