Sunday, July 13, 2014

David Brooks on Fatherhood


28 comments:

The Dude said...

I have never seen that Obama-knobber before - made it 20 seconds into this mess - what a douche.

Go iron some pants, you twit - sadly the pain caused by the walking blunder you visited upon this country will never be felt by your coddled, cossetted family. More's the pity.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Aspen Ideas Festival? Please let me know if a good idea ever comes out of this elitist suckfest.

rcocean said...

Sorry Lem I don't listen to David Brooks. Is he still claiming to be a conservative while supporting Obama?

Shouting Thomas said...

He has some interesting things to say, particularly about his son who joined the Israeli army.

Everything is not about politics.

Titus said...

fucking rino, hate him.

rcocean said...

So, his son joined the Israeli Army? But not the American army.

Puts his comments on the Middle east, and Foreign Policy, in a whole new perspective doesn't it?

ndspinelli said...

Dems and Rep love to hate this guy. He has pomposity in him, but he makes some superb observations. Listen to what he had to say before blasting him. He nails shitty parents. As ST said, everything is not about politics.

Shouting Thomas said...

For some reason, I spent a half hour today watching videos about the war in Syria and Iraq and the atrocities being committed by ISIS.

Takes commitment and courage to face that nightmare by enlisting in the Israeli army.

Can you imagine losing your child or your grandchild to that insane Muslim cult? They scream "Allahu Akbar" while they slaughter.

I think that the reason I watched those videos is because I believe that that war is bound to reach the U.S. in full force at some point in the future. NYC is a sitting duck, and my kids and grandchildren are in the crosshairs. The first and second attacks on the WTC were just preludes.

The Israelis are holding the line for us in that war, with little help or even encouragement from Obama's crew. You might even say that Obama seems to like the terrorists better.

I've been thinking about whether I should encourage my kids to get as far away from NYC as possible. They have great lives here. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I doubt it.

rcocean said...

Well, to give him credit I liked his book on "Bobos" or whatever it was titled.

Unfortunately, he's represented to the American People - by PBS and the NYT - as some sort of "conservative". Which he isn't.

Shouting Thomas said...

I also liked his comments about excessive focus on kids by parents.

My daughter is planning on having another child. I think this will be very good for my granddaughter because her parents won't be quite so obsessively focused on her.

It will take the pressure off a bit.

My daughter and son-in-law are great parents. I keep my mouth shut. They always want my granddaughter to be on. My role as grandfather seems to have become to give her a quiet space where she can let down her hair and not be required to amaze and perform.

sakredkow said...

That's wisdom.

Titus said...

He writes for the NY Times and drives a volvo and is a a RINO. LIkely drinks lattes with soy too.

He is deplorable and must be destroyed.

Worst of all he isn't angry and pissed enough to be a real conservative.

hate him.

tits.

ndspinelli said...

ST, Great wisdom.

chickelit said...

Brooks likes O'bama and Sullivan and hates on Palin so yeah, what Titus said.

chickelit said...

I've never been part of nor experienced the "high pressure, high-achieving culture" which Brooks describes at the end of this clip. He did not parent the way my father did. He is alien to me.

chickelit said...

rcocean said...
So, his son joined the Israeli Army? But not the American army.

Puts his comments on the Middle east, and Foreign Policy, in a whole new perspective doesn't it?


Indeed.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I give Brooks a lot of crap (because he deserves it). If you ever listed to him with Dionne on the radio he is an absolute quisling to everything conservative. Remember this guy used to work at National Review during the WFB Jr. days, he is not stupid, he is a sell out. I could care less about him being liberal, but I despise him for the lying way he presents himself He is an opportunist (just like Morning Joe Scarborough).

I am glad he is into being a father (many scumbags at least try to be good fathers), but a conservative he is not.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Titus, soy lattes increase male estrogen levels.

Just saying. You might consider switching to almond milk.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

David Brooks' comments about his family I am sure are sincere (and I wish his son the best in the IDF). I will say this about Israel, it is hard scrabble but honest and real. I like Israelis a lot. I admire them greatly. They reflect something we have started to lose here.

I do see parents who want their kids to do well, but unfortunately I see a lack of accountability as the bigger threat. Unconditional love is important (especially when they are little), but kids also need to know there are consequences and moral decisions in life and better to learn that at home than after they get arrested for something as an adult.

I am all for young people following their bliss. Great. But if you want to be an artist, you do not need a MFA from Williams, you need to study your craft like the old masters did and strike out on your own. If you do not have the balls for that, then perhaps art is not for you. If you talent is dependent on getting the "right" connections in the art world…you might think about your talent. Don't depend on mom and dad to pay for a college education that costs more than most people's houses and then whine that they aren't showing you "unconditional" love.

The other thing I see are helicopter parents who condition their children not to risk any failure. These kids are unemployable when they come out of school. Raising narcissists is not a good thing either.

Icepick said...

Israel is not holding the line against ISIS. Bashar Assad is. Maliki is trying (and failing). The Ayatollahs are.

And oddly enough, al Qaeda is trying to hold the line against ISIS.

But Israel isn't involved in this fight.

Meanwhile, our allies Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and the other Gulf States are backing al Qaeda, and the reason al Qaeda and ISIS are going at it is that ISIS wants some of that funding, and the Saudi princes won't give it to them. So they've set out on their own course.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Ice Pick, the ISIS and al Qaeda going at it some infighting, not really going at it. Al Qaeda and the ISIS have the same goal, just the ISIS is more hamfisted about it. Israel is dealing with Hamas right now and the ISIS is over the horizon in Northern Syria an the Jordan Iraq border.

Trooper York said...

You would be better off if Foster Brooks were your father.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...

Israel might have to get involved with ISIS since they have obtained nuclear material. They won't stand by because they know thing about Muslim fanatics. If they get a weapon they will use it.

There seems to be a concentrated drive to have a nuclear incident in Israel. Witness the shooting of rockets at the Nuclear power plant. If the terrorist succeed in fostering a nuclear incident in Israel the whole Muslim world will not be happy with the retaliation.

Trooper York said...

There are really no restraints on Israels retaliation. The whole world is against them already. They have a bitter enemy in the White House. They are backed up against the wall. Their children are being picked up off the street and murdered. Jews are being attacked in colleges all over the United States. Angry Mobs are attacking synagogues in Paris.

They can only depend on themselves and their own strength and valor.

The Dude said...

If you happen to think of it, pick up some pretzels.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

The NYT is (as is often the case) weeks being everyone else on this story...but it does give some insight on why a person like David Brooks would be so into Barack Obama.

I love a late dinner consisting of fine food, wine and conversation as much as the next person (although I would skip the rib eyes). But this faux intellectual crap from Brookie and Obama would make me gag.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Israel has to do what Israel has to do. I wish David Brooks' son the best in his service there. The ISIS are a bunch of thugs and the only thing they understand is force.