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Bobo’s Weed Screed

Has David Brooks finally jumped the shark with his deeply silly anti-weed legalization column? Internet smart asses like Athenae, mother of Little Kick, have been all over Bobo’s shit for years. Charlie Pierce has had a lot of fun at Bobo’s expense, but he also has one foot in the MSM camp. Yesterday on Twitter, the ponderous and pompous Brooks was mocked relentlessly by his MSM colleagues. I’m too lazy to hunt down the quotes about the reformed stoner, man, but they’re there, man.

I realized this morning that David Brooks has something in common with the Grateful Dead. It’s an Adrastostian convergence, y’all. The Dead nicknamed thelate great concert producer and promoter Bill Graham, Uncle Bobo. The NYT’s Bobo isn’t particularly avuncular but I like the coincidence. It’s cosmic, man. Once again, I’m too lazy to hunt down the root of the Brooksian nickname, man, but there could be a connection, man.

I may have been too lazy to search for hack mockery of Bobo, but I did hunt down an Uncle Bobo moment from the closing of Winterland DVD. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist in short clip form but you can find it here at 32:30if you’re a completist, stoner, or Deadhead. Below is an avuncular tune from the Dead’s 1980 Halloween show at Radio City Music Hall, which was MC’eed by Al Franken. I recall Al being asked as a candidate if he’d ever smoked pot and he said something like “I worked on SNL and hung out with the Grateful Dead. What do you think?” Once again, I’m too lazy to hunt down the quote, man. Hmm, maybeTina Brownwas right, man. Nah, she and Bobo can drink bong juice, man, and invite Peggy Noonan while they’re at it, man:

4 thoughts on “Bobo’s Weed Screed”

  1. OK, I broke down and read Bobo’s column. Ugh. What. An. Asshole. And Ruth Marcus isn’t much better. First, I’d guess Brooks has never met a panel lined study with cigars and brandy snifters that he didn’t like, yet he’s going to lecture the rest of us on sobriety and propriety. Second, I VERY much doubt he delivered a presentation while stoned in an English class. Maybe he saw someone do that, maybe he just stunk up the room for whatever reason, but no, I’m not buying that story.
    He and Marcus — and for that matter, all sorts of people, starting with President Obama — either ignore or act pretty blasé about the hundreds of thousands of people getting arrested. Arrests that certainly would have changed their career paths if they’d been nabbed. Unfortunately I happen to know a few folks who’ve been popped, and it was far more significant tragedy than mere bummer. Add to that the huge costs, the rise of police forces that routinely practice extortion, the stop and frisk tactics that put minorities in particular danger of a forced change in career path…and it’s quite a bit more complicated than either writer comprehends.
    Finally, yeah, David Brooks IS right about one thing: pot itself won’t turn you into an artist. Example front and center would be…David Brooks, who, for all the weed he allegedly smoked, is…boring. However, plenty of genuine artists might well be inspired by a little smoking now and again…or might find it a relaxing way to wind down at the end of the day, as noted miscreant Bing Crosby apparently did. Regardless of the reason, though, it’s not David Brooks or Ruth Marcus’ decision to make, much less demand a massive police state to assuage the fear that, OMG, their kids might try it.

  3. Following the conclusion of MichaelF’s post, it makes me wonder what deficiencies in child rearing Brooks or Marcus would admit to that makes their offspring less likely to handle the Devil Weed than they themselves did? Why were David and Ruth so drug-savvy that marijuana didn’t ruin their lives, but their children are so vulnerable to the siren song of THC?

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