Correction: May 5, 2015
An earlier version of this column misspelled the given name of a French philosopher. He was Jean-Paul Sartre, not John-Paul.
An even earlier version misspelled it as Ringo.
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 19:55 (nine years ago) link
I think he was actually referring to Pope John-Paul Sartre. A gray-haired sage of the middle ages.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 19:58 (nine years ago) link
http://images.politico.com/global/news/110705_brooks_bloggers_nbc_328.jpg
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 May 2015 19:59 (nine years ago) link
Being Nothingness
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 20:07 (nine years ago) link
As I travel on a book tour, I find there is an amazing hunger to shift the conversation.
lol
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:00 (nine years ago) link
"can we talk about something else besides your stupid book plz"
oh shit more conversation
i heard Brooks being interviewed for 15 mins on WNYC last week before realizing it wasn't James Woods on downers.
― the increasing costive borborygmi (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:06 (nine years ago) link
Brooks and Woods comparison making my day
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:16 (nine years ago) link
the voices are closer than you might think!
― the increasing costive borborygmi (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:17 (nine years ago) link
My disdain for Woods is earned since I usually made it halfway through a New Yorker article and then went uh, who is this jerk again? Oh, him.
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:24 (nine years ago) link
James Woods, the David Brooks of literary criticism. Book him, Dan-O.
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:34 (nine years ago) link
he means James Woods the actor, not James Wood the critic.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:38 (nine years ago) link
Ah hell. I was thinking "authorial" voice. Not unreasonably.
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:45 (nine years ago) link
Except of course that there is no James Woods the critic. I see that now.
A joke about stopping by Wood on a snowy evening takes on a totally different meaning, doesn't it?
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:48 (nine years ago) link
I don't care much for his recs these days but James Wood was often a great critic although he looks like I imagine a New Yorker critic looks.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 May 2015 21:50 (nine years ago) link
I've heard that & figure there must be some reason for his reputation. As I hadn't paid attention, I can only go by what I've read in the New Yorker for the last ten years or so. It's sanctimony, it's unimaginative. He takes up the most boring issues one could have with books.
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 5 May 2015 22:02 (nine years ago) link
If you have answers to these questions, go the website for my book, “The Road to Character,” click on First Steps and send in your response.
David Brooks, click-baiter.
I vaguely remember The Road to Character.
http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo/2014/11/10/16305462-standard.jpg
(l-r: gray-haired sages)
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 6 May 2015 03:46 (nine years ago) link
Also I just noticed he was so excited about linking to his website that he left out a preposition. We really are without moral authorities these days, aren't we?
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 6 May 2015 03:49 (nine years ago) link
i believe the oldest sage in that photo is the only one not wearing a very obvious rug.
― the increasing costive borborygmi (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 6 May 2015 03:50 (nine years ago) link
http://the-toast.net/2015/05/05/david-brooks-writes-a-sestina-about-poverty/
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 6 May 2015 15:44 (nine years ago) link
Krugman wrote a nice response
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/04/opinion/paul-krugman-race-class-and-neglect.html?_r=0
― Doktor Van Peebles (kingfish), Wednesday, 6 May 2015 20:56 (nine years ago) link
Every time you’re tempted to say that America is moving forward on race — that prejudice is no longer as important as it used to be — along comes an atrocity to puncture your complacency.
was surprised this turned out to not be a reference to Brooks' column tbh
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 6 May 2015 21:04 (nine years ago) link
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 6 May 2015 21:07 (nine years ago) link
is there a thread for discussing how bad kristof is?
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Thursday, 7 May 2015 15:16 (nine years ago) link
who's kristof
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 7 May 2015 15:24 (nine years ago) link
If so it needs some of this
https://sensemadehere.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/nick-kristof-is-not-smarter-than-an-8th-grader/
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 7 May 2015 15:25 (nine years ago) link
yes came here to post that
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Thursday, 7 May 2015 15:28 (nine years ago) link
he's either a liar or very very stupid
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Thursday, 7 May 2015 15:29 (nine years ago) link
in which albert burnenko proposes that brooks sent his exwife a dick pic and is swimming in existential despair http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/i-dont-think-david-brooks-is-okay-you-guys-1702674607/+AlbertBurneko
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 7 May 2015 20:27 (nine years ago) link
ok irl at this
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--na-ypttb--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1242070180469282708.jpg
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 7 May 2015 20:31 (nine years ago) link
good overview
― lag∞n, Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:18 (nine years ago) link
that krugman column linked above has its heart in the right place, but sentences like these make me cringe more than a little:
Take, for example, issues of health and mortality. Many people have pointed out that there are a number of black neighborhoods in Baltimore where life expectancy compares unfavorably with impoverished Third World nations. But what’s really striking on a national basis is the way class disparities in death rates have been soaring even among whites.
it's the phrase But what’s really striking that rankles. as if it's a competition between class and race! "yeah, i know racial disparities are profound, but what's really striking..."
― he quipped with heat (amateurist), Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:28 (nine years ago) link
also:
It has been disheartening to see some commentators still writing as if poverty were simply a matter of values, as if the poor just mysteriously make bad choices and all would be well if they adopted middle-class values. Maybe, just maybe, that was a sustainable argument four decades ago,
no, that was never a "sustainable" argument in re. structural poverty.
i mean krugman wants to make this all about the recent increase in inequality and all that portends, but in doing so he kind of hand-waves away some stuff that he really shouldn't be...
― he quipped with heat (amateurist), Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:30 (nine years ago) link
no, that was never a "sustainable" argument in re. structural poverty
yeah this bothered me too when I read it. as if there were not huge structural reasons for poverty 4 decades ago - "previous generations of poors were just bad decision makers" is not a historically valid argument imo.
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:32 (nine years ago) link
Krugman doesn't write felicitous prose. He concedes that his wife severely edits him.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:32 (nine years ago) link
Fortunately to Brooks every generation of poors made bad decisions
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:33 (nine years ago) link
at least previous generations of poors had elder sages to let them know what bad decisions they were making
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:38 (nine years ago) link
undeserving poors will always be with us
― irl sweatpants (Hunt3r), Thursday, 7 May 2015 21:53 (nine years ago) link
It IS a competition between - not class and race - but class and identity politics - in the competition for redress. Lobbing little victories toward the aims of identity politics is easy. Fixing class inequality is hard and is unlikely to make the Wall Street money masters happy.
Racial inequality only exacerbated by class inequality, obviously.
― Vic Perry, Thursday, 7 May 2015 23:10 (nine years ago) link
FP
― deej loaf (D-40), Friday, 8 May 2015 00:26 (nine years ago) link
flag this, pal
― Vic Perry, Friday, 8 May 2015 02:38 (nine years ago) link
discussions are made so much more interesting with amateur football refs running around throwing hankies at minor dissents
― Vic Perry, Friday, 8 May 2015 02:43 (nine years ago) link
well there's a whole much more interesting discussion happening on the 'privilege as a meme' thread about this subject
but here's a preview: you're wrong
― deej loaf (D-40), Friday, 8 May 2015 04:27 (nine years ago) link
Oh there's always action on the racism, sexism, privilege threads. But look at how quiet the class-related threads are.
― Vic Perry, Friday, 8 May 2015 13:35 (nine years ago) link
Do you actually disagree that racial inequality is exacerbated by class inequality? What exactly is so threatening about this notion?
Can people have more than one political identity at a time?
Because a rise in good ol' cross-the-boundaries class consciousness would be kind of helpful right now --- I believe I heard West and Smiley talking about economic commonalities and shared conditions, for example. It's certainly what I'm talking about.
And it puts the current "left" to sleep.
― Vic Perry, Friday, 8 May 2015 13:43 (nine years ago) link
It does not seem like that is what you were saying. You seemed to be dismissing concerns about racial inequality. Bad cops are not quizzing African-Americans about their class status
― curmudgeon, Friday, 8 May 2015 14:39 (nine years ago) link
It IS a competition between - not class and race - but class and identity politics - in the competition for redress.
― Vic Perry, Thursday, May 7, 2015 7:10 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― demonic mnevice (Jon Lewis), Friday, 8 May 2015 14:40 (nine years ago) link
this is a thread for making fun of david brooks btw, he wrote a love letter to the ruling class today http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/08/opinion/mothers-and-presidents.html
― lag∞n, Friday, 8 May 2015 14:41 (nine years ago) link
eye have already been rolled at Jacobin class articles on the privilege thread so VP's views are clearly in need of flagging
― Is It Any Wonder I'm Not the (President Keyes), Friday, 8 May 2015 14:44 (nine years ago) link
happy Mother's Day!
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 8 May 2015 14:46 (nine years ago) link