I was all prepared to write a post on the decline of P.J. O'Rourke as a
humorist, but then it struck me that O'Rourke hasn't been funny for at
least twenty years. His latest mix of grumpy conservatism and stale
jokes, Generation Vex (get it?), includes the following:
--Our generation is going to do what our generation has always done best. We're going to shape the American social fabric to our will and make the entire nation conform to our ideals, judgments, and tastes. It will be like the Clinton administration but much, much worse.
--And watch those kids go out and play. They can't so much as hop on a bike without being swathed in helmets, knee pads, shin guards, and elbow cushions. It's like seeing John Kerry skateboard.
--And America's fate can be summed up in one word: Youthanasia.
--Traffic jams are everywhere, but it's not because of too many cars or too few highway lanes. It's just slow driving in the famous old-age mode and with on-board navigation systems to provide someone to have a grumpy argument with even when you're alone.
Stop,
you're killing me! Anyway, here's the question: Is it my politics that
makes O'Rourke seem so bad, or do conservative readers also think this
stuff is trash?
--Isaac Chotiner