Prof. Bailey will discuss Brook's early work "Bobos in Paradise" and his latest "On Paradise Drive," critique some of Brook's editorial columns and situate him in the "heavier" neoconservative tradition a la Leo Strauss & Co.

NEOCON LITE: THE POP SOCIOLOGY OF DAVID BROOKS

David Brooks stands as a primary example of neoconservative media saturation in the U.S. With assignments ranging from The Atlantic Monthly, The Weekly Standard, and The New York Times, through commentary on NPR and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and in books such as "Bobos in Paradise" (2000) and "On Paradise Drive" (2004), Brooks has become an omnipresent figure in contemporary print and television journalism.

Brooks is not a sociologist, but he does play one on TV and in his books. Chris Matthews has referred to him as "the Margaret Mead of America." Although his work is not to be taken seriously as sociological research, it does provide instructive examples for the sociological analysis of the operations of neoconservative ideology in contemporary media. Why Brooks? Why now? What are the lessons for progressives?

Leon Bailey is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He is the author of several works on the critical theory of the Frankfurt School: "Theodor W. Adorno: Reflections from a Damaged Life" (1987), Critical Theory and the Sociology of Knowledge: A Comparative Study in the Theory of Ideology (1994), and "Karl Mannheim e la Scuola di Francoforte riconsiderati" (1997). His current research is focused on the German and American origins of neoconservatism, and Left responses to 9/11.

OCTOBER 9, SATURDAY, 3-5pm at ACME ART WORKS, 1741 N. WESTERN AVE. (2 blocks south of the Western stop on the CTA Blue Line). Secured parking is available from the alley off St. Paul Street. $5 donation if you have it; no one turned away. For more information, email OULChicago (at) yahoo.com or call 773-384-5797.


ABOUT THE OUL:
The Open University of the Left (OUL) is an independent forum founded in 1987 to organize presentations and discussion groups about politics, literature, philosophy, history and social theory. Events are open to all regardless of political orientation. The OUL's Literature in Three Dimensions series is seeking presenters; if you would like to lead a discussion, please call Hugh Iglarsh at 773-677-5474 or by e-mail at hiiglarsh (at) hotmail.com


COMING UP AT OUL:

OCT. 21, THU. 7PM: Political Fictions: Larry Beinhart's novel "The Librarian" (acclaimed new thriller about a rightwing plot to steal a presidential election). David Williams, presenter

OCT. 23, SAT. 3PM: "Suburbia's Uncertain Future." Viewing and discussion of the documentary "The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream" at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski. Cosponsored with Chicagoland Urban Permaculture and the Post Carbon Institute.

NOV. 4, THU. 7PM: Postmortem for Democracy? Analyzing the Election

NOV. 18, THU. 7PM: War is Heller: "Catch-22" and Vietnam. Glenn Fritz, presenter

NOV. 20, SAT. 3PM: Not Like TV: "The Sexual Organization of the City" (a sociology of sexuality), Edward O. Laumann, editor. Leon Bailey & panel

DEC. 7, TUE. 7PM: Taken by Surprise ... Again: David Ray Griffin's "The New Pearl Harbor" (questioning 9/11). Harold Taggart, presenter

DEC. 16, THU. 7PM: Romance Amidst Reaction: Stendahl's "The Red and the Black" Eric Miller, presenter