David Brooks, elite pundit par excellence, has been giving a master lesson for years in how to talk about class without actually talking about class. But class is about material realities, not empty cultural signifiers like one’s TV habits or food preferences.
  • AbstractifyBot@beehaw.orgB
    2·
    1 year ago

    Yeah I don’t trust that site either; read this summary of the linked article

    Click to expand

    David Brooks tweeted about paying $78 for a meal at an airport, implying high inflation is hurting Americans. However, the actual cost was $17, revealing Brooks was being dishonest to appear more ordinary. The article critiques Brooks’ tendency to use superficial cultural references like food instead of material factors to discuss class. Brooks sees class as a product of culture rather than political economy. This allows him to blame the lower classes’ behavior for their circumstances.

    The piece argues Brooks and other elite pundits maintain a patronizing view of those below them, even as they claim to better understand non-coastal Americans in the aftermath of the 2016 election.

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