(Community Matters) “Omnivorous- ness is part of a much broader trend in the behavior of our elite, one that embraces diversity. . . . Our modern omnivores have filled in the moats and torn down the fences. With exclusion and snobbery a relic . . . But if you look at the omnivore from another point of view, a far different picture emerges. . . . The narrative of openness and talent obscures the bitter truth of the American experience. Talents are costly to develop, and we refuse to socialize these costs.”
thinking more about Professor Shamus Khan’s NYTimes op-ed on the new elitists,
. . . if they can recognize the class basis of their success, then perhaps they will also recognize their class responsibility. They owe a debt to others for their fortunes, and seeing this may also help elites realize that the poor are ruled by a similar dynamic: their present position is most often bound to a history not of their own choosing or responsibility.
I think my friend who launched the conversation about this article was warning Austinites to recognize the privilege of cultural omnivorousness and share it, rather than withdrawing behind “moats & fences,” dividing into their “own schools, clubs and cultural artifacts”?
Community Matters 