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Dave's Review of: Bobos in Paradise; by David Brooks. 7/01 “Is it true that the def the old WASP code
of morality has left America in a moral vacuum. Some people set the decline of
old Protestant Establishment and mourn our losses: no more chivalry, no more of
that keen sense of duty and public service, no more gravitas and deference to
authority, no more reticence and self-effacement, no more chastity or decorum,
no more gentlemen, no more ladies, no more honor and valor. The see the codes
and rules that have fallen away and too quickly assume that we have entered into
a nihilistic age. Taken from the book Bobos in Paradise, I
have been reading. The term Bobo is from the combination of two cultures; The
Bourgeois and the Bohemians. It is a clash between the two cultures
in the fact that the anti establishments of the 60’s are now in the
establishment because of the wealth they have amassed and positions gained. This
has led to money problems they did not have in their college years of protests.
In those years money was holdable and to be used for day by day existence. Now
it is liquid and they have to deal with it and the curse is now theirs and they
have had to adapt to it. This book is about how they are coping with it, and the
conflicts it has caused in their thinking and in their lives. We see the
compromises they have made and how odd it is when they still hang onto some of
their old ethics. They still drive VW’s but no flowers painted on them just in
vases. The difference is the new little bug costs ten times more than it used to
and more than economic cars of today. The old Volvo is also a treat as it is
now an upper class vehicle, but the name is the same and there are a lot of them
in Los Altos, and Los Gatos. SUV’s are just a compromise for the old Jeepster.
Now they dress in three peace suits but still have their ponytails and
Birkenstocks. The thing that amazes me is the similarities
of the two cultures; people conform to them not knowing why. External ethics have no stability and change
with the whims of society. That is why the Lord’s church and its people have
stability, they are driven from within to conform to his laws. This book is a good read and explains the
society we are living in today and how it is evolving. The bottom line is money!
When the have-nots become the haves, they forget the old times and merge with
the haves, but there is still baggage they bring along when they move that they
cannot leave behind. This book points out their baggage. Dave… 7/01 |