Gag. Having read "1984" is not really worthy of snobbish pride. It should just be embarrassing if you haven't read it. Shame on the NYT for perpetuating the self-perceived cleverness of these people.
I started my References That Are No Longer Clever list a while ago with this one. I try to keep from one-upping them in pretentiousness by keeping the rest of my list fairly short:
- any reference to Bob Dylan singing "the times they are a-changin'"
- quoting Murrow's fear comment ("We will not walk in
fear ... ") - referencing Warhol's 15 minutes of fame, especially when commenting on internet memes or phenomenons
To make it clear, I think these are all fine references and certainly relevant in discussions of today's world. But relevant is not the same as clever, and they've been trotted out a few too many times to be used in a self-congratulatory way.
Personally I think Kristol's argument is a weak one - I'm not so far removed from high school that I can't recognize desperate stretches for literary synthesis - but I do respect his attempt to invoke Orwell for something beyond the most obvious.
1 comment:
Oh, God, I should be embarrassed. I haven't read "1984."
Also, the first thing I thought of when I saw your post title is the Dylan reference, which I know you so hate.
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