Radical Chic for the 21st Century
Say, Haven't I Seen this Show Before?
For those of my readers who were born after the Baby Boom, Radical Chic was described by Tom Wolfe (not to be confused with Thomas Wolfe, a completely different writer), in his seminal take-down of those present at Leonard Bernstein’s cocktail party with the Black Panthers.
Wolfe always was an outsider in NYC. He was Southern-born and bred, and found himself rubbing shoulders with The Monied Elite of his time. He used that access to power, and his non-native New Yorker status, to poke holes in the inflated pretentions of The Rich and Famous, who competed in appearing Edgier Than the Rest, at a time when writers covering society Simply Did NOT DO Reportage that made their lofty subjects objects of ridicule.
Which Wolfe did, without a qualm.
That’s what the alternative media does - and, has the Entitled Elite foaming at the mouth, and lobbying for Those Awful People to be Shut Down!
Sorry for all the Capitals. Somehow, that’s what I envision when I hear the outraged shrieks of the Leftist Celebrities.
But, as with Wolfe and others, all the outrage has had little effect. Even de-platforming, de-banking, and making terrorist threats against those not falling into line with the narrative of the Entertwined Elite, has not stopped those Ignorant Little Hillbilly Pissants from putting their less-than admiring essays/podcasts/videos in full view of the public.
How DARE they! as Saint Greta would have said. (Sadly, that pint-sized provocateur has lost the majority of her formerly admiring coterie since exiting puberty).
The War on Alternative Media continues; The Left has failed, but expect them to continue their nipping attacks at our heels. Like an overly excited toy dog, there is little damage they can inflict, and pretty much zero chance of a fatal wound, but they can - and will - continue their yippy little fight.