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Where did someone find the info that he grew up in Stuy Town? My strong recollection is that he grew up on the Main Line outside Philadelphia, or at least spent significant time there, and graduated from Radnor HS. This is alluded to in the Phila. Mag. article referenced at the bottom of the page. See also: http://www.waynepa.com/History/wellknown/default.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radnor_High_School That's correct - David grew up in Wayne, PA and graduated from Radnor High School in 1979. —Preceding unsigned comment added by StacyDutton ( talk • contribs) 17:59, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
David just stated tonight on the PBS NewsHour program that he got his biggest break working for W.F. Buckley Jr. straight out of College. He had written a parody bio. of Buckley in College. Buckley then visited the school and invited him to work for him directly from the stage. -- 166.84.254.33 ( talk) 01:12, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
Why are we told that he is Jewish in this roundabout way--"born into a Jewish family"? This echoes the N.Y. Times obituary style--"born to Jewish parents"--no one there is ever explicitly referred to as Jewish. Is Wikipedia concerned that Brooks may self-identify as a Buddhist or an atheist? In that case, you can never state with certainty that anyone is Jewish--or Catholic: perhaps on his deathbed, William F. Buckley converted to Islam. You weren't there to confirm or refute that possibility.Also, all biographies or none should state the subject's religion. Arguably ( talk) 23:53, 10 August 2008 (UTC)
Interesting point about being born into a Jewish family. If you see the article on Paul Krugman, you will note the same language. It is odd language that leaves the reader to believe that the subject has abandoned his Judaism. In the case of Brooks, that would not be the case as not that long ago he wrote an op-ed in the NY Times about his son's Bar Mitzvah. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.148.217 ( talk) 13:00, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
That quote from New York Magazine is a bit puzzling. While Buckley was reared Catholic, National Review was not a Catholic magazine. He brought in atheist George F. Will as an editor, who wrote the front page of every issue of the magazine for years. His instruction to Will, per a Will interview on CSPAN, was that he just be not hostile to religion. He did not have to be pro-religion. 2602:301:7734:4550:416E:996B:C7D8:B8CB ( talk) 22:57, 9 February 2016 (UTC) I thought I signed this, sorry 2600:1004:B16F:C1E6:A984:FBAB:5D00:E15F ( talk) 17:45, 10 February 2016 (UTC) SteveJEsposito ( talk) 17:46, 10 February 2016 (UTC)
I've heard him say it on C-Span in (I believe) an event in memorium of Rabin. Plus he is a senior editor of the Weekly Standard, a magazine which considers itself neoconservative.- Jersey Devil 19:32, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
David Brooks is a neocon / neoliberal, not a conservative.
At the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival (you can watch it on YouTube or foratv) the last question he is asked after presenting his latest book ideas is why he is a conservative and not a liberal. His answer is 'epistemological modesty'... a term that needs to be added to Wikipedia. Liberals over estimate what they actually know and attempt to reengineer society....conservatives stick with the tried and true, making only incremental changes rather than the radical. 74.192.42.63 ( talk) 11:48, 20 January 2009 (UTC)sbb
The above is one of the funniest bits of asshattery I have read in some time. Supposing for a moment that these labels have any real usable meaning today, the "conservatives" in the United States have been in the last several years an example of deluded overestimation of knowledge, while at the same time blocking actual knowledge and study. We should certainly open our eyes to the actual activities of the two groups, both detrimental to society in the US -and across the globe. ~~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.103.104.48 ( talk) 23:20, 17 March 2012 (UTC)
I was wondering if he ever naturalized or if he still retains his Canadian citizenship.
Regarding the subject of where David Brooks grew up, I can attest to the fact that he graduated from Radnor High School, in an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, as he was a classmate of mine in the Radnor class of '79. It's possible that he spent some earlier years living in NYC, but I can't vouch for that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by BchrisD ( talk • contribs) 23:09, 16 September 2007 (UTC)
In what way is "fast eddie" racist? Bill Clinton was called "slick willie." Comparing politicians to con artists is a very old tradition in America. Many are con artists. As an English journalist said, "Public men must expect public criticism, and no criticism is so good for them, and therefore for the State, as criticism of character." (from Alistair Cooke's Six Men) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.244.120.166 ( talk) 15:47, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
White 720 seems very intent on deleting everything remotely impugning the "integrity" of his beloved conservative commentator. I think the Applebee story and his comments in the NYT are very relevant. They're not opinionated, just stating fact, and people can ignore them, agree with what he said, or get offended as they choose. If you delete all these things, there really isn't very much left of the article is there?
117.102.134.31 (
talk) 06:51, 5 August 2008 (UTC)
According to Mr. Brooks there is a new trend in Nuerosciece and psychology; they are being more fully integrated into the disciplines of sociology, behavioral economics, political science and others. Nueroscience and pyschology are filling the gaps between outdated academic models in politics and economics. Models will then better represent empirical reality. He is about a quarter finished with the new book.
Mr. Brooks cites several academic sources that he plans to use in his book at the Aspen Ideas Festival in 2008. His formal presentation lasted 40 minutes and he took questions from the audience for another 30 minutes. Surprisingly, Mr. Brooks voice was 'shaky' for the first few minutes of the presentation. This may be due to an insecurity in speaking to a large group of academic researchers, whereas he is a talented generalist and not a researcher.
Mr. Brooks spoke briefly of the mental landscapes of President Bush and presidential candidates McCain and Obama. For example, former Pres. Bush leads with a mental landscape of 50 years in his mind, according to Brooks, and often forgets the present. He joking said that McCain's personality or mental landscape is pre-christian, but not to mean that McCain is older than Christ, rather that he espouses characteristics such as honor, courage, loyalty which were highly valued in ancient warrior cultures before the life of Christ. Compassion or charity are the characteristics espoused and valued in christian cultures of today. McCain has a warrior mentality which is expected due to his decorated military history and genealogy.
A woman in the audience was offended by Brook's pre-christian comment claiming that she is the same age as Senator Jon McCain and is not 'older than christ'. She was likely confused about Mr. Brook's motives or was being too oversensitive. Mr.Brooks has been an indirect supporter of McCain's presidential election campaign, often referring to him as a 'great man' and also stated that he almost wrote McCain's biography. Although Brooks favored McCain, he has an admiration and awe for Obama, specifically Obama's ability to distinguish motives or 'mindsight'.
Other stories Mr. Brooks tells of himself and Jon McCain are positive or humorous, such as the time they were gambling in Atlantic City and Mr. Books was forced to walk out of a casino with $500 in chips because McCain hated standing in lines. The husband of the offended woman later, in jest, stated that he was offended that he referred to his wife as a 'senior citizen'. Brooks was able to use humor throughout the presentation to avoid confrontation.
The last question he is asked after presenting his latest book ideas is why he is a conservative and not a liberal. His answer is 'epistemological modesty'... a term that needs to be added to wikipedia. Liberals over estimate what they actually know and attempt to reengineer society....conservatives stick with the tried and true, making only incremental changes rather than the radical.
—Preceding unsigned comment added by Sbb7101 ( talk • contribs) 12:29, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
Is David Brooks Jewish? Most articles citing him suggest that he is, but one pro-Jewish editor keeps reverting my edits that state David is Jewish. Some help on this would be appreciated as the editor in question is now threatening me with blocking. MichelleSBernard ( talk) 03:55, 1 February 2009 (UTC)
{{ Request edit}} If you find this link useful may you please add it to the article’s external links: Interview with David Brooks on Neuroscience Thank you, Anon111 ( talk) 18:11, 13 April 2010 (UTC)Anon111
The "Social Views" section could stand a serious update. Brooks has written at least two books dealing with upper middle class culture, including Bobos in Paradise and The Social Animal, as well as frequently espouses about culture in his New York Times columns, and has become a noted thinker on subjects such as social class and American meritocracy. And yet the only references to his opinions under "Social Views" constitute a rundown on his opinions regarding sex and marriage. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 149.166.163.142 ( talk) 15:08, 8 March 2011 (UTC)
I just downloaded about half of the Sidney Award essays Brooks picked out last month, and came here to see if I could confirm my memory of reading his columns about that before the Web made it possible easily to find the articles he was talking about. Instead I find that the Wikipedia entry doesn't even mention them. I realise Brooks is important as a pundit and so forth, but sheesh. If I didn't lack the info to do so, I'd add a whole section myself.
Joe Bernstein 66.212.64.252 ( talk) 01:47, 12 January 2013 (UTC)
I am wondering if this issue should be addressed in this article. →→ http://www.salon.com/2015/06/15/the_facts_vs_david_brooks_startling_inaccuracies_raise_questions_about_his_latest_book/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:3770:D5F0:7946:276C:924A:3EC8 ( talk) 19:33, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
The information on Brooks’ books needs to be more balanced. While the article discusses Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There, it is lacking in content on On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement (2011) and especially The Road to Character (2015). The latter two books both achieved #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and represent Brooks’ more recent work. The Social Animal connects insights into human nature from the cognitive sciences with the massive implications they have for economics and politics. [1] The Road to Character discusses the importance of values in American life. Brooks explains, “We live in a culture that focuses on external success. We live in a fast, distracted culture. We’ve lost some of the vocabulary other generations had to describe the inner confrontation with weakness that produces good character. I am hoping this book can help people better understand their own inner lives, their own moral adventures and their own roads to character.” [2] Updating the article with Brooks’ more recent work will improve its balance and accuracy.
References
An IP editor keeps adding the side note "which is peculiar considering his wife converted to Judaism" after the mention that Brooks is not particularly observant. I've reverted it a few times as an opinion. This is not something we can say in Wikipedia's voice. EvergreenFir (talk) Please {{ re}} 03:43, 7 March 2016 (UTC)
In the discussion of Brooks' article "No U-Turns", [1], the article used to read:
He [Brooks] claims that these core concepts had served their purposes and should no longer be embraced by Republicans in order to win elections, which he considers the most important purpose of a political party designed to serve the political class. vague
I removed the segment in italics. I read the referenced article and see no such claim about the purposes of political parties. Since the vague marker is from May 2012, this has been around long enough without clarification that I thought it best to remove it. Sondra.kinsey ( talk) 18:12, 11 August 2016 (UTC)
References
Did he give up his Canadian citizenship? Does anyone know?-- 173.56.236.51 ( talk) 03:19, 18 September 2016 (UTC)
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Gamaliel ( talk · contribs) just renamed this page from "David Brooks (journalist)" to "David Brooks (political commentator)". I suggest that "David Brooks (cultural commentator)" is most appropriate. I cite especially the following passage:
"Some of the big arcs and spheres of politics seem a little less relevant, and the individual relationships seem a lot more important, and you begin to adopt a more personalist and I think a more realistic lens. So Donald Trump has given me a reason to live this year, to oppose him, but I confess I’ve lost a lot of interest in politics because it doesn’t seem to me the primary reality anymore." [1]
Sondra.kinsey ( talk) 16:36, 28 December 2016 (UTC)
Should this aerticle be mentioned in the article ? -- Neun-x ( talk) 20:36, 20 May 2017 (UTC)
The phrase "fictional moderate majority" appears to be the opinion of the Wikipedia author and is nowhere to be found in Brooks' column of 2006 August 10:
Brooks statement that the fictional MiCain-Lieberman Party "counters with constant reminders that country comes before party, that in politics a little passion energizes but unmarshaled passion corrupts, and that more people want to vote for civility than for venom," appears to be sincere. A.T.S. in Texas ( talk) 13:51, 13 October 2017 (UTC)
A couple of weeks ago, I tagged the description of Brooks as a “conservative” in the lede as dubious. No one responded. Earlier today, I removed the “conservative” descriptor from the lede and added the following material under “political views”:
Another user takes issue with my edits, claiming that the sources are inadequate. I disagree. In addition, it should be noted that I included Brooks’s own words in my edits. I believe that the edits improve the article and should stay. SunCrow ( talk) 22:11, 11 November 2017 (UTC)
There's [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] SPECIFICO talk 20:04, 13 November 2017 (UTC)
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I've removed several of the way-too-many External links, per WP:EL and WP:NOTDIRECTORY. Below is a source (previously an external link) that could be used as a reference in future article expansion. --Animalparty! ( talk) 23:58, 3 January 2018 (UTC)
By far the most sources call Brooks a conservative. WP:SECONDARY sources are the foundation of Wikipedia, so the opinion of Brooks himself is interesting but not defining. We can certainly tell the reader where he thinks of himself on the continuum of liberal–conservative. Binksternet ( talk) 20:16, 13 January 2018 (UTC)
The (currently) final paragraph in the Criticisms section desperately needs to be improved. It has several references to Supreme Court cases that he allegedly mischaracterized, but it doesn't say what the cases were about or how he allegedly mischaracterized them. I don't have the time currently but this would be a good project if anybody wants to volunteer ;). Proxyma ( talk) 05:07, 22 December 2018 (UTC)
I noticed there were little to no criticisms from the Right in the section. Bettering the Wiki ( talk) 01:33, 31 August 2020 (UTC)
The adjective "conservative" was recently deleted from the first sentence of the article. I was about to revert the deletion, but then looked at some recent sources and now believe the deletion is justified. For example, in his NYT article This Is Where I Stand (August 13 2020) Brooks writes
Of course, we need more secondary sources, and in many ways Brooks certainly still is conservative, but I think it would be misleading to use the label in the first sentence. -- Chrisahn ( talk) 22:58, 18 September 2020 (UTC)
The introduction correctly mentions his work on the PBS program, but this is not explained or expanded on in the body. 199.127.133.181 ( talk) 18:11, 17 December 2021 (UTC)
There's an extraordinary amount of blowback at Brooks for his tweet apparently blaming the economy on his having bought 3 whiskeys at the airport. Who wants to try some article text? WaPo republic.com/post/175705/david-brooks-78-airport-meal-fact-check New Republic Politico Guardian Defector. SPECIFICO talk 20:05, 24 September 2023 (UTC)
"Cultural marxism" was a Nazi phrase, but it was used a bit differently, I think. As far as I know, the Nazis called various modern novels, paintings, plays, etc. cultural phenomena, they thought "entartet" "marxist", the whole thing "Kulturbolschewismus"; but cultural marxism now is not concerned with cultural phenomena (plays, novels, pictures, movies, whatever), but with a certain ("political correct") way of thinking about culture - in the anthropological/ ethnological/ sociological sense not esp. "elitist" art or literature - in the abstract. -- Ralfdetlef ( talk) 14:16, 23 April 2024 (UTC)