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. 

Manufactured Landscapes and My Learning

After viewing Manufactured Landscapes in class I became curious about the status of the dam that was in the process of being built during the film. The dam is call the Three Gorges Dam and it was completed on time in 2008. Here’s a 20-minute video about the dam and how it has impacted the Yangtze River. 

Also, here’s a photo of the impact the dam has had on the river (taken from wikipedia).

Caption: These images show the Yangtze River in the vicinity of the Three Gorges Dam (lower right). Landsat 7 acquired the top image on November 7, 2006, after the main wall was complete. Landsat 5 acquired the bottom image on April 17, 1987. The lower image has been recolored to more closely match the colors of the upper one.

About 9 minutes into the video the narrator begins to cover the environmental impact that the river has had, mainly causing many more landslides.

The journalist asks if building the dam was worthwhile for China. On one hand, hydropower massively reduces carbon dioxide emissions from what would have been coal power plants. In order to truly understand the costs of the dam it will take more time to see the environmental impacts more clearly.

This is a classic example of economic profit and growth coming before the needs of the people. I have always wondered what Chinese people think about all of the stuff they manufacture for the rest of the world. I was shocked by the apathy on the faces of the workers seen in the first shots of the film. The yellow color used throughout the factory seems like a cruel joke on the workers, it highlights (no pun intended) the lack of dignity seen in the factory.

This search into China’s mega factories led me to inevitably find information about Foxconn, the electronic mega company that produces computers, phones, etc. for companies like Apple, Nintendo, Dell, and more. This is the same factory where 17 workers committed suicide by jumping off the top of various buildings, causing the company to install nets to deter these deaths. Nightline had a report about Foxconn that I will post here, though they obviously gloss over many aspects of the company.

Of course I think that factory workers should have conditions that reflect the dignity that all humans are entitled to have, but what exactly are the “better” conditions demanded by Western media? “Foxconn said it will reduce working hours to 49 per week, including overtime” this Reuters article reads. This is an 11-hour drop in hours allowed, and instead of being thrilled (as Western workers would probably be), Foxconn’s employees are wary of the change. While there was “compensation that protects them against losing income” many workers did not believe they would still be making the same wages as they were previously with the greater amount of hours. I wonder if there was any consideration given to the fact that these Chinese workers have a completely different set of values in comparison to American culture; there is a different attitude placed on work in China than there is here in the United States.

Since my honors exit interview I have been thinking a lot about my experience at UNCA over the last four years. It goes without saying that any experience lasting four years will have an impact on an individual, but I know college has made a lasting impact on my outlook on life. I feel like a goal of the UNCA curriculum is to have students gain an appreciation for the differences around us, this also seems to be a goal of our capstone course. For me, college has opened my eyes to a lot of different issues never discussed by the public education system of my home state of Tennessee. I have become more thoughtful in the way I address people, less likely to jump to judgmental conclusions after meeting a new person.

While there are awkward moments at IHAD, the overall experience is very positive. By far, tutoring is my favorite part of our class (in fact, I’m hoping to be able to volunteer more this summer!). Something I brought up with Dr. Hobby was my learning through contrasts. For every fun, positive moment at IHAD there certainly is a more serious experience as well. These serious encounters have reminded me of the difference between my upbringing and the dreamers’. There are certainly moments that make me very sad, but on the whole these experiences give me an appreciation for all that I had growing up and the impact I can make for others. It’s easy to think that these kids won’t remember us, but I certainly remember adults from my childhood (camp counselors and students T.A.s for example). Hopefully one dreamer will have a positive memory of someone in our class.  

On a dance related note, I found this video that I watched a few semesters ago in my Asian Religious Traditions class. The dancers are performing a tribute to Guanyin, one of the most compassionate figures in Buddhism. The China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe performs this complex dance, and every member in the performance is deaf. If you have not seen the performance before, watch it! It’s incredible!