Thank you for laying this out. Articles like his always make me queasy, in a way I can't put my finger on. But this nails on the head: they want you to think there's no other way.
I often wonder: does David Brooks get his marching orders from somewhere? Or did he rise to the top because he's uniquely good at sensing how the powerful feel & translating it into columns? These themes and ideas parroted around think tanks and columnists and Big Thinkers don't happen spontaneously. So how does it happen?
Thank you for laying this out. Articles like his always make me queasy, in a way I can't put my finger on. But this nails on the head: they want you to think there's no other way.
I often wonder: does David Brooks get his marching orders from somewhere? Or did he rise to the top because he's uniquely good at sensing how the powerful feel & translating it into columns? These themes and ideas parroted around think tanks and columnists and Big Thinkers don't happen spontaneously. So how does it happen?
There’s a pretty relentless feedback loop. You’re rewarded if you prop this stuff up. Plenty of opportunities in the media and political classes.
I completely agree about David Brooks. He has become a maddening waste of time.
So much creative energy! Yeah so much wasted thanks to all the problems in column A.
I have been questioning David Brooks for a long time and your article sums up his privilige and condescending hollow words.