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| | Flak Magazine: Review of Bobos in Paradise, 6.04.00 |
 | | Brooks reports that he was motivated to write "Bobos in Paradise" after returning from four years in Europe and finding that a lot had changed: Smoking is out, health food is in; alcohol is out, double lattes are in; obnoxious conspicuous consumption is out, inconspicuous (but still obnoxious) consumption is in. |
 | | But, conveniently, politics is not the focus of "Bobos in Paradise." Instead, Brooks spends a lot of time discussing Bobo consumer culture, arguing that Bobos are making the world a better place not by exercising their votes but by emptying their wallets. |
 | | For Bobos, purchasing power is a modern-day spiritual exercise; they decorate their homes with authentic Balinese batiks, they cook with olive oil made by Tuscan peasants, and they eat ice cream made by fat, aging hippies. |
| flakmag.com /books/bobos.html (1121 words) |
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