NYRB Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: New York Review of Books, January 14, 2021

“Orthodoxy of the Elites” by Jackson Lears

I was discomforted by Lears’ article even as I was applauding his trenchant critique of neo-liberalism and a self-serving meritocracy.  First, his treatment of the person Applebaum stooped to ad hominem attacks. Certainly, her background is a story of centrist elites, but his attacks got in the way of making his substantive points.  In contrast, the review of Applebaum’s book in the Nation by  David Klion, accomplished a critique of Applebaum without personal attacks.  Second, Lears’ erudition on so many topics got in the way of his key challenge to liberals like me:  we need to own up to our complicity in the current situation of systemic inequality and racism, which has led to an abandonment of the working class.  Which leads to my third discomfort. He is right about liberals’ selling out to neo-liberalism and a form of meritocracy. He is right we need to examine ourselves rather than blaming others.  However, I was more directly challenged to undertake  this self-examination by the reading of Thomas Frank’s Listen Liberal or What Ever Happened to the Party of  the People. Frank provides all the vivid raw data with examples from the Clinton and the Obama administrations.  

In spite of the first two discomforts yet because of the third, Lears’ article is worth several deep readings.  Each paragraph suggests many years of research and thinking on Lears’ part.  It is an article that needs to be unpacked into several books.  One such reference struck a chord with me and provided a helpful framing of elite orthodoxy. He stated: “The belief that people get what they deserve is rooted in the secular individualist outlook that has legitimated inequality in the United States for centuries, ever since the Protestant ethic began turning into the spirit of capitalism.” Following this allusion there is an analogy that is worth considering.  Max Weber’s thesis was that wealth, through individual hard work (the Protestant Ethic) was an indication that individuals were  part of God’s elect. It was a sign that they were “winners” in God’s eyes, and they deserved it.  It was a material bromide to compensate for doctrines of predestination that were psychologically unacceptable.  

Analogously, the ideology of meritocracy suggests that if you rise to the top via your “talent” defined by your class, expertise and achievements in top schools (even if you got in via legacy, or a head start due to your wealth, class and access) then you deserved to be there and were one of the winners, self-defined and confirmed by fellow talented winners. No God is needed as Lears points out this value is now a deep in our individual oriented secular culture.  This is Lears at his best, drawing our attention to parts of our culture that support elite rationalizations.  

However, pondering Lears article did leave me with a big question. Why have we not been able to induce the self-examination that Lears, Frank and others call for?  When I am honest with myself, I know that their analysis is correct. What will it take to change course? Frank suggests that we need to rededicate ourselves “to the economic well-being of ordinary citizens.”  Lears, suggests that we need a “deliverance” from American exceptionalism.  We need to “grapple with the significance of our…history, including the many crimes committed in the name of American democracy.” How will this happen?  We need  leadership and a social movement to carry forth a commitment to a view of the common good, not tied to power and prestige.  More articles with good analysis and bold next steps will be helpful from  future contributors to the  NYRB. A self-examination of who NYRB serves, with “heretical” articles  will be a welcome contribution to the conversation.

Harlan Stelmach

Professor Emeritus, Humanities

Dominican University of California