If the regular reader of Mr. Brooks had any doubt that he is a devoté of the Conservative Political Theology of conformity to the dictates of male power: Patriarchy, that reader has now been disabused of that error. In this essay titled ‘How to Fight the Man‘ Mr. Brooks provides a pastiche of moral seriousness, partaking in an expression that was passe a generation ago. Mr. Brooks seems to existentially capture the Conservative ideal of a very selective reading of the moral and political Tradition. The means, a homily featuring Jefferson Betheke as believer in Jesus who finds the elders of the church expressive of a kind of corruption, of a sclerosis persistent in organizations dedicated to an uncritical theological conformity, unable to discover the true essence of the teachings of the master. Mr. Betheke is here cast as the wayward son who discovers the wisdom of the group elders, as part of the maturation process, or simply the acceptance of the rightness of the group. Virtue is not the moral end of the theological organization, but conformity to the collective will is it’s sine qua non. This can hardly be the object of astonishment except to the historically naïve, but Mr. Brooks uses it as introduction to a meditation described as advice to the ‘young rebel’. The heavy irony of the author of the ‘Milquetoast Radicals’ changing his rhetorical tone to that of an avuncular counselor to these young misfits rings hollow, to exercise a well worn cliché. Here is a selective collection of quotations, testifying to the political/ethical efficacy of authority and conformity:

“The paradox of reform movements is that, if you want to defy authority, you probably shouldn’t think entirely for yourself. You should attach yourself to a counter-tradition and school of thought that has been developed over the centuries and that seems true.”

“Joining a tradition doesn’t mean suppressing your individuality. Applying an ancient tradition to a new situation is a creative, stimulating and empowering act. Without a tradition, everything is impermanence and flux.”

“Most professors would like their students to be more rebellious and argumentative. But rebellion without a rigorous alternative vision is just a feeble spasm.”

“If I could offer advice to a young rebel, it would be to rummage the past for a body of thought that helps you understand and address the shortcomings you see. Give yourself a label. If your college hasn’t provided you with a good knowledge of countercultural viewpoints — ranging from Thoreau to Maritain — then your college has failed you and you should try to remedy that ignorance.”

“If I could offer advice to a young rebel, it would be to rummage the past for a body of thought that helps you understand and address the shortcomings you see. Give yourself a label. If your college hasn’t provided you with a good knowledge of countercultural viewpoints — ranging from Thoreau to Maritain — then your college has failed you and you should try to remedy that ignorance.”

Political Observer