In Defense of Elitism

Starred review from July 1, 2019
In this hilarious refereeing of the culture wars, former Time columnist Stein (Man Made) roams America studying wealthy, Ivy league–educated, conference-attending elites and their populist detractors. In Miami, Tex.—located in Roberts County, where 95.3% of the population voted for Trump—he finds not violent yahoos but friendly, thoughtful conservatives who nicely try to convert his Jewish-atheist soul to Christianity. At a Resistance party with Hollywood elites in L.A., he finds liberal dogmas even more rigid than Texan Baptists’ certitudes. And he fences with such “populist elites” as Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams and Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson as they disparage elite expertise in favor of Trump-ian gut instincts and nationalist allegiances. A halfhearted elitist himself, Stein makes a case against the epistemic anarchism of populists, conspiracy theorists, and antivaxxers, arguing that Americans need intellectual elites to run society—his hero is L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti, fixer of potholes and transit systems—and to protect individual rights. Stein’s excellent reportage keeps the ideology light andis full of one-liners—“elites feel the same way about college as non-elites do about church,” especially because “our church got us drunk and laid”—that generously skewer everyone. The result is an insightful, uproarious take on America’s political divide.

August 15, 2019
The rise of populism inspired a journalist's search for answers. Former Time staff writer and columnist Stein (Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity, 2012) brings wit, irreverence, and considerable thoughtfulness to a timely issue: the rise of anti-elitism in politics, science, education, and many other areas that privilege knowledge and expertise. "Elites are people who think; populists are people who believe," he writes. "Elites defer to experts; populists listen to their own guts. Elites value cooperation; populists are tribal." To help elites turn back the populist trend, the author decided to investigate what populists want, why they think as they do, and how elites can maintain and defend their authority in a changing world. His search took him to Miami, Texas, a town of about 600 residents, more than 95 percent of them Trump voters. As he expected, they own guns, are faithful congregants of the First Baptist Church, and take every opportunity "to delegitimize expertise." The Miamians think that hyphenated Americans only inflame racial and ethnic conflict. "Elites may have not caused racism," they contend, "but they've magnified racial tensions, in the same way that abolitionists exacerbated our nation's problem with slavery." They trust one another but not their country. "They're living in a remote tribal island," Stein concludes, "untouched by the last thirty years." Yet, they welcomed the author--a journalist and a Jew--warmly. Stein's research also took him to elite conferences, where, he discovered, "the elite dream, is not to own a yacht but to give a TED talk." Among Stein's interviewees are FOX political commentator Tucker Carlson, who rants against diversity, and "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams, who has bought into the "primordial masculinity" of populism, along with its conspiracy theories. Stein repeatedly--and persuasively--makes a case for expertise. "The world seems fragile and I want trustworthy, trained people running it," he writes. As for the "Intellectual Elites" who do, precariously, run the world, he offers a word of advice: respect. Listen without judging or mocking; negotiate with empathy. A wise perspective on America's cultural divide.

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September 1, 2019
On election night in 2016, Stein was one of many intellectual elites surprised by the outcome of the presidential race. Prompted by what he considered a stunning upset, he found himself compelled to search for information to help make sense of what just happened. Divided into five sections?"The Populists," "The Elites," "The Populist Elites," "The Elite Populists," and "Saving the Elite," with several chapters in each?Stein's "defense" presents a well-rounded look at the people and ideas at the core of America's political divide. Stein unabashedly declares himself an elitist, but he treats all viewpoints fairly and with respect. And even though he is a thinker rather than a go with your gut guy, this is not a dry, academic analysis but a good read filled with laugh-out-loud humor as current and historical contexts are clearly and neatly communicated. Valid points throughout lead to a final suggestion for encouraging positive growth on all sides. Offering a plethora of relevant data to inspire thoughtful contemplation and discussion, accompanied by audible guffaws, this is a joy to consume.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)