Bobos in Paradise, (by David Brooks) how do I love thee, let me count the ways!
This truly is one of the more enjoyable books I have read. On the one hand I don't want to get too overblown in my praise of the book. Chris Tucker, of the Dallas Morning News has a blurb on the back that says "bobos will join preppies, yuppies, and angry white males in the American lexicon." Those are all transient categories and descriptions and I think the term "Bobo" will be similar. All of those are transient categories and I'm pretty sure they'll all fall by the wayside with use, as will the term Bobos. I'm sure that, with the pace of cultural change there will be some new term to describe some new demographic of people in the very near future.
However, for now, this book is very insightful, and just plain fun to read. It is a work of sociology, and I can't think of anything more snooze inducing than sociology. But, as the back cover of the book says, it is a work of "comic sociology." Truly it is - the little one liners that are peppered throughout the book keep you turning pages, looking for the next one.
One of the first, and one of my favorite, punch lines is on page 20. Describing the old bourgeois who hung out at "local clubs where town fathers gathered to exchange ethnic jokes and dine on lamb chops topped with canned sauces - cream of mushroom, cream of aspagus, cream of leak," Brooks comments parenthetically "People didn't worry about cholesterol then, since it had not yet become unfashionable to get sick and die."
The "town fathers" of yesteryear were the elites of society. Being "elite" in the good ol' days was all about breeding, being from the right family. Brooks talks about the weddings page of the New York Times of yesterday and how their descriptions of the bride and groom spoke mainly of their family history. Back then, if you were born into the right families you could go to the ivy league schools. Brooks isn't really making a value judgment here, he is quite kind to the older elites, speaking of them as being generally benevolent.
Brooks also points out that during the olden days there was a pretty clear demarcation between bourgeois values and bohemian values. The elites were the bourgeois, the aristocracy of the day. Then there were the bohemians - the artists and assorted free spirits. The bohemians became the beatniks and the hippies.
Over time, the aristocracy was overtaken by a meritocracy. From the 50's till the 90's the Ivy League schools (and other colleges and universities) switched their admission procedures so that they admitted more on the basis of merit, than connections. Similarly, those who "merited" admission to colleges and universities, have "merited" admission into the power places of society. So, the elite are now, not merely a kind of "landed gentry," if they are that at all. They are those who have achieved success.
In the old days the aristocracy breathed a kind of rarefied air where they learned all kind of manners and other ways of behaving which were commensurate with their status. The new meritocracy hasn't had the benefit of such training. As such, many, or most of the members of the new elite, the new meritocracy, have brought some distinctly bohemian values into their privileged positions. They are more artsy, less formal, and far more imaginative. Thus, we have Bobo's - the new meritocracy, elites with bohemian values.
Bobos are earthy, casual, ecological and very concerned about health. For the Bobos, it is unfashionable to get sick and die. Bobos practice a "more casual than thou" lifestyle. They are in touch with the great outdoors, even if they spend most of their lives indoors. This is reflected in their clothing, their furniture and their gadgets.
Bobos have their own code of ethics. Being in touch with nature and personal health are very important. A Bobo wouldn't dream of spending $25,000 on something as frivolous as an entertainment system, but they may spend the same amount on a slate shower stall, showing how in touch they are with the rhythms of nature. They may never hike Mount Everest, but they have the hiking boots and jackets that would enable them to do so if the opportunity arose. Brooks speaks of those in Silicon Valley who come to work wearing glacier glasses and hiking boots - as if a wall of ice were going to come sliding through the parking lot at any minute.
There is such a thing as sin in Bobo-land. In times past morals were codified by things like the Ten Commandments. In Bobo-land, morals are codified by the CDC and FDA. So, whereas in the past mom and dad may have severely reprimanded their teenage daughter for not wearing enough clothes on the beach, nowadays said teenager daughter can wear dental floss for a bathing suit, but she will get seriously reprimanded for not wearing enough sunscreen. In the past, smoking pot was socially unacceptable, today eating red meat is socially unacceptable. I suppose I should qualify that a bit. As an Atkins-era Bobo myself, eating red meat is sanctified and holy, but the Krispy Kreme has replaced the old time brothel as the new den of iniquity. And yes, I have sinned boldly at the Krispy Kreme
Bobos are very purpose driven, and this is seen most clearly in the chapter on pleasure. This chapter begins with a description of the Arizona Power Exchange - an S & M group in Phoenix that offers newsletters, workshops, discussion groups, and personal growth and support groups for those who are involved in what is euphemistically called "the leather community." They provide an atmosphere where one can discuss and participate in such things in a caring, accepting atmosphere, with all dignity and respect. Forgive me if I am a bit naive here - as a pastor, the Marquis de Sade was not on any of my seminary reading lists, but I have always heard the Marquis de Sade spoken of as someone with, shall we say, more sinister intentions. Yet, here are his followers giving us sado-masochism and humiliation with respect and dignity. This isn't sinister, this is clinical. Brooks says:
In short, over the past few years the educated class has domesticated lust by enshrouding it in high-mindedness. The Bobos have taken sex, which for centuries has been thought to be arousing or sinful or possibly dangerous, and they have made it socially constructive.He goes on:
They are meritocrats through and through. So they don't just enjoy orgasms, they achieve orgasm. Sex in this literature is like college; it's described as a continual regimen of self-improvement and self-expansion.Then, on page 194:
Everything in the Bobo life is purposeful.Bingo!! The Bobo life is the purpose driven life. For the Bobo, the meritocrat, life is one long graduate school, you are constantly getting new degrees, increasing proficiency and achieving more and more success. For the Bobos, who came out of the pleasure driven sixties, even sex and pleasure, the things they used to do to avoid or get distracted from school, have now become part of school. Brooks goes on to describe the way that even vacations and play are part of the program of self-improvement and self-enrichment. It used to be that play and vacations were a way of getting away school and work - now they are a part of it.
(Hey, here's my ticket to fame and fortune - I'll write a book called "The Purpose Driven Sex-Life." It won't have to be a good book, the title itself will be enough to sell millions!)
As a pastor, this helped me to understand something of life in the church today. Today, the highest value in many churches is to be "Purpose Driven." I wonder how much of the purpose driven stuff has unconsciously grown out of Bobo culture. In one sense, this shows the genius of guys like Rick Warren. Warren is so successful because he has tapped into one of Bobo-culture's greatest desires - to find purpose in all they do. This "purpose driven gospel" is very persuasive in Bobo-land and is a great point of contact for the church with the world outside the church. Warren is correct when he says that God has a purpose for every individual life, and this is a very powerful point of connection.
On the other hand, if Brooks is correct this "purposeful" Bobo life is driven by the ideas of merit and achievement, two ideas which are foreign to the Christian message. Sure, merit and achievement are important to the Christian, but the Christian faith depends on Christ's merits and achievements on behalf of His people and specifically disdains any attempts of anyone who would seek to achieve or merit His favor. So, its worthwhile for the followers of the "purpose driven gospel" to ask themselves if their pursuit of purpose is not tantamount to a pursuit of merit or achievement in God's eyes. If so, they need to re-orient their thinking.
One of the fun things about reading the book is seeing myself in the book. I am with the Bobo's completely in the "more casual than thou thing." I hate to wear ties and dress shoes. I've always been with Linda Ellerbee who said: "If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a noose around your neck?" Amen, preach it sister. (BTW - here are some fun quotes about ties for those of you who share my disdain for them). If I wasn't afraid of creating a scandal I would preach in jeans and a t-shirt. Some guys take pride in their tie collection, I take pride in my t-shirt collection.
Although I didn't go to an ivy league school, I did go to college, and education has been a big part of my life. This is very much a part of Bobo culture. I can relate to the idea that life is one big long graduate school. I'm always wanting to read more, learn more and I love to get certified in things (yep, I'm certifiable alright!).
I don't have any glacier glasses, but I do have the SwissChamp, which is the top of the line Swiss Army Knife, or at least it was top of the line when I bought it. If its not anymore then by all means I will have to get the newest and best. MacGyver would be proud of this knife, it has enough tools to handle any survival situation. And you never know when you could be lost in Baltimore, yards from civilization, and need a knife like that. It's got 50 features and I know I have used at least a half-dozen of them. Even though I have only used a few of them, I am comforted to know that the rest are there should I ever need them. Oh, btw, I also have a cool little pouch to carry it with on my belt. Makes me look rugged and outdoorsy!
I don't have real good hiking boots, but I do have top of the line New Balance cross trainers. These things give my feet and ankles the padding and support I need to run a marathon, play basketball or handle rough terrain. I don't do any of that, but a guy like me needs shoes like this. After all, when I get out of my car to go into the house I often step into a sandy patch on my lawn, cross a concrete driveway, walk on some grass, climb a flight of five steps, and walk into a house where the terrain changes rapidly from wood flooring to carpet to linoleum. It's good to have shoes that can withstand such punishment and constantly changing terrain. Also, to get from my bedroom to the refrigerator, to the bathroom and to the TV room I have to turn several sharp corners and go up and down flights of six steps, so I need a shoe that gives me good ankle support.
Oh well, enough silliness for now, the point is that we all have imbibed Bobo values to some degree. All in all, Brooks paints a very positive picture of the Bobos. Sure, there is much silliness in Bobo-land, but much good has come out of it. Even though I have argued that Bobos need to be careful about transferring their merit driven worldview to their view of how they relate to God, the fact is that their hard work has brought about much temporal good in the world. Bobos have made it possible for those who don't come from the "right families" to find success in this world. Although they overdo the back to nature and health thing at times, there are many benefits to the healthier and more ecologically friendly lifestyles they adopt.
One of the problems I see is that there is a latent narcissism in Bobo-land. Much of what Bobos do is for the purpose of self-enrichment and self-empowerment. Even when they care and volunteer (which is another of the many good things they do), they often do it because it makes them feel good or enriches them. In reading the book I didn't see any attitude of pursuing the good, simply because it is good.
I didn't say anything about the chapter on "spiritual life" but it was insightful. As a pastor, I am particularly interested in these matters. The whole "purpose driven" lifestyle of the Bobo's is something which resonates with the Christian faith, as I mentioned above with a few caveats. But what is most noticeable about Bobo spirituality is its emphasis that "each person can and must find his or her own course to spiritual fulfillment." The problem with that is, when each and every person is his or her own god, or can make their own god, they have to deal with the reality that their own personal god may not be the one true God. A bit of wisdom from the pre-Bobo era is in order here - the pre-Bobo's use to say "there is a God and you ain't He."
I understand that I hold to an exclusivistic view of God which most Bobo's don't, but I would encourage them to consider that if there truly is a God out there, He may not succumb to being defined by each person in his or her own way.
Having said all of that, I recommend the book highly. Its truly an enjoyable read and it will be so fun you'll forget you are learning anything.
I hope you will also read Brooks' newest book "Paradise Drive." Or, it could be called I think "Bobos Continued." It's a great read too::)
Posted by: Diane R | August 16, 2004 at 07:40 PM
I have been somewhat amazed at the fact that seminaries do not give courses on weddings, funerals, or other cerimonial duties of the pastor. I think someone could make a killing, pun intended, by writing a book for pastors called "The Purpose Driven Funeral". It is all about the...
Worship - Your gonna have a lot of time for that now.
Fellowship - Time to reaquaint yourself with relatives from the past.
Discipleship - Its time for glorification.
Ministry - Serving with the heavenly hosts.
Evangelism - Sort of breaks down at this point....
Posted by: Terry | August 16, 2004 at 08:48 PM
Diane - I'm looking forward to reading it.
Terry - a little black humor eh? A side of you I don't see much of :-)
Posted by: David | August 16, 2004 at 09:53 PM
>And yes, I have sinned boldly at the Krispy Kreme
I guess that's why they call really good deserts "sinful pleasures".
Posted by: William Meisheid | August 17, 2004 at 08:15 AM