Bobos and Plastic Surgery

Taken from the Amazon reviews of Bobos in Paradise:

Bobos in Paradise is largely an exercise in denial. Brooks wants us (and himself no doubt) to believe that Bobos are cute, brilliant and idealistic and their flaws trivial. Furthermore, he argues that they are the new ruling class. This is more self-delusion on his part. The fact is, bobos are too content in their little cocoons of consumption to attempt to conquer the world. 

This hits on an interesting question that has certainly come into the mindset of many Americans over the last year. Who is in charge? With the election coming in less than 200 days this question is more pertinent than ever.

I do not necessarily agree that bobos are content to not rule the world and stay in their “cocoons of consumption.” From anything, it is obvious that bobos enjoy the rush of competition and value themselves as educated, right-minded people. This is especially true of you consider how the bobos gained their power through education and merit.  As we discussed in class, however, aspects of this book tend to be a bit dated, especially considering the economic downturn in the last four years. While people still certainly buy SUVs and spend lavish amounts on home remodeling, I believe the new era bobos have more of a focus on “green” things. Perhaps now a bobo would be seen driving a prius with recycled, reusable grocery bags in the back. Living in Asheville certainly makes it hard to criticize this type of person. Honestly, I don’t view the new era bobo as that bad of a person, as Brooks seems to. I believe that these bobos are doing more good than bad with their lives and while Bobos in Paradise is clever in satirizing them, I feel that bobos are perfectly fine in society. 

Upon researching more into David Brooks in addition to watching videos of him speaking, I find Brooks to be a bit smug and unpleasant. As I read Bobos I was very anxious asking if I was a bobo in my mind. Maybe it’s my bobo mindset, but because I see nothing wrong with being a partial bobo, I’ve decided to not be too worried.

In this review of Bobos George Will summarizes and critiques the book, saying:

In its power to set tastes and manners, the Bobo elite makes America today as hierarchical as in the 1950s. Bobos, says Brooks, are "epistemologically modest," claiming to be too short on certitude to be "judgmental." Except, of course, about some things, such as smoking, which is considered more sinful than breaking at least five commandments. And Bobos favor the indoctrination of children, who, Brooks notes, are more "awash in moral instruction" than Victorian children were. Today's three R's--pumped into them by television and teachers--are racial sensitivity, recycling and reproduction.

Today, Brooks says, to calculate a person's status, multiply his net worth by his anti-materialist attitudes. The 1960s countercultural radicalism has, he says, been reconciled with bourgeois consumption. But Brooks's thesis--that 1960s radicalism has been gentrified--takes too seriously the 1960s radicals' own self-flattering estimate of their seriousness.

I feel that Brook’s claim about children being “awash in moral instruction” to be a bit extreme. Brooks would tell me it’s because I’ve been indoctrinated with this bobo society, but being conscious of recycling and racial sensitivity is necessary in today’s climate. Perhaps this is yet another example of Bobos being dated and a product of a more innocent pre 9/11 time.

On a different note, our small class conversation relating to plastic surgery got me wondering about the statistics surrounding plastic surgery. Here’s a chart taken from economist.com related to plastic surgery and countries around the world:

While the US has the most plastic surgery overall, per capita America isn’t even in the top five!  I then searched around on youtube for videos explaining this increase in plastic surgery in South Korea to find the following video.

In it there is a girl (12 years old!) getting her eyelids reshaped so that she can have a larger eye. The best part is the clip at the end when Martin Wong comments on the surgery. He calls it a form of cultural imperialism, viewing it as a form of racial self-hatred. Once again, the oppressor-oppressed relationship comes into play, only in this case it relates to aesthetics. The South Korean culture places a large amount of emphasis on looks, 90% of people polled for a news article said that look are a factor in acquiring a job. Sure, there is a lot of pressure in the US to look a certain way, but I do not feel that is a huge factor in job applications. Perhaps it is because I’m not applying for jobs where that would be an issue. Still, it makes me quite sad to see 12 year-olds unhappy with their appearance due to its racial background.