I admit I found this quiz fascinating, probably because it confirms my own intuitions about class in America. I think the surest indication of the cultural shift Murray is talking about is our vocabulary: We literally had to invent terms like "yuppie" and "hipster" to describe these new social cleavages.
Here are some quick thoughts:
1) If this cultural shift is occurring, isn't it driven in part by the success of sophisticated consumer capitalism? People with more disposable income develop different, more expensive tastes, which are then catered to and expanded upon by advertisers, whose products and services then reinforce distinctions between different classes of consumers. It's interesting that Murray is approaching this from the perspective of a conservative concerned with cultural and social solidarity, because the success of conservative economic policies have arguably done more to encourage these trends than anything else. At the very least, the expansion of the welfare state isn't the only thing to blame.
2) We've discussed how college and other institutions of higher learning have shifted from teaching practical workplace skills to inculcating norms and expectations that allow students to easily segue into white collar workplaces. To me, this is a reason to worry about the yuppie meritocracy Murray describes. If your fitness for a particular job is tied to certain class-based markers instead of actual skills, we're looking at a situation where merit is increasingly irrelevant in the hiring process. A while back, Megan McArdle had an interesting post on how high-level financial firms screen prospective applicants. To deal with an admittedly massive pool of applicants, these companies look at what school you went to, what extracurricular activities you participated in, and so on before they bring in anyone new.
AEI put up an online quiz drawn from Murray's book that everyone might be interested in:
I'd add that he's missed the fact that middle class 20-somethings eagerly appropriate the trappings of blue collar 'Murica. PBR and Marlboro reds are just as likely to be consumed by a 20-something hipster nowadays.
I confess I don't read blogs like I used to, but I try to check in on The League every few months. The sub-blogs really seem to be humming - kudos to Erik and the rest of the gang for all their work.
Hahaha I knew you would bang out a long post on Klinsmann. I'm irrationally optimistic because I loved watching the guy play. USA! USA!
PS - I think Klinsmann's been living in California for the past several years, so he may be better acclimated to American culture than your average dirty foreigner.
Haha, thanks Mike. Richard Florida is more of a cheerleader than an enabler, so I'd compare him to the guys who run ESPN's ridiculous Heat Index. Riley is the corporate recruiter/CEO who scouts the hinterlands for talent and recruits targets for Big City firms.
So, I've got some mild restrictionist sympathies. But reading the reactions to this piece on some conservative sites makes me want to throw open the borders.
I confess I sometimes find "liberal" pragmatism more attuned to my conservative sensibilities than the idea of immutable natural rights. I think rights arose haltingly, tentatively, as a result of custom, habit, and democratic consensus, rather than some schema that was discovered fully-formed. I also think that is a thoroughly conservative sentiment.
Why do we have to take X-Men seriously? Admittedly, I haven't read the comics, but the movies don't really aspire to anything beyond successful summer blockbuster status.
"When put into these terms I can’t for the life of me find much reason to see libertarians and contemporary liberals/progressives as especially distinct entities."
Probably because empirical debates can get just as nasty as debates over first principles.
Leaving aside the accuracy of Keynes' remarks, I think there are some things worth talking about (and criticizing!) in this essay.
The thing that I found most implausible is the outsized political influence Metcalf attributes to a Harvard philosophy professor. A few superficial rhetorical similarities between "Anarchy" and a Thatcher speech don't come close to proving the sort of causal connection Metcalf blithely draws between a relatively narrow strand of intellectual libertarianism and the conservative counter-revolution.
The other thing that bothers me is taking on Nozick in 2011 feels like a tremendous dodge. Many libertarians - including, I think, all of the libertarians who contribute to this site - have basically internalized Rawls' larger point and made their peace with the ideas of redistribution and social insurance. The focus of political libertarianism is not returning to some minarchist paradise, but refashioning the welfare state through libertarian means. That project may be vulnerable to corporate co-option or guilty of providing an intellectual veneer to right-wing identity politics, but these are issues Metcalf chooses to ignore.
On “No Points for Thinking of Richard Branson”
I admit I found this quiz fascinating, probably because it confirms my own intuitions about class in America. I think the surest indication of the cultural shift Murray is talking about is our vocabulary: We literally had to invent terms like "yuppie" and "hipster" to describe these new social cleavages.
Here are some quick thoughts:
1) If this cultural shift is occurring, isn't it driven in part by the success of sophisticated consumer capitalism? People with more disposable income develop different, more expensive tastes, which are then catered to and expanded upon by advertisers, whose products and services then reinforce distinctions between different classes of consumers. It's interesting that Murray is approaching this from the perspective of a conservative concerned with cultural and social solidarity, because the success of conservative economic policies have arguably done more to encourage these trends than anything else. At the very least, the expansion of the welfare state isn't the only thing to blame.
2) We've discussed how college and other institutions of higher learning have shifted from teaching practical workplace skills to inculcating norms and expectations that allow students to easily segue into white collar workplaces. To me, this is a reason to worry about the yuppie meritocracy Murray describes. If your fitness for a particular job is tied to certain class-based markers instead of actual skills, we're looking at a situation where merit is increasingly irrelevant in the hiring process. A while back, Megan McArdle had an interesting post on how high-level financial firms screen prospective applicants. To deal with an admittedly massive pool of applicants, these companies look at what school you went to, what extracurricular activities you participated in, and so on before they bring in anyone new.
AEI put up an online quiz drawn from Murray's book that everyone might be interested in:
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=how-thick-is-your-bubble
I'd add that he's missed the fact that middle class 20-somethings eagerly appropriate the trappings of blue collar 'Murica. PBR and Marlboro reds are just as likely to be consumed by a 20-something hipster nowadays.
On “The League, Here and There and Back Again”
I confess I don't read blogs like I used to, but I try to check in on The League every few months. The sub-blogs really seem to be humming - kudos to Erik and the rest of the gang for all their work.
On “Hawks to the left of me, hawks to the right…here I am…”
I actually think the racism issue is a pretty big deal. Here's the full text of the TNR article on his newsletters:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1950362/posts
On “The Good German?”
Hahaha I knew you would bang out a long post on Klinsmann. I'm irrationally optimistic because I loved watching the guy play. USA! USA!
PS - I think Klinsmann's been living in California for the past several years, so he may be better acclimated to American culture than your average dirty foreigner.
On “Fund-raising drive”
I nominate Rufus as our director of sin outreach.
PS - I just kicked in a few bones. Are we anywhere close to our fundraising goal?
On ““Carmageddon,” Car-Culture, and Conservatism”
I agree with the indomitable van dyke on this one. For me, cars evoke the libertarian idea of freedom.
On “The Banality of Good: The Pale King by David Foster Wallace”
Did you join the League, Carr? Nobody tells me anything these days. In any event, welcome. I'm looking forward to reading your stuff.
On “Song for Stephen Metcalf”
Hahaha thanks, brother. Serious thought went into this musical selection.
"
Goddamnit, I can't believe no one has mentioned how appropriate this song is.
On “Immigration, Inequality and Pie”
Indeed. Mark and I had a pretty lengthy exchange on the issue of cultural assimilation a few months back.
On “Best Summary Judgment Motion Ever”
Scoreboard!
On “LeBron James and the creative class”
For those interested, I linked to an introduction to Florida's thesis above:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/where-the-smart-people-are-going/68325/
On “Strategy and politics in Afghanistan”
I told this girl I was a famous blogger, so I've got to put my money where my mouth is.
On “LeBron James and the creative class”
Too easy. Get your Dan Gilbert shots in now, folks.
"
Third world corruption, incompetence, or mismanagement weren't stifling LeBron's ascent to superstardom in Cleveland.
"
Haha, thanks Mike. Richard Florida is more of a cheerleader than an enabler, so I'd compare him to the guys who run ESPN's ridiculous Heat Index. Riley is the corporate recruiter/CEO who scouts the hinterlands for talent and recruits targets for Big City firms.
On “Jose Antonio Vargas: “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant””
So, I've got some mild restrictionist sympathies. But reading the reactions to this piece on some conservative sites makes me want to throw open the borders.
On “Still More Caricatures of Libertarianism”
Well, if Chait says it's good . . .
On “Painting Conservatism Out of the Corner: A Review of William Voegeli’s Never Enough: America’s Limitless Welfare State”
I confess I sometimes find "liberal" pragmatism more attuned to my conservative sensibilities than the idea of immutable natural rights. I think rights arose haltingly, tentatively, as a result of custom, habit, and democratic consensus, rather than some schema that was discovered fully-formed. I also think that is a thoroughly conservative sentiment.
On “X-Men: First Class”
Dude, I would watch Fassbender and McAvoy whittle sticks for two hours. Those guys are ballers.
"
Know that this post was basically my way of trying to get you to write something about this. So yeah, see the movie.
"
Why do we have to take X-Men seriously? Admittedly, I haven't read the comics, but the movies don't really aspire to anything beyond successful summer blockbuster status.
On “The rise and fall of libertarian thought”
"When put into these terms I can’t for the life of me find much reason to see libertarians and contemporary liberals/progressives as especially distinct entities."
Probably because empirical debates can get just as nasty as debates over first principles.
"
Leaving aside the accuracy of Keynes' remarks, I think there are some things worth talking about (and criticizing!) in this essay.
The thing that I found most implausible is the outsized political influence Metcalf attributes to a Harvard philosophy professor. A few superficial rhetorical similarities between "Anarchy" and a Thatcher speech don't come close to proving the sort of causal connection Metcalf blithely draws between a relatively narrow strand of intellectual libertarianism and the conservative counter-revolution.
The other thing that bothers me is taking on Nozick in 2011 feels like a tremendous dodge. Many libertarians - including, I think, all of the libertarians who contribute to this site - have basically internalized Rawls' larger point and made their peace with the ideas of redistribution and social insurance. The focus of political libertarianism is not returning to some minarchist paradise, but refashioning the welfare state through libertarian means. That project may be vulnerable to corporate co-option or guilty of providing an intellectual veneer to right-wing identity politics, but these are issues Metcalf chooses to ignore.
"
You fogies crack me up.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.