More Straussian hidden meanings. David Brooks, whose indirection I have blasted in the past (a whole book about the lifestyle of the meritocracy that includes many references to declasse WASPs but none to the spectacular Jewish rise into the Establishment), who surely justifies his indirection by telling himself there will be pogroms if I tell people what I really mean, has a wonky piece about American ethnic trends that contains this buried show-stopper:
Therefore, the first rule of policy-making should be, don’t promulgate a policy that will destroy social bonds. If you take tribes of people, exile them from their homelands and ship them to strange, arid lands, you’re going to produce bad outcomes for generations.
I think he’s talking about the Nakba. I think he’s blaming Israel? I think he’s saying they should have let the refugees have their homes back? I think he’s for the Right of Return!
Oh, no, I think he’s talking about the Zionist project, about the Jewish Agency’s effort to move European refugees to Palestine in the 30s and 40s?
Oh no, he’s talking about the Mizrahi Jews being forced from Arab countries post-48 and going to Israel?
Ah, indirection.
