David Brooks' column tomorrow
"The Heyday of Snobbery" is one of the funniest things I've recently read. He begins off with his earnest concern about how we have entered "the era of mass condescension" with
American Idol, The Daily Show and
Borat "we enter a time when we can gather in large groups and look down at our mental, social and spiritual inferiors."
Brooks then shows the difficulty of irony in the current age. Voicing his concern with entertainment that puts people down, he pens "when you are telling socially insecure audiences they are superior to their fellow citizens there is no need to be subtle."
So, the people that go to see Borat are "socially insecure," but it would be wrong to look down on people in entertainment.
He also noted: "Young people haven't accomplished much yet so they can only elevate themselves by endlessly celebrating their own superior sensibilities."
Perhaps as a somewhat young person who hasn't accomplished much, I missed the joke. However, I fail to see how pointing out that "Popular culture has traveled from "The Grapes of Wrath" to Borat the magnificent" is much of an example to set if you are truly concerned about a culture based on looking down on other people, what better way to express the concern than by pointing out their inferiority?
The thing is, it is so obviously hypocritical it is truly funny! How can anyone be this smug and self-satisfied that they wouldn't have any internal critic questioning whether it is really a good idea to put down the audiences of people that enjoy put-down humor?