Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Big Chief Lives-In-Bubble
David Brooks is always frustrating. He's an astute observer of political trends, and his diagnoses of Repooflican party failures are spot on. Yet while he can see how brand-R fails to speak to the white working class, his blind assumptions show that he hasn't been anywhere near actual working class people in many decades.
Example 1:
"A quick question: What is the starting taxi fare in your city? If you are like most upper-middle-class people, you don’t know. If you are like many struggling people, you do know."
Nope. Struggling people can't afford taxis. In many smaller cities there's no taxi service at all, and in bigger cities taxis are mainly patronized by older middle and upper-class folks who can't drive but can't bear to ride mass transit.
Example 2: "The world economy is a complex, unknowable organism. Most of us try to diversify our investments and balance risk and security to protect against the unexpected."
Well, if by "us" you mean Americans, this is ridiculous. Most of us are in debt with no investments at all, and those who have a small nest-egg (like me!) don't feel the need to "balance risk and security". I don't gamble in any sort of casino, whether Indian, Italian or Jewish. Only the very rich can afford to risk significant sums for greater returns. ¶ 7:19 AM
Example 1:
"A quick question: What is the starting taxi fare in your city? If you are like most upper-middle-class people, you don’t know. If you are like many struggling people, you do know."
Nope. Struggling people can't afford taxis. In many smaller cities there's no taxi service at all, and in bigger cities taxis are mainly patronized by older middle and upper-class folks who can't drive but can't bear to ride mass transit.
Example 2: "The world economy is a complex, unknowable organism. Most of us try to diversify our investments and balance risk and security to protect against the unexpected."
Well, if by "us" you mean Americans, this is ridiculous. Most of us are in debt with no investments at all, and those who have a small nest-egg (like me!) don't feel the need to "balance risk and security". I don't gamble in any sort of casino, whether Indian, Italian or Jewish. Only the very rich can afford to risk significant sums for greater returns. ¶ 7:19 AM
