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A L S O+T O D A Y

A kinder, gentler lynch mob
By Gary Kamiya
The GOP confirms the most brain-dead radical stereotypes from the '60s
(12/15/98)

T A B L E+T A L K
What exactly is Maureen Dowd's problem? Theorize in the Politics area of Table Talk

R E C E N T L Y
Off the cliff?
By Harry Jaffe
The White House tries lobbying, "scorched-earth" threats and one more speech to sway fence-sitting Republicans
(12/11/98)
Clinton's real crime
By Mollie Dickenson
The president's cagey testimony in the Paula Jones case shows he's guilty of sexual selfishness, but not perjury
(12/11/98)
"Real America?"
By Joan Walsh
Alan Dershowitz blasts Clinton critic Rep. Bob Barr for a speech to white supremacists
(12/11/98)
Impeachment hearing voices
A round-up of the most quotable moments from Friday's hearing
(12/11/98)
A president apologizes
The text of President Clinton's address
(12/11/98)
Clinton should be disbarred
By Lori Leibovich
A leading legal ethicist offers a punishment consistent with the president's crimes
(12/11/98)
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City of self-hate
Mike Davis

WHY LOS ANGELES ELITES LOVE BEING BASHED BY MIKE DAVIS.
BY GREG CRITSER | LOS ANGELES -- It wasn't long ago that Mike Davis was on top of the world. The author of two scathing books about Los Angeles ("City of Quartz" and "The Ecology of Fear"), Davis was not only (predictably) adored by the left, he was also routinely feted by the very "business class" he often condemned. Davis' name graced the literary programs of everything from the Los Angeles Public Library (whose chief benefactor, Arco's Lodwrick Cook, Davis often criticized) to the newly opened J. Paul Getty Museum . Earlier this year he even won a prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Award. The former meat-cutter turned Marxist could apparently do no wrong.
No more. For the past few weeks Davis has suffered a literary drubbing. The reason: A series of penetrating attacks on his scholarship alleging everything from sloppy research (many of the ecological disasters claimed in "Ecology of Fear" never really happened) to outright fabrication (one of which Davis freely admits).
Yet while it is hardly surprising that leftish urbanites would embrace an articulate polemicist like Davis, one question remains unasked -- and unanswered: Why did L.A.'s elite embrace him so? The answer, I think, is this: In the self-proclaimed capital of self-love, Davis is the Proxy of Self-Hate.
With apologies to the great philosopher Al Franken, consider the main elements of this urban "stinkin' thinking":
The seduction of exceptionalism: Part of the perverse pride of elites in L.A. is the belief that their city is more exploitative than any other in the world. This belief is largely grounded in a school of historical thought popularized by the late Carey McWilliams, a brilliant left-wing author and 1930s social activist whose works are still considered sacrosanct by L.A. city fathers -- so much so that his Mencken-like description of the landmark Pershing Square was recently carved into stone at the downtown plaza. McWilliams argued, in essence, that because of its unique geographic, racial and historical circumstances, Los Angeles developed as "the quintessential capitalist town," going from pastoral economy to cottage industry to modern technopolis in the space of less than 70 years. McWilliams later extended this critique to the entire state in his seminal "California: The Great Exception."
Although more recent scholarship has painted a much more nuanced portrait of L.A.'s development (and although McWilliams, who died in 1980, loved the city deeply), Davis has nevertheless claimed the bitterest edge of the old McWilliams legacy as his own. In due course he raised the practice of exceptionalism to a fine art, claiming, at one time or another, that Los Angeles is "more racist," classist and environmentally corrosive than any other city in the nation. For L.A. elites, both liberal and conservative, this strange claim to fame somehow translates into an ironic brand of postmodern chic. You think you know what real people are going through in this country? Well, we do! Because our city really sticks it to 'em!
N E X T+P A G E+| Deep concern about workers' rights -- except L.A. workers

A L S O+T O D A Y A kinder, gentler lynch mob By Gary Kamiya The GOP confirms the most brain-dead radical stereotypes from the '60s (12/15/98) T A B L E+T A L K What exactly is Maureen Dowd's problem? Theorize in the Politics area of Table Talk R E C E N T L Y Off the cliff? By Harry Jaffe The White House tries lobbying, "scorched-earth" threats and one more speech to sway fence-sitting Republicans (12/11/98) Clinton's real crime By Mollie Dickenson The president's cagey testimony in the Paula Jones case shows he's guilty of sexual selfishness, but not perjury (12/11/98) "Real America?" By Joan Walsh Alan Dershowitz blasts Clinton critic Rep. Bob Barr for a speech to white supremacists (12/11/98) Impeachment hearing voices A round-up of the most quotable moments from Friday's hearing (12/11/98) A president apologizes The text of President Clinton's address (12/11/98) Clinton should be disbarred By Lori Leibovich A leading legal ethicist offers a punishment consistent with the president's crimes (12/11/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		City of self-hate WHY LOS ANGELES ELITES LOVE BEING BASHED BY MIKE DAVIS. BY GREG CRITSER \| LOS ANGELES -- It wasn't long ago that Mike Davis was on top of the world. The author of two scathing books about Los Angeles ("City of Quartz" and "The Ecology of Fear"), Davis was not only (predictably) adored by the left, he was also routinely feted by the very "business class" he often condemned. Davis' name graced the literary programs of everything from the Los Angeles Public Library (whose chief benefactor, Arco's Lodwrick Cook, Davis often criticized) to the newly opened J. Paul Getty Museum . Earlier this year he even won a prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Award. The former meat-cutter turned Marxist could apparently do no wrong. No more. For the past few weeks Davis has suffered a literary drubbing. The reason: A series of penetrating attacks on his scholarship alleging everything from sloppy research (many of the ecological disasters claimed in "Ecology of Fear" never really happened) to outright fabrication (one of which Davis freely admits). Yet while it is hardly surprising that leftish urbanites would embrace an articulate polemicist like Davis, one question remains unasked -- and unanswered: Why did L.A.'s elite embrace him so? The answer, I think, is this: In the self-proclaimed capital of self-love, Davis is the Proxy of Self-Hate. With apologies to the great philosopher Al Franken, consider the main elements of this urban "stinkin' thinking": The seduction of exceptionalism: Part of the perverse pride of elites in L.A. is the belief that their city is more exploitative than any other in the world. This belief is largely grounded in a school of historical thought popularized by the late Carey McWilliams, a brilliant left-wing author and 1930s social activist whose works are still considered sacrosanct by L.A. city fathers -- so much so that his Mencken-like description of the landmark Pershing Square was recently carved into stone at the downtown plaza. McWilliams argued, in essence, that because of its unique geographic, racial and historical circumstances, Los Angeles developed as "the quintessential capitalist town," going from pastoral economy to cottage industry to modern technopolis in the space of less than 70 years. McWilliams later extended this critique to the entire state in his seminal "California: The Great Exception." Although more recent scholarship has painted a much more nuanced portrait of L.A.'s development (and although McWilliams, who died in 1980, loved the city deeply), Davis has nevertheless claimed the bitterest edge of the old McWilliams legacy as his own. In due course he raised the practice of exceptionalism to a fine art, claiming, at one time or another, that Los Angeles is "more racist," classist and environmentally corrosive than any other city in the nation. For L.A. elites, both liberal and conservative, this strange claim to fame somehow translates into an ironic brand of postmodern chic. You think you know what real people are going through in this country? Well, we do! Because our city really sticks it to 'em! N E X T+P A G E+\| Deep concern about workers' rights -- except L.A. workers