The Brooks Burger Riot
September 24, 2023 2:34 AM Subscribe
On September 20th New York Times pundit David Brooks posted a tweet where he stated the high cost of his meal demonstrated why people had a low opinion of the economy. Unfortunately for Brooks, response was quick and vicious as viewers pointed out that the food portion of the meal was only $18, and that the majority of his bill was in his drink, in a real world example of the "someone who is good at the economy please help me" meme.
Beyond being a humiliating experience for Brooks, with the restaurant involved using the controversy as advertising, it also had people bringing up that Brooks' lack of awareness of how much things cost was a continuing pattern of behavior for the pundit.
Beyond being a humiliating experience for Brooks, with the restaurant involved using the controversy as advertising, it also had people bringing up that Brooks' lack of awareness of how much things cost was a continuing pattern of behavior for the pundit.
My partner and I saw the screenshot of Brook’s complaint before the restaurant got involved so we just assumed he got a double of a really expensive top shelf whiskey and airport food is often shockingly expensive so we were like okay maybe it’s like $20 or $25 for the food and the rest is booze … or maybe even close to $30 for the food because sometimes there’s a resto in airports that’s extra pricy. But it’s hardly representative of restaurant prices generally because it’s an airport.
But then to find out the food was $18 and he just was drinking a LOT was for me a somewhat shameful moment of schadenfreude because we both kind of find Brooks deeply frustrating as a pundit or “public intellectual”. He has this whole book called The Road to Character about humility and living a moral life. And well I don’t know that ordering food and drink of that excess and then making it into a commentary about high cost of living when he could have had water and paid less than half (while still leaving a sizable tip!) shows much character.
posted by R343L at 2:58 AM on September 24, 2023 [34 favorites]
But then to find out the food was $18 and he just was drinking a LOT was for me a somewhat shameful moment of schadenfreude because we both kind of find Brooks deeply frustrating as a pundit or “public intellectual”. He has this whole book called The Road to Character about humility and living a moral life. And well I don’t know that ordering food and drink of that excess and then making it into a commentary about high cost of living when he could have had water and paid less than half (while still leaving a sizable tip!) shows much character.
posted by R343L at 2:58 AM on September 24, 2023 [34 favorites]
David Brooks has likely not the faintest idea of the quandary of "Can I afford to go out, at all? Or is it gonna be PBJ's for dinner?"
Who's David Brooks' fan base - and do I really want to know? No. Actually, as is so often the case with David Brooks, just ignore it and keep moving.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:04 AM on September 24, 2023 [16 favorites]
Who's David Brooks' fan base - and do I really want to know? No. Actually, as is so often the case with David Brooks, just ignore it and keep moving.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:04 AM on September 24, 2023 [16 favorites]
Americans are just jealous because the UK economy is in the shitter, the price of everything has been going up rapidly and it is the Government's fault. Plus their grasp of economics is so poor they think a change in inflation from 6.8 to 6.7% means prices are going down.
posted by biffa at 3:07 AM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by biffa at 3:07 AM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
From Bklyn: Brooks’ fanbase is I think a substantial number of center left and center right relatively comfortable Americans who imagine that if everyone just behaved better our social problems wouldn’t be so hard to solve and that we don’t need any adjustment in systems of power or allocation of resources. There’s a reason he’s in the New York Times roster. For better or worse, he influences narratives that “explain” how US society operates.
posted by R343L at 3:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [50 favorites]
posted by R343L at 3:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [50 favorites]
One of our problems is that a lot of these pundits are alcoholics who long ago drank themselves stupid, yet continue by virtue of incumbency to be platformed and presented and seen as serious people whose opinions should be heard. 3 glasses of scotch with his burger before getting on the airplane.
posted by interogative mood at 3:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [79 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 3:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [79 favorites]
I followed this story and found it funny that no one has mentioned that he posted what he did because he was drunk. I mean, that's a lot of whiskey. Later he was probably texting exes.
On preview, what interogative mood said.
posted by Toddles at 3:25 AM on September 24, 2023 [50 favorites]
On preview, what interogative mood said.
posted by Toddles at 3:25 AM on September 24, 2023 [50 favorites]
I see this as blindness to his own alcoholism. Spending that much on booze for one meal must be normal for him, so that's why he blames the total on the burger.
posted by cats are weird at 3:28 AM on September 24, 2023 [44 favorites]
posted by cats are weird at 3:28 AM on September 24, 2023 [44 favorites]
Even the British economy is suffering from opportunistic pricing by businesses, and not just the fallout from the terrible Liz Truss leadership a year ago - in the current pro-business economy of the west, there is no penalty for businesses charging over the odds.
posted by The River Ivel at 3:38 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by The River Ivel at 3:38 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm not American and am very hazy on drinks measures there, are we talking just three shots?
I'm not absolving him of complaining about a meal that was actually mostly liquid but it's a hell of a leap from three drinks to assigning alcoholism. Most people I know would be alcoholic on that definition.
Or assigning drunkeness for that matter.
posted by deadwax at 3:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [18 favorites]
I'm not absolving him of complaining about a meal that was actually mostly liquid but it's a hell of a leap from three drinks to assigning alcoholism. Most people I know would be alcoholic on that definition.
Or assigning drunkeness for that matter.
posted by deadwax at 3:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [18 favorites]
I was in JFK last week and knew I couldn’t justify the price of a meal while I waited the supposedly prudent 3 hours (approx 7-10pm). Instead I bought a Snickers bar from a Hudson news or whatever they’re called. $5.28. For a candy bar. (Tbh I should probably have looked for pasta or a salad or something).
If I still drank I’m sure it would have been even more!
posted by aesop at 4:22 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
If I still drank I’m sure it would have been even more!
posted by aesop at 4:22 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
One interesting wrinkle, for me, is that this was Newark Airport specifically.
About a decade ago, when I was using Newark Airport somewhat regularly, I remember seeing a pledge posted on the wall stating that prices for food sold in the airport would be comparable to prices for similar food sold at restaurants in neighboring cities outside the airport. I think that pledge disappeared sometime in the last 3-5 years, because I seem to recall that the last time I flew through Newark I no longer saw it posted.
posted by brainwane at 4:48 AM on September 24, 2023 [11 favorites]
About a decade ago, when I was using Newark Airport somewhat regularly, I remember seeing a pledge posted on the wall stating that prices for food sold in the airport would be comparable to prices for similar food sold at restaurants in neighboring cities outside the airport. I think that pledge disappeared sometime in the last 3-5 years, because I seem to recall that the last time I flew through Newark I no longer saw it posted.
posted by brainwane at 4:48 AM on September 24, 2023 [11 favorites]
Honestly, if you eat out at fancy-ish places that serve burgers and spirits, you should expect each drink to be about the cost of your sandwich. $20 burger + 2 drinks = $60. This is not a new development. David Brooks can’t not know this, it was true under Bush, Obama, and Trump, too. The only difference is that, in an airport, you are paying “fancy” prices for usually non-fancy food.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:52 AM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:52 AM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
There are many parts of this story that are frustrating, but one of the big ones for me is that PBS Newshour (!) invited David Brooks to talk about this tweet (!) on air.
On the one hand, he called himself a 'journalist,' which feels like a stretch for someone with the same job as Dennis Prager and Dave Barry.
On the other, he said 'I should not have written that tweet. I probably should not write any tweets.'
posted by box at 5:03 AM on September 24, 2023 [34 favorites]
On the one hand, he called himself a 'journalist,' which feels like a stretch for someone with the same job as Dennis Prager and Dave Barry.
On the other, he said 'I should not have written that tweet. I probably should not write any tweets.'
posted by box at 5:03 AM on September 24, 2023 [34 favorites]
David Brooks' schtick is to take something small (a random anecdote, a new social science result) and use it to tell Big Things About America. This seems deeply thoughtful to well-educated, reasonably well-off folks who aren't necessarily deeply sophisticated (ie, New York Times readers). Never mind whether they're actually accurate or not.
posted by Galvanic at 5:04 AM on September 24, 2023 [39 favorites]
posted by Galvanic at 5:04 AM on September 24, 2023 [39 favorites]
Mr. Morality also hilariously tried to obscure the problem with his tweet - i.e., that he was drunk and lied about the cost of his meal - in his recent PBS appearance (segment at 8:25). His spin is that the issue at hand, you see, is that he seemed oblivious to the fact that his position as "an upper middle class journalist" was different than that of an ordinary family.
Uh, no. The problem with that tweet is that you lied through your teeth about the cost of your meal. The smarm in that clip is so slimy.
posted by mediareport at 5:10 AM on September 24, 2023 [23 favorites]
Uh, no. The problem with that tweet is that you lied through your teeth about the cost of your meal. The smarm in that clip is so slimy.
posted by mediareport at 5:10 AM on September 24, 2023 [23 favorites]
As usual, Defector ran a great article on the whole thing, situating Brooks and the NYT very much in their self-selected place in the discourse:
Wow, You Can’t Even Pound A Quart Of Whiskey At The Airport For Less Than $60 Anymore
"Sometimes I forget that David Brooks exists. There is a form of irrelevance available only to a certain caste of sinecured New York Times opinion writers, those whose express job is reassuring aging moneyed whites that they're right to distrust and be disgusted by every person or movement or sensibility that reached their attention any later than their own first gray hair."
Obligatory suggestion that it's well worth considering paying for a subscription if you can afford it
posted by onebuttonmonkey at 5:10 AM on September 24, 2023 [76 favorites]
Wow, You Can’t Even Pound A Quart Of Whiskey At The Airport For Less Than $60 Anymore
"Sometimes I forget that David Brooks exists. There is a form of irrelevance available only to a certain caste of sinecured New York Times opinion writers, those whose express job is reassuring aging moneyed whites that they're right to distrust and be disgusted by every person or movement or sensibility that reached their attention any later than their own first gray hair."
Obligatory suggestion that it's well worth considering paying for a subscription if you can afford it
posted by onebuttonmonkey at 5:10 AM on September 24, 2023 [76 favorites]
I parsed this whole stink as him tweeting in a knowing, tongue-in-cheek way (or else why include a picture of the scotch?) and being taken for sincerity, but it’s the then having to deadpan apologise for it that far more humiliating
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:14 AM on September 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:14 AM on September 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
He was drunk, Fiasco da Gama. On at least 2 double whiskeys in rapid succession, apparently.
Also, it's not clear from the links above, but 1911 Smokehouse BBQ is a small family-run Black-owned business that's managed to thrive and grow in Trenton during very difficult times.
David Brooks was surely made aware of that sometime last week.
posted by mediareport at 5:26 AM on September 24, 2023 [43 favorites]
Also, it's not clear from the links above, but 1911 Smokehouse BBQ is a small family-run Black-owned business that's managed to thrive and grow in Trenton during very difficult times.
David Brooks was surely made aware of that sometime last week.
posted by mediareport at 5:26 AM on September 24, 2023 [43 favorites]
Much respect for this post title.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [18 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [18 favorites]
I despise David Brooks with every fiber of my being, and hate to say it but I do think he was attempting to make some kind of lazy joke with that tweet. But he sucks so much, is such a humorless fuck, and has a history of lying specifically about food (or more specifically about food as proxy for class/economy/culture wars to make his dumb points) that there's no way this riff was ever going to land with anyone.
posted by windbox at 5:37 AM on September 24, 2023 [15 favorites]
posted by windbox at 5:37 AM on September 24, 2023 [15 favorites]
I despise David Brooks with every fiber of my being, and hate to say it but I do think he was attempting to make some kind of lazy joke with that tweet.
We’ve had social media for a long time now, and, if you haven’t learned from watching other people that “lazy joke on social media” means “being dragged around social media for a week or so,” you’ve been asleep. The man wants to be a Public Intellectual; he should at least read the rule book….
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:46 AM on September 24, 2023 [10 favorites]
We’ve had social media for a long time now, and, if you haven’t learned from watching other people that “lazy joke on social media” means “being dragged around social media for a week or so,” you’ve been asleep. The man wants to be a Public Intellectual; he should at least read the rule book….
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:46 AM on September 24, 2023 [10 favorites]
I don't think Brooks was attempting a joke at all.
posted by mediareport at 5:48 AM on September 24, 2023 [21 favorites]
posted by mediareport at 5:48 AM on September 24, 2023 [21 favorites]
Max Read also kind of hopes this is a joke.
posted by sagc at 5:49 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by sagc at 5:49 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm not absolving him of complaining about a meal that was actually mostly liquid but it's a hell of a leap from three drinks to assigning alcoholism. Most people I know would be alcoholic on that definition.
Alcoholism generally incorporates challenges to day to day living caused by alcohol use irregardless of actual consumption. Ill-advised tweets inadvertently about your alcohol use might count if it is part of a pattern.
posted by Mitheral at 5:51 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
Alcoholism generally incorporates challenges to day to day living caused by alcohol use irregardless of actual consumption. Ill-advised tweets inadvertently about your alcohol use might count if it is part of a pattern.
Wiki: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2005, defines "moderate use" as no more than two alcoholic beverages a day for men and no more than one alcoholic beverage a day for women. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as the amount of alcohol leading to a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08, which, for most adults, would be reached by consuming five drinks for men or four for women over a two-hour period. According to the NIAAA, men may be at risk for alcohol-related problems if their alcohol consumption exceeds 14 standard drinks per week or 4 drinks per day, and women may be at risk if they have more than 7 standard drinks per week or 3 drinks per day.Impossible to really judge from a single event; afterall Mr Brooks might have flight anxiety and only drinks before flying as a coping mechanism. But if he routinely has three drinks with one meal a day that could be a problem and if he's having three drinks with two meals or one meal and then a recreational endeavor everyday then he is in the alcoholic range by most guidelines.
posted by Mitheral at 5:51 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
> are we talking just three shots?
Internet sleuthing indicates that these were at least two doubles. So 4 "drinks". This is relevant because it exposes the bad-faith nature of the original tweet.
Doctors in the US recommend that men have fewer than 14 "drinks" in a week, where a drink is a shot of hard liquor, a glass of wine, or a beer. These are fuzzy terms, difficult to quantify, and I'd be the first to argue that US medical recommendations around alcohol are prudish. All that to say, though, four drinks at lunch is a lot of drinks.
I agree that it's unfair to diagnose someone as an alcoholic from a distance. I personally find airports to be very stressful and will often find an airport bar to relax. (oddly I find the actual flying to be peaceful). So I don't blame Brooks or anyone for having a couple to cope with stressful travel.
On preview: Hi Mitheral
posted by device55 at 5:58 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
Internet sleuthing indicates that these were at least two doubles. So 4 "drinks". This is relevant because it exposes the bad-faith nature of the original tweet.
Doctors in the US recommend that men have fewer than 14 "drinks" in a week, where a drink is a shot of hard liquor, a glass of wine, or a beer. These are fuzzy terms, difficult to quantify, and I'd be the first to argue that US medical recommendations around alcohol are prudish. All that to say, though, four drinks at lunch is a lot of drinks.
I agree that it's unfair to diagnose someone as an alcoholic from a distance. I personally find airports to be very stressful and will often find an airport bar to relax. (oddly I find the actual flying to be peaceful). So I don't blame Brooks or anyone for having a couple to cope with stressful travel.
On preview: Hi Mitheral
posted by device55 at 5:58 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
David Brooks walked by my seat on an Amtrak train between DC and New York once, as he went to the club car to get some drinks.
posted by procrastination at 6:02 AM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by procrastination at 6:02 AM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
I despise David Brooks with every fiber of my being, and hate to say it but I do think he was attempting to make some kind of lazy joke with that tweet. But he sucks so much, is such a humorless fuck, and has a history of lying specifically about food (or more specifically about food as proxy for class/economy/culture wars to make his dumb points) that there's no way this riff was ever going to land with anyone.
Sitcom idea: The Not-So-Odd Couple. Peter Principle and Mr. Poe, Attorney at Law, become roommates. Hilarity ensues!
posted by NoMich at 6:06 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Sitcom idea: The Not-So-Odd Couple. Peter Principle and Mr. Poe, Attorney at Law, become roommates. Hilarity ensues!
posted by NoMich at 6:06 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
An old-school blogger who has been targeting David Brooks for years, nay decades, now is the amazing and prolific Driftglass, one half of The Professional Left podcast (together with his wife Fran Langum/Bluegal). I don't think there's a person on the planet more well-versed in the dumpster fire that is David Brooks than Driftglass, so his blog (remember those?) is well worth perusing if you hate David Brooks with the white-hot fury of a thousand suns like I do.
posted by zardoz at 6:17 AM on September 24, 2023 [24 favorites]
posted by zardoz at 6:17 AM on September 24, 2023 [24 favorites]
Max Read also kind of hopes this is a joke
Oh wow this was SO good and states it much more eloquently than I can, as well as a summary of why Brooks sucks so much as a pundit. But yeah I maintain he was three drinks buzzed at the airport and decided to whip out his phone and try to do an Online Joke, but he's both too dumb and too unqualified to pull it off correctly
posted by windbox at 6:19 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Oh wow this was SO good and states it much more eloquently than I can, as well as a summary of why Brooks sucks so much as a pundit. But yeah I maintain he was three drinks buzzed at the airport and decided to whip out his phone and try to do an Online Joke, but he's both too dumb and too unqualified to pull it off correctly
posted by windbox at 6:19 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Everybody knows you pair a burger with a beer, if you're gonna have alcohol with it. Ok, almost everybody, maybe.
Two doubles is seeking a buzz. Which is fine now and then. Still, not something I'd want to put out publicly on Xitter.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Two doubles is seeking a buzz. Which is fine now and then. Still, not something I'd want to put out publicly on Xitter.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Drinking at the airport doesn't necessarily have any correlation with drinking elsewhere in one's life.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:27 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:27 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Why didn't Brooks just bring a flask like a normal person?
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
B) $18 for an airport burger & fries is really reasonable actually! airport food has been expensive for decades! I once paid $20 for a strawberry salad in Trump's economy!
I got stuck in an airport for six hours recently and after walking all of the terminals, taking the train between them, the most reasonable, non-gross food option I found was a bagel sandwich for $16. There are a few airports with good food options (like PDX), but usually it's a choice between Wendy's with a 2.5x markup, a mediocre "bar and grille," and a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks.
3 glasses of scotch with his burger before getting on the airplane.
No judgement on flight anxiety because I get that too. But, someone needs to tell him that one or two Xanaxes is cheaper, works better, and lasts longer. And, you don't spend the whole flight peeing out all the alcohol you just chugged.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
I got stuck in an airport for six hours recently and after walking all of the terminals, taking the train between them, the most reasonable, non-gross food option I found was a bagel sandwich for $16. There are a few airports with good food options (like PDX), but usually it's a choice between Wendy's with a 2.5x markup, a mediocre "bar and grille," and a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks.
3 glasses of scotch with his burger before getting on the airplane.
No judgement on flight anxiety because I get that too. But, someone needs to tell him that one or two Xanaxes is cheaper, works better, and lasts longer. And, you don't spend the whole flight peeing out all the alcohol you just chugged.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
If he's an actual alcoholic I have a feeling the xanax would be inviting danger. But yeah for non-alkies, I guess? IDK. That requires a doctor and one willing to prescribe oh he's david brooks of course he has that.
posted by symbioid at 6:53 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by symbioid at 6:53 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Even though I always bridle at the price of airport food -- I have a picture of the LGA menu charging $10.90 for half a grapefruit on a plate -- I actually felt kind of sorry for the old bastard, at least for a second.
I mean, David Brooks, right -- we all know him, we all know his deal. But I also know Twitter, or what remains of it. And I know you do not show weakness on social media. Not unless it's part of a joke or part of your brand as a therapist, advocate, Insta-poet, etc. I would as soon show a picture of my knees on the toilet as I would my half-finished meal. Either way, you're gonna get judged harshly, even though you think you are just showing something totally normal and in everyone's experience.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:09 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
I mean, David Brooks, right -- we all know him, we all know his deal. But I also know Twitter, or what remains of it. And I know you do not show weakness on social media. Not unless it's part of a joke or part of your brand as a therapist, advocate, Insta-poet, etc. I would as soon show a picture of my knees on the toilet as I would my half-finished meal. Either way, you're gonna get judged harshly, even though you think you are just showing something totally normal and in everyone's experience.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:09 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Moral Hazard, the Irish setter owned by Brooks for photo op purposes, could not be reached for comment.
posted by delfin at 7:17 AM on September 24, 2023 [16 favorites]
posted by delfin at 7:17 AM on September 24, 2023 [16 favorites]
I mean, David Brooks, right -- we all know him, we all know his deal.
Apparently not, because we keep posting about him here, and linking to his transparently stupid clickbait "observations".
posted by ryanshepard at 7:18 AM on September 24, 2023 [11 favorites]
Apparently not, because we keep posting about him here, and linking to his transparently stupid clickbait "observations".
posted by ryanshepard at 7:18 AM on September 24, 2023 [11 favorites]
The added level of stupid for this to me is complaining about the cost of food in airport restaurants. There are people who are in real financial trouble because of the rising cost of food, and they probably aren't eating in many restaurants, never mind taking many airplanes.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:23 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:23 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
I have no idea who David Brooks is -- I guess I should consider myself lucky.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 7:26 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by I-Write-Essays at 7:26 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Max Read also kind of hopes this is a joke.
That is a good column, this bit made me literally snort:
a hybrid of Dave Barry and Pierre Bourdieu (with Bourdieu’s sense of humor and Barry’s sociological imagination)
posted by Daily Alice at 7:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [23 favorites]
That is a good column, this bit made me literally snort:
a hybrid of Dave Barry and Pierre Bourdieu (with Bourdieu’s sense of humor and Barry’s sociological imagination)
posted by Daily Alice at 7:35 AM on September 24, 2023 [23 favorites]
I have no idea who David Brooks is
He is an opinion maker from the same school of thought as Thomas Friedman. "Aha! This brilliant flash of truth just now occured to me. I will not think any deeper on it as there is no need to. It is perfect. A universal truth that will change the lives of my readers, and perhaps the world. No siree, no need to think this truth through because there are no faults with it. Now, to write a column and hit the primetime cable news networks to preach my gospel. Yes, I am the new Jesus!"
posted by NoMich at 7:41 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
He is an opinion maker from the same school of thought as Thomas Friedman. "Aha! This brilliant flash of truth just now occured to me. I will not think any deeper on it as there is no need to. It is perfect. A universal truth that will change the lives of my readers, and perhaps the world. No siree, no need to think this truth through because there are no faults with it. Now, to write a column and hit the primetime cable news networks to preach my gospel. Yes, I am the new Jesus!"
posted by NoMich at 7:41 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
> of his followers on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter,
I still refuse to call it X, but now I will refer to it as "the platform formerly known as Twitter," which is represented in written form with this symbol:
💩
posted by AlSweigart at 7:41 AM on September 24, 2023 [21 favorites]
I still refuse to call it X, but now I will refer to it as "the platform formerly known as Twitter," which is represented in written form with this symbol:
💩
posted by AlSweigart at 7:41 AM on September 24, 2023 [21 favorites]
@deadwax
> very hazy on drinks measures there, are we talking just three shots?
They were 3 doubles, so like 6 shots
posted by thatnerd at 7:47 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
> very hazy on drinks measures there, are we talking just three shots?
They were 3 doubles, so like 6 shots
posted by thatnerd at 7:47 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Even the British economy is suffering from opportunistic pricing by businesses, and not just the fallout from the terrible Liz Truss leadership
Sure, it likely is. The Truss debacle not the only long term political issue that the Tories have visited on the economy though, and which is unique to the UK...
posted by biffa at 7:53 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sure, it likely is. The Truss debacle not the only long term political issue that the Tories have visited on the economy though, and which is unique to the UK...
posted by biffa at 7:53 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
David Brooks has likely not the faintest idea of the quandary of "Can I afford to go out, at all? Or is it gonna be PBJ's for dinner?"
Seriously. I've never eaten at those bar-and-grill type airport places - they're always very clearly off-limits because I can't afford them. Airport food is either snacks I packed myself or, for really long layovers, carefully comparing every single option in the terminal to find something vaguely affordable. This isn't new, either - it's been true all my life.
Even if he'd stuck to accurate pricing (and I'm actually surprised that bar-and-grill airport meal was only $18) and not included the alcohol costs at all, this would still be a person complaining that a famously expensive thing that lots of people can't afford has gotten a bit more expensive.
posted by trig at 8:16 AM on September 24, 2023 [21 favorites]
Seriously. I've never eaten at those bar-and-grill type airport places - they're always very clearly off-limits because I can't afford them. Airport food is either snacks I packed myself or, for really long layovers, carefully comparing every single option in the terminal to find something vaguely affordable. This isn't new, either - it's been true all my life.
Even if he'd stuck to accurate pricing (and I'm actually surprised that bar-and-grill airport meal was only $18) and not included the alcohol costs at all, this would still be a person complaining that a famously expensive thing that lots of people can't afford has gotten a bit more expensive.
posted by trig at 8:16 AM on September 24, 2023 [21 favorites]
being a humiliating experience for Brooks
He should receive many more of these, perhaps then he'd actually feel some humility. Hasn't happened yet, however.
posted by Rash at 8:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
He should receive many more of these, perhaps then he'd actually feel some humility. Hasn't happened yet, however.
posted by Rash at 8:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
New York Times Pitchbot has been having a heck of a time with this.
BTW: If you've got an hour to spare at MSY New Orleans, go to Leah's Kitchen (run by Leah Chase's family). The catfish and grits are awesome, but I've got my eye on the redfish for next time. Your bill will even be lighter than for that miserable squashed thing from Newark.
posted by credulous at 8:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
BTW: If you've got an hour to spare at MSY New Orleans, go to Leah's Kitchen (run by Leah Chase's family). The catfish and grits are awesome, but I've got my eye on the redfish for next time. Your bill will even be lighter than for that miserable squashed thing from Newark.
posted by credulous at 8:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
To quote Scalzi’s Law of Cleverness 'The failure mode of clever is “asshole.”' If he was trying to make a joke, it failed.
posted by fings at 9:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [28 favorites]
posted by fings at 9:20 AM on September 24, 2023 [28 favorites]
To quote Scalzi’s Law of Cleverness 'The failure mode of clever is “asshole.”'What a coincidence - it's also the failure mode of David Brooks!
posted by Flunkie at 9:30 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
Has anyone tried ignoring David Brooks to see if he goes away?
posted by angrynerd at 9:39 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by angrynerd at 9:39 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Congrats to Brooks for becoming the main character and giving us all a bit of entertainment this weekend, I guess?
posted by May Kasahara at 9:44 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by May Kasahara at 9:44 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sadly, I don't think Brooks was humiliated in the slightest. That oh-shucks expression on his face during the television debriefing said it all, he was having a ball.And he may well have been under the influence when he tweeted but that tweet was pure essence of David Brooks. Maybe he's like Socrates: he's the same through and through so drinking doesn't change him? But what he is through and through is bullshit.
posted by BibiRose at 10:01 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by BibiRose at 10:01 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Has anyone tried ignoring David Brooks to see if he goes away?
Not with him, but I have tried this approach with TFG and so far, no success (in fact, the opposite).
posted by Rash at 10:02 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Not with him, but I have tried this approach with TFG and so far, no success (in fact, the opposite).
posted by Rash at 10:02 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
For me the mystery is not, was Brooks drunk, or is Brooks an alcoholic, or even was Brooks trying to make a joke or being serious. For me it's this: While I get why David Brooks would have written a tweet (Xit? What are they called now?) Why did anybody see it?
posted by Naberius at 10:15 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Naberius at 10:15 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
his position as "an upper middle class journalist"
No, jerk, you are not upper middle class, and to pretend to do sociological commentary while engaging in this all-too-common rich-person shuffle about your status is just embarrassing.
it's also the failure mode of David Brooks!
I think you mean "the mode."
posted by praemunire at 10:18 AM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
No, jerk, you are not upper middle class, and to pretend to do sociological commentary while engaging in this all-too-common rich-person shuffle about your status is just embarrassing.
it's also the failure mode of David Brooks!
I think you mean "the mode."
posted by praemunire at 10:18 AM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
the purpose of a david brooks is what it does
posted by logicpunk at 10:40 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
posted by logicpunk at 10:40 AM on September 24, 2023 [19 favorites]
Airport food prices are bullshit. At LAX there's this side terminal they shuttle you to that American Airlines uses for flights to less desirable places (e.g. the place I grew up and travel home to for holidays). There is one little cafe. $15 bucks for a prepackaged sandwich. And I know overpriced food. I used to work at a movie theater. I ended up just getting chips from the vending machine.
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:59 AM on September 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
Portland has its problems, but at the very least they can’t charge more for stuff at the airport than they do in town.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:00 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 11:00 AM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
Portland has its problems, but at the very least they can’t charge more for stuff at the airport than they do in town.
20 bucks?
posted by Ickster at 11:26 AM on September 24, 2023 [47 favorites]
20 bucks?
posted by Ickster at 11:26 AM on September 24, 2023 [47 favorites]
david brooks has exactly the right amount of consciousness as needed to be a david brooks
posted by slogger at 11:28 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by slogger at 11:28 AM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Maybe he's like Socrates: he's the same through and through so drinking doesn't change him?
As I recall, drinking did, ultimately, change Socrates.
posted by aws17576 at 11:34 AM on September 24, 2023 [53 favorites]
As I recall, drinking did, ultimately, change Socrates.
posted by aws17576 at 11:34 AM on September 24, 2023 [53 favorites]
I see what you did there.
posted by Leeway at 11:44 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Leeway at 11:44 AM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
I love this analysis:
“A typical airport burger and fries is in the $18 range; a typical double … whiskey rocks is in the $20 range.
Solve for x: 18+20x=78.”
posted by MtDewd at 12:33 PM on September 24, 2023
“A typical airport burger and fries is in the $18 range; a typical double … whiskey rocks is in the $20 range.
Solve for x: 18+20x=78.”
posted by MtDewd at 12:33 PM on September 24, 2023
David Simon had his own turn recently as The Main Character, but this is pretty good.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:34 PM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:34 PM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
I didn’t know anything about who Brooks was, either, until I listened to the podcast “If Books Could Kill.” Their takedown of one of his books and their vitriol were pretty hilarious and told me everything I needed to know to stay far away.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:45 PM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:45 PM on September 24, 2023 [4 favorites]
David Brooks can’t not know this
You might be surprised at the range of things Brooks is capable of not knowing when he really puts his mind to it.
posted by flabdablet at 12:51 PM on September 24, 2023 [42 favorites]
You might be surprised at the range of things Brooks is capable of not knowing when he really puts his mind to it.
posted by flabdablet at 12:51 PM on September 24, 2023 [42 favorites]
Who's David Brooks' fan base
Wealthy people who want a pseudo-intellectual excuse not to care about anything, basically
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:03 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
Wealthy people who want a pseudo-intellectual excuse not to care about anything, basically
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:03 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
Who knows what the bill would have been if he paid for his 20 year old research assistant to eat with him.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 1:04 PM on September 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 1:04 PM on September 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
that depends on what a bag of chips costs from the vending machine
posted by pyramid termite at 1:09 PM on September 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 1:09 PM on September 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
Mod note: One comment deleted, poster's request!
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 1:20 PM on September 24, 2023
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 1:20 PM on September 24, 2023
Who's David Brooks' fan base
milquetoasts into whisky and burger chasers
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:45 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
milquetoasts into whisky and burger chasers
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:45 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Brooks has always been making up stuff.
posted by meehawl at 1:56 PM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by meehawl at 1:56 PM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
Can we maybe change “The Streisand Effect” to “The David Brooks Effect”? Barbra Streisand has actually done some good things to be remembered for.
posted by TedW at 2:05 PM on September 24, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by TedW at 2:05 PM on September 24, 2023 [9 favorites]
I stopped watching PBS Newshour almost completely because that hack david brooks was the official "pundit" on Fridays. Fuck David Brooks.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:48 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 2:48 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
Wow, You Can’t Even Pound A Quart Of Whiskey At The Airport For Less Than $60 Anymore
In France, they don't call it pound a quart of whiskey. They call it a Whiskey Royale.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 2:54 PM on September 24, 2023 [29 favorites]
In France, they don't call it pound a quart of whiskey. They call it a Whiskey Royale.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 2:54 PM on September 24, 2023 [29 favorites]
forget Brooks, interview his seatmate
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:54 PM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:54 PM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
whisky and burger chasers
Gimme another! Hold the burger.
posted by biffa at 3:02 PM on September 24, 2023
Gimme another! Hold the burger.
posted by biffa at 3:02 PM on September 24, 2023
My parents enjoyed the news hour in general and Brooks specifically on Fridays because he wasn’t a total raving lunatic like other right-wing pundits. brooks is very annoying. I’d much rather have commenters making up food prices than making up stories about minors gender identity.
I’d also note my local airport made a big deal about new dinning options not being more than 10-15% over in town. I actually did some checking when I had a flight delay and wrote to them showing that most of the prices were plus 50% but never got a reponse
posted by CostcoCultist at 3:18 PM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’d also note my local airport made a big deal about new dinning options not being more than 10-15% over in town. I actually did some checking when I had a flight delay and wrote to them showing that most of the prices were plus 50% but never got a reponse
posted by CostcoCultist at 3:18 PM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
I genuinely hope David Brooks gets eaten by a bear.
posted by jeffehobbs at 4:24 PM on September 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by jeffehobbs at 4:24 PM on September 24, 2023 [8 favorites]
like I genuinely believe that as part of the enshittification process people in the US are being milked by food companies for more money than they used to be, that this is an actual problem, and I'm leery of a narrative getting started that things are fine & no one is overpaying for food
Yeah, people are being overcharged for food, and honestly, I do think airport drinks are kind of a form of capture that's a real problem, specifically because they make it illegal to bring your own little bottles of alcohol and then charge 10$ for a 2$ bottle, and 15$ if you buy it in a bar. It should not be 30$ to get one drink, even if that drink is a double. But also, like, that has nothing to do with Biden's economy, I've been flying for years, it was like that under Trump too.
posted by corb at 4:34 PM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Yeah, people are being overcharged for food, and honestly, I do think airport drinks are kind of a form of capture that's a real problem, specifically because they make it illegal to bring your own little bottles of alcohol and then charge 10$ for a 2$ bottle, and 15$ if you buy it in a bar. It should not be 30$ to get one drink, even if that drink is a double. But also, like, that has nothing to do with Biden's economy, I've been flying for years, it was like that under Trump too.
posted by corb at 4:34 PM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
I am horrified to find myself in accord with David Brook's reaction to his post. See, in the 70s I wrote an anti-racist screed in my campus newspaper, in which I sarcastically invoked the image of the antebellum South. Black students on campus were pissed, said my Black housemate. Not the first time irony was not detected. I am not championing Brooks as a master of irony. He is of course an asshole. But surely he was jesting--while buzzed--when he tweeted this, with his whisky glass prominent in the shot.
posted by kozad at 4:41 PM on September 24, 2023
posted by kozad at 4:41 PM on September 24, 2023
Eaten by a bear? Should we expect a posting by said bear when it gets the bill?
posted by njohnson23 at 4:59 PM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by njohnson23 at 4:59 PM on September 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
I genuinely hope David Brooks gets eaten by a bear.
What did the bear do to you to deserve David Brooks as a meal?
posted by NoxAeternum at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
What did the bear do to you to deserve David Brooks as a meal?
posted by NoxAeternum at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
This thread reminds me reminds of one of my favorite songs found on Metafilter music
posted by interogative mood at 5:35 PM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 5:35 PM on September 24, 2023 [6 favorites]
We could have empathized with David Brooks' lame first-world suffering and turned it into a discussion about how airports prop up a system that involves, among other things, artificially-inflated prices for mediocre food, ridiculously overpriced drinks, and exploited labor.
While he may be insufferable bear chow, despite his insufferability he still does kinda hint at how airports are terribly abusive monopolies, fiefdoms that enjoy economic privileges granted by TSA and city, state and federal statutes, using that setup to exploit travellers and labor alike.
I'd be very surprised if the owner of 1911 Smokehouse actually owns or runs the restaurant inside the airport on a day-to-day basis. Eateries in an airport are often operated and staffed by one central logistics company (a so-called "master operator" or "master concessionaire") that bids to provide services to the airport and then licenses names and dishes from outside restaurateurs. Your local airport's Daniel Boulud joint is almost certainly serving dishes with nearly the very same ingredients as the generic steakhouse over in the next terminal, regardless of the added price for the brand; these places are all even using the same ordering system, whatever is on their respective menus.
Also, without defending Brooks per se, remarking on people's enjoyment of alcohol as a signifier of alcoholism seems like really shitty behavior and this site can and should do better.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2023 [10 favorites]
While he may be insufferable bear chow, despite his insufferability he still does kinda hint at how airports are terribly abusive monopolies, fiefdoms that enjoy economic privileges granted by TSA and city, state and federal statutes, using that setup to exploit travellers and labor alike.
I'd be very surprised if the owner of 1911 Smokehouse actually owns or runs the restaurant inside the airport on a day-to-day basis. Eateries in an airport are often operated and staffed by one central logistics company (a so-called "master operator" or "master concessionaire") that bids to provide services to the airport and then licenses names and dishes from outside restaurateurs. Your local airport's Daniel Boulud joint is almost certainly serving dishes with nearly the very same ingredients as the generic steakhouse over in the next terminal, regardless of the added price for the brand; these places are all even using the same ordering system, whatever is on their respective menus.
Also, without defending Brooks per se, remarking on people's enjoyment of alcohol as a signifier of alcoholism seems like really shitty behavior and this site can and should do better.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2023 [10 favorites]
Well, if David Brooks has 4 doubles and is then eaten by a bear, perhaps the bear will get something out of the experience.
posted by mollweide at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
We could have empathized with David Brooks' lame first-world suffering and turned it into a discussion
I suppose we could have done so, but when he's douchily making political points by hiding the fact that he had at least three drinks with his burger, he deserves to be roasted, and no empathy whatsoever.
posted by Ickster at 5:52 PM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
I suppose we could have done so, but when he's douchily making political points by hiding the fact that he had at least three drinks with his burger, he deserves to be roasted, and no empathy whatsoever.
posted by Ickster at 5:52 PM on September 24, 2023 [12 favorites]
What did the bear do to you to deserve David Brooks as a meal?
I'm sure it was something.
Like, you're a dying human who's done moderately bad dharma so you come back as a bear. Nothing too terrible; you're not coming back as a battery chicken or one of those awful little deer with the disgusting pulsating face holes. But you sure as shit aren't coming back as another person, much less one of those people whose existence is unfair like Cate Blanchett.
And you're bearing along trying to make the best of this trip 'round the wheel, accepting your bearosity and trying to be the best more beariest bear you can be. Gettin' that hunny. Bombling along near trails so hikers can see you, but not be super frightened of you. Eatin' berries and poopin' seeds where berries should be next. And right around the bend comes David Brooks and the universe makes it plain that you gotta eat him. Not frighten him, not take a swipe with a paw and kill him. You gotta actually munch his flesh, probably while he is complaining about it.
I guaran-damn-tee you the bear in that instance is thinking "Dammit, I really should have put the shopping carts back in the cage."
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:03 PM on September 24, 2023 [17 favorites]
I'm sure it was something.
Like, you're a dying human who's done moderately bad dharma so you come back as a bear. Nothing too terrible; you're not coming back as a battery chicken or one of those awful little deer with the disgusting pulsating face holes. But you sure as shit aren't coming back as another person, much less one of those people whose existence is unfair like Cate Blanchett.
And you're bearing along trying to make the best of this trip 'round the wheel, accepting your bearosity and trying to be the best more beariest bear you can be. Gettin' that hunny. Bombling along near trails so hikers can see you, but not be super frightened of you. Eatin' berries and poopin' seeds where berries should be next. And right around the bend comes David Brooks and the universe makes it plain that you gotta eat him. Not frighten him, not take a swipe with a paw and kill him. You gotta actually munch his flesh, probably while he is complaining about it.
I guaran-damn-tee you the bear in that instance is thinking "Dammit, I really should have put the shopping carts back in the cage."
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:03 PM on September 24, 2023 [17 favorites]
You see, in a more civil society, we would've all just taken him at his word.
posted by Selena777 at 6:03 PM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Selena777 at 6:03 PM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
I genuinely hope David Brooks gets eaten by a bear.
Imagine the column he'd write after than experience.
posted by clawsoon at 6:52 PM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Imagine the column he'd write after than experience.
posted by clawsoon at 6:52 PM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Imagine the column he'd write after than experience.
posted by clawsoon at 21:52 on 9/24
Booboos in Jellystone: The Sated Bears and How I Got There
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 6:56 PM on September 24, 2023 [11 favorites]
On Thursday I went to an Amazon RFID-powered snack niche in CLT and bought a half-liter of water, a half-liter of Mountain Dew, a small bag of M&Ms and a triangular turkey&cheese sandwich. $24.72. Never doing that again.
posted by infinitewindow at 7:06 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by infinitewindow at 7:06 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
On Thursday I went to an Amazon RFID-powered snack niche in CLT and bought a half-liter of water, a half-liter of Mountain Dew, a small bag of M&Ms and a triangular turkey&cheese sandwich. $24.72. Never doing that again after a bear ate me.
posted by clawsoon at 7:08 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clawsoon at 7:08 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
I would like to recommend the novel HELP! A Bear Is Eating Me! which is written from the point of view of a smug, self-important asshole who is being eaten by a bear, and which might therefore satisfy certain impulses recently expressed here.
posted by moonmilk at 7:13 PM on September 24, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by moonmilk at 7:13 PM on September 24, 2023 [9 favorites]
Do I need to start flagging all of these responses that insist on perpetuating harmful stereotypes about our ursine neighbors?
Fewer than 50 NYT op-ed pundits have been eaten by bears in the last 20 years combined. The risks are dramatically overstated.
posted by Nerd of the North at 7:37 PM on September 24, 2023 [18 favorites]
Fewer than 50 NYT op-ed pundits have been eaten by bears in the last 20 years combined. The risks are dramatically overstated.
posted by Nerd of the North at 7:37 PM on September 24, 2023 [18 favorites]
I have some thoughts about the NY Times and David Brooks. I'm grateful to him for providing such excellent sport. But my question is: How can you tell it's Scotch whisky?
posted by theora55 at 8:28 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 8:28 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
I didn’t know anything about who Brooks was, either, until I listened to the podcast “If Books Could Kill.”
I *love* the "If Books Could Kill" podcast. Their takedowns of Brooks, Friedman, and other authors of terrible airport books are through and very funny.
posted by straight at 9:43 PM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
I *love* the "If Books Could Kill" podcast. Their takedowns of Brooks, Friedman, and other authors of terrible airport books are through and very funny.
posted by straight at 9:43 PM on September 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
despite his insufferability he still does kinda hint at how airports are terribly abusive monopolies
No. He thought he was making a point about inflation generally. So it was both insufferable and stupid in a classic Brooksian way.
This is not a time to be giving fools with long track records the benefit of the doubt.
David Brooks is a human being, so he deserves basic human rights and dignity, but I decline to empathize with this blinkered, coddled incarnation of the intense mediocrity of upper class white male "intellectuals."
posted by praemunire at 10:33 PM on September 24, 2023 [22 favorites]
No. He thought he was making a point about inflation generally. So it was both insufferable and stupid in a classic Brooksian way.
This is not a time to be giving fools with long track records the benefit of the doubt.
David Brooks is a human being, so he deserves basic human rights and dignity, but I decline to empathize with this blinkered, coddled incarnation of the intense mediocrity of upper class white male "intellectuals."
posted by praemunire at 10:33 PM on September 24, 2023 [22 favorites]
I've come around in favor of the mildly self-deprecating joke hypothesis. I didn't like the idea at first, but even David Brooks has enough self-awareness to not to include the whiskey in the photo unless that was the point.
Then it goes viral and he's too mendacious to say "With the money I earn of course I buy airport whiskey if I feel like it." He's got a brand, and it's long-suffering professional, not elite multi-millionaire. So he has to double down on the inflation angle in his weird besides-the-point apology on the Newshour.
(Also, IMHO there's nothing wrong with drinking 2 or 3 shots before getting on a plane unless you're the pilot. You have zero responsibilities, lots of time to kill, and airports are soul sucking dystopias. The average sized male will not be blotto with that intake.)
posted by mark k at 10:54 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
Then it goes viral and he's too mendacious to say "With the money I earn of course I buy airport whiskey if I feel like it." He's got a brand, and it's long-suffering professional, not elite multi-millionaire. So he has to double down on the inflation angle in his weird besides-the-point apology on the Newshour.
(Also, IMHO there's nothing wrong with drinking 2 or 3 shots before getting on a plane unless you're the pilot. You have zero responsibilities, lots of time to kill, and airports are soul sucking dystopias. The average sized male will not be blotto with that intake.)
posted by mark k at 10:54 PM on September 24, 2023 [7 favorites]
I've come around in favor of the mildly self-deprecating joke hypothesis. I didn't like the idea at first, but even David Brooks has enough self-awareness to not to include the whiskey in the photo unless that was the point.
This is almost certainly correct, but it's still perfectly acceptable to drag him the way everyone has been. Because—using the standards of a David Brooks column—what's important is not the specific facts of this particular story, but the underlying truth that this guy is a mendacious hack who gets paid to use made-up nonsense anecdotes to columns and books full of strained and stupid generalizations about politics and society.
David Brooks can't parody a career of bogus anecdotes by just making another bogus anecdote.
posted by straight at 11:48 PM on September 24, 2023 [20 favorites]
This is almost certainly correct, but it's still perfectly acceptable to drag him the way everyone has been. Because—using the standards of a David Brooks column—what's important is not the specific facts of this particular story, but the underlying truth that this guy is a mendacious hack who gets paid to use made-up nonsense anecdotes to columns and books full of strained and stupid generalizations about politics and society.
David Brooks can't parody a career of bogus anecdotes by just making another bogus anecdote.
posted by straight at 11:48 PM on September 24, 2023 [20 favorites]
Exactly. Who does he think he is, Stewart Lee?
posted by flabdablet at 11:50 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 11:50 PM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
There actually is a story to be written about explotative capitalism that’s finds a particular niche. HMS Host seems to operate nearly every dinning outlet along with Hudson’s bookstores/snack stand at every airport.
posted by CostcoCultist at 6:17 AM on September 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by CostcoCultist at 6:17 AM on September 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
I have no idea who David Brooks is -- I guess I should consider myself lucky.
Treasure this time in your life.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:02 AM on September 25, 2023 [9 favorites]
Treasure this time in your life.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:02 AM on September 25, 2023 [9 favorites]
I know there's no good answer to this but: When and how did David Brooks' opinion about nearly everything become so critically important?
What happened in the real-world timeline that elevated Brooks to such a lofty position? Even if we take all his education and learning, knowledge and general intelligence in good faith (not saying we should, but hear me out...) How did this one guy get to this position where he is constantly commenting on just about every topic in American public life? In every form of media, on a daily basis?
It's basically taken for granted that we will all hear David Brooks' opinion and take on every big news item that pops up. How the hell did that happen? I genuinely don't understand how it came to this.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:06 AM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
What happened in the real-world timeline that elevated Brooks to such a lofty position? Even if we take all his education and learning, knowledge and general intelligence in good faith (not saying we should, but hear me out...) How did this one guy get to this position where he is constantly commenting on just about every topic in American public life? In every form of media, on a daily basis?
It's basically taken for granted that we will all hear David Brooks' opinion and take on every big news item that pops up. How the hell did that happen? I genuinely don't understand how it came to this.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:06 AM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
Friedman sucks, Brooks sucks, etc., but professional pundit is a stupid job and it's no wonder that so many regular columnists wind up disappearing up their own backsides. When you have to fill a certain number of column inches whether or not you have anything of interest or value to say you have to go looking for things to give your opinion on, and the inevitable result is the writer shoehorning their observations into the worldview their "brand" consists of.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:34 AM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:34 AM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
[Brooks] is a mendacious hack who gets paid to use made-up nonsense anecdotes to columns and books full of strained and stupid generalizations about politics and society.
- straight
Exactly. I also think he was making a drunken joke that blew up in his face.
But this simply proves and underlines the most important part of every Brooks anecdote and opinion: He deliberately leaves out specific details to help prop up his every pre-conceived opinion or sponsored/paid/payola statements of "insight" "wit" and political propaganda.
It's disgusting that people like Brooks get paid to do this lying shit. It's disgusting to know that educated people who should know better still eat up his propaganda.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:47 AM on September 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
- straight
Exactly. I also think he was making a drunken joke that blew up in his face.
But this simply proves and underlines the most important part of every Brooks anecdote and opinion: He deliberately leaves out specific details to help prop up his every pre-conceived opinion or sponsored/paid/payola statements of "insight" "wit" and political propaganda.
It's disgusting that people like Brooks get paid to do this lying shit. It's disgusting to know that educated people who should know better still eat up his propaganda.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:47 AM on September 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
I'm baffled by anyone giving David Brooks any benefit of the doubt at all. Brooks is dishonest. His entire schtick of presenting conservatism in a way that makes it seem less threatening is dishonest. The framing he habitually uses is dishonest. Paul Krugman and others have commented that they are contractually forbidden as NYT columnists to point out the dishonesty of Brooks and other conservative commenters (great policy there, by they way, NYT -- way to let slip that you have your thumb on the scale for conservatives.)
Brooks didn't make an honest mistake; he omitted hi substantial bar tab to try to reinforce a dishonest Republican talking point (but I repeat myself) and got busted for it.
posted by Gelatin at 7:51 AM on September 25, 2023 [18 favorites]
Brooks didn't make an honest mistake; he omitted hi substantial bar tab to try to reinforce a dishonest Republican talking point (but I repeat myself) and got busted for it.
posted by Gelatin at 7:51 AM on September 25, 2023 [18 favorites]
What happened in the real-world timeline that elevated Brooks to such a lofty position?
What happened is that the NYT gave him a regular position in their opinion section. From there he was syndicated out to daily papers all over the country. I think for the paper's purposes he was specifically supposed to represent the sort of traditional conservative a New York liberal might actually run into at a cocktail party. As conservatism has shifted farther to the right even than Brooks, the NYT opinion section has continued to make room for people who represent it (like Ross Douthat or Bret Stephens), which has had a weird effect of making Brooks almost seem reasonable in contrast. But don't get me wrong: I'm not defending him, just pointing out that the NYT Opinion editor has outsized power in shifting the Overton Window to the right. Being an opinion section editor seems to require willful blindness to consequences.
posted by fedward at 8:01 AM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
What happened is that the NYT gave him a regular position in their opinion section. From there he was syndicated out to daily papers all over the country. I think for the paper's purposes he was specifically supposed to represent the sort of traditional conservative a New York liberal might actually run into at a cocktail party. As conservatism has shifted farther to the right even than Brooks, the NYT opinion section has continued to make room for people who represent it (like Ross Douthat or Bret Stephens), which has had a weird effect of making Brooks almost seem reasonable in contrast. But don't get me wrong: I'm not defending him, just pointing out that the NYT Opinion editor has outsized power in shifting the Overton Window to the right. Being an opinion section editor seems to require willful blindness to consequences.
posted by fedward at 8:01 AM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
David Brooks makes his living issuing syndicated judgements on the actions of individuals with less evidence that we have here. We are free to meet him on the path and with the weapons he chose to use against us.
posted by interogative mood at 8:27 AM on September 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 8:27 AM on September 25, 2023 [8 favorites]
I'm baffled by anyone giving David Brooks any benefit of the doubt at all. Brooks is dishonest.
At least for me, saying I now buy the "joke hypothesis" isn't giving Brooks squat. It's just a different kind of lameness and dishonesty, given his "apology:" his commitment to the David Brooks bit, which prevents coming clean about a joke.
he omitted his substantial bar tab
He didn't? He tweeted a picture of a burger and his whiskey. Airport drinks are so notoriously expensive it's why I think it was a joke.
It wasn't intended to go viral. People normally reading his tweets are other rich people who can also afford to joke about inflation.
I think for the paper's purposes he was specifically supposed to represent the sort of traditional conservative a New York liberal might actually run into at a cocktail party.
This is basically it. Brooks is a conservative who has tailored his schtick to be non-offensive to culturally liberal centrists. It does mean he represents about 0.01% of the electorate, since being offensive to liberals is the core value of modern conservatism.
posted by mark k at 8:39 AM on September 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
At least for me, saying I now buy the "joke hypothesis" isn't giving Brooks squat. It's just a different kind of lameness and dishonesty, given his "apology:" his commitment to the David Brooks bit, which prevents coming clean about a joke.
he omitted his substantial bar tab
He didn't? He tweeted a picture of a burger and his whiskey. Airport drinks are so notoriously expensive it's why I think it was a joke.
It wasn't intended to go viral. People normally reading his tweets are other rich people who can also afford to joke about inflation.
I think for the paper's purposes he was specifically supposed to represent the sort of traditional conservative a New York liberal might actually run into at a cocktail party.
This is basically it. Brooks is a conservative who has tailored his schtick to be non-offensive to culturally liberal centrists. It does mean he represents about 0.01% of the electorate, since being offensive to liberals is the core value of modern conservatism.
posted by mark k at 8:39 AM on September 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
Since Trump, Roe, Millennials reaching middle age, and groomer panic culturally liberal centrists have changed, too, though.
posted by Selena777 at 9:08 AM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Selena777 at 9:08 AM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
To the question of how Brooks became Brooks though, I'd suggest people peruse his Wikipedia page. You could not find a less substantial human being for the newspaper industry to elevate to the level of tribune of the educated elite.
College student graduates college, moves to Chicago and works the crime beat, has a brief dalliance with National Review, gets hired by WSJ, writes "Bobos," moves to the NYT to join the Obama era's overlong list of mediocre people in every arena.
I think Brooks is a hack and a liar and a person who has wasted his one shot at a life in this world, but on the other hand this gig is all he's got. He probably would not last a week inside any average person's life and livelihood.
posted by kensington314 at 9:23 AM on September 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
College student graduates college, moves to Chicago and works the crime beat, has a brief dalliance with National Review, gets hired by WSJ, writes "Bobos," moves to the NYT to join the Obama era's overlong list of mediocre people in every arena.
I think Brooks is a hack and a liar and a person who has wasted his one shot at a life in this world, but on the other hand this gig is all he's got. He probably would not last a week inside any average person's life and livelihood.
posted by kensington314 at 9:23 AM on September 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
>> I know there's no good answer to this but: When and how did David Brooks' opinion about nearly everything become so critically important?
In addition to all of the above, the highest level answer is that he was in the right place at the right time. It's not that his opinion is important, it's that the people who book pundits for TV, radio, etc. are fundamentally lazy and not so smart.
People turn to him because it's easy and you know what you're getting: his persona is narrow, yet well-defined. In a sense he is a character actor on the stage of mass-media infotainment, he shows up, plays his role as the largely non-ranting conservative who throws in some big words now and then to play-act as an intellectual.
Above all, he is a consistent and vaguely well-spoken idiot.
posted by jeremias at 9:47 AM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
In addition to all of the above, the highest level answer is that he was in the right place at the right time. It's not that his opinion is important, it's that the people who book pundits for TV, radio, etc. are fundamentally lazy and not so smart.
People turn to him because it's easy and you know what you're getting: his persona is narrow, yet well-defined. In a sense he is a character actor on the stage of mass-media infotainment, he shows up, plays his role as the largely non-ranting conservative who throws in some big words now and then to play-act as an intellectual.
Above all, he is a consistent and vaguely well-spoken idiot.
posted by jeremias at 9:47 AM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
after reading the max read article, I think david brooks likely doesn't know how to cook (why he has so much restaurant based opinions), and has never worked in food service (why his restaurant based opinions are wrong).
posted by jonbro at 9:53 AM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by jonbro at 9:53 AM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
Brooks also plays to a particular form of bad conscience amongst the liberal affluent who for whatever reason really haven't ever had too much day-to-day contact with the poor and working class. He tells stories about the latter designed to evoke inchoate guilt in the former, but ones which would only pass muster if you had no first-hand knowledge. His anecdote about his supposed working-class friend who couldn't cope with an Italian sandwich shop is the perfect example. It's obvious nonsense, it reproaches the affluent (for being, allegedly, culturally disconnected from presumed Real America), but it does so in a ridiculous frame that doesn't demand, e.g., redistribution of income as a solution. So it goes down relatively smoothly for the "centrist liberal" who's always lived snugly in the cocoon of economic comfort and feels vaguely bad about it, but not bad enough to actually do anything. Honestly, the whole "Rs appeal to the working class" shtick is ultimately largely a blown-up version of this rhetorical approach.
posted by praemunire at 11:43 AM on September 25, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 11:43 AM on September 25, 2023 [11 favorites]
Who's David Brooks' fan base
milquetoasts into whisky and burger chasers
As a milquetoast who's into whiskey and burger chasers, fuck David Brooks tho
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:24 PM on September 25, 2023 [11 favorites]
milquetoasts into whisky and burger chasers
As a milquetoast who's into whiskey and burger chasers, fuck David Brooks tho
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:24 PM on September 25, 2023 [11 favorites]
Also, without defending Brooks per se, remarking on people's enjoyment of alcohol as a signifier of alcoholism seems like really shitty behavior and this site can and should do better.
While we are talking about doing better, I'd also suggest that we also not use "lame" or "lameness" to indicate inferiority, and use something not so ableist.
posted by 41swans at 12:25 PM on September 25, 2023 [10 favorites]
While we are talking about doing better, I'd also suggest that we also not use "lame" or "lameness" to indicate inferiority, and use something not so ableist.
posted by 41swans at 12:25 PM on September 25, 2023 [10 favorites]
Oh FFS. How about we don’t descend into the grading everyone's response for perfection of grammar, prose, and politics. Those of you thinking about arguing should contemplate your own failures over the years.
And yes David Brooks is a giant twerp.
posted by Galvanic at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
And yes David Brooks is a giant twerp.
posted by Galvanic at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
I found 41swans' reminder not to use ableist language to be gentle and useful. There are PLENTY of other descriptors we can use for Brooks.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 3:38 PM on September 25, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 3:38 PM on September 25, 2023 [11 favorites]
Man, now I just want a burger and some whisky.
posted by MtDewd at 3:49 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by MtDewd at 3:49 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
MtDewd, that'll be $78, please.
posted by Flunkie at 4:28 PM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Flunkie at 4:28 PM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]
David Brooks recommends Buffalo Trace’s Prohibition Collection.
If you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it.
posted by box at 5:25 PM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it.
posted by box at 5:25 PM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
As it seems to be a source of amusement here:
Reader, I did it again.
posted by infinitewindow at 5:29 PM on September 25, 2023
Reader, I did it again.
posted by infinitewindow at 5:29 PM on September 25, 2023
I think for the paper's purposes he was specifically supposed to represent the sort of traditional conservative a New York liberal might actually run into at a cocktail party
His wiki page quotes Gail Collins, who hired him, as saying directly that he was supposed to be a conservative voice (for balance, you know, replacing the retiring William Safire) their readership would tolerate.
posted by atoxyl at 7:45 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
His wiki page quotes Gail Collins, who hired him, as saying directly that he was supposed to be a conservative voice (for balance, you know, replacing the retiring William Safire) their readership would tolerate.
posted by atoxyl at 7:45 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
He tells stories about the latter designed to evoke inchoate guilt in the former, but ones which would only pass muster if you had no first-hand knowledge.If he ever needs a title for his collected works, he can call it "Not-So Stories"
posted by Nerd of the North at 10:49 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
MtDewd, that'll be $78, please.
I ended up having the whisky but not the burger.
It cost around $60, but I still have the rest of the bottle for later.
posted by MtDewd at 3:58 PM on September 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I ended up having the whisky but not the burger.
It cost around $60, but I still have the rest of the bottle for later.
posted by MtDewd at 3:58 PM on September 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
We could have empathized with David Brooks' lame first-world suffering and turned it into a discussion
I think it is more than fair that we have all turned this over to our internal imaginary cab drivers.
posted by srboisvert at 12:08 PM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think it is more than fair that we have all turned this over to our internal imaginary cab drivers.
posted by srboisvert at 12:08 PM on September 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Man, now I just want a burger and some whisky.
Before the pandemic a burger and fries with a pint of draft and shot of whisky was $15 at my nearest brewpub on Mondays. The individual components were all generally just fair to middling but the combination was excellent.
posted by srboisvert at 12:12 PM on September 27, 2023
Before the pandemic a burger and fries with a pint of draft and shot of whisky was $15 at my nearest brewpub on Mondays. The individual components were all generally just fair to middling but the combination was excellent.
posted by srboisvert at 12:12 PM on September 27, 2023
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like it did not use to cost $9 for a 12-pack of soda! or $5 for a bag of chips! or $40 for two people to get combo meals & horchatas at Filiberto's! when I went completely overboard buying too much cheese & snacks for a party the bill used to be $200 and now it is $300!
like I genuinely believe that as part of the enshittification process people in the US are being milked by food companies for more money than they used to be, that this is an actual problem, and I'm leery of a narrative getting started that things are fine & no one is overpaying for food
but also:
A) how is this the fault of Joe Biden & "his" economy exactly? it's straight up corporate greed afaict
B) $18 for an airport burger & fries is really reasonable actually! airport food has been expensive for decades! I once paid $20 for a strawberry salad in Trump's economy!
C) fuck David Brooks
posted by taquito sunrise at 2:53 AM on September 24, 2023 [174 favorites]