Thursday, February 24, 2011

Whoa Nellie!

Evidently, the editors at Esquire collectively got out of the wrong side of bed this morning. Check out this massive (and, I think, inappropriate) take-down of New York Timesman David Brooks for his column about the Wisconsin protests:
"Usually, unless you happen to be one of the fifty-odd people with whom David Brooks customarily eats dinner, throws back a few, or gobbles the free snacks in Jim Lehrer's green room, reading one of his columns from the position of a normal, everyday, wage-earning human being gives you the inescapable feeling of being a bug, looking, upwards and backwards through the magnifying glass, at a giant eyeball. No columnist is as obviously convinced that everybody on earth is a specimen in his jar. No columnist is as utterly contemptuous of his fellow Americans if they don't stay pinned right there on the card where they belong. His self-important is that of a two-bit grifter, looking to sponge the loose change somebody might have left as a tip at Applebee's."
A two-bit grifter? My goodness. What brought that on? Apparently, Esquire is mortified that America has - gasp! - elites. And worst, as they make clear in their editorial, the likes of Brooks have "ingrained in themselves the habits of oligarchy." They say that if you read the Brooks column about Wisconsin, then you, too, shall see The Unadorned Truth according to Esquire. Or something. The editors believe that even President Obama has bought into this, um, conspiracy (they call it a "phenomenon"). As a result, Obama may "go down in history as the wrong man at the wrong time." Jeebus.

You know, in Freudian psychoanalysis, there's a roughly applicable term for this mindset. It's called Penis Envy. Memo to Esquire: You guys really need to get a grip. The fate of nation doesn't hinge on David Brooks' words, no matter how much he pontificates. And try debating him on the merits next time. Only "girlie men" make personal attacks.

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