Liberal Elitism

Hot on the trail of this amusing piece by Jeff Greenfield at Slate on George Orwell and liberal elitism, we have the New York Times trekking out to the ‘burbs to mock chain restaurants. This sentence, on the Olive Garden, is particularly amusing: “Compared with other spots in a similar price range (all entrees were under $20), it is a contender, if not in the league of the best Italian restaurants.” In other words, to maintain her food snob cred but, y’know, tell the truth, Ms. Starkey has to a.) admit the Olive Garden is actually pretty decent, but b.) distance herself at the same time by saying it’s not as good as a great Italian restaurant. I mean, what does the phrase “it is a contender, if not in the league of the best” even mean? It’s like saying “the LA Sparks are a contender for the best basketball team in the land, even if they’re not in the same league as a decent boy’s high school team.”*

*I promise to stop with the basketball talk as soon as the Lakers get knocked out.

(h/t: Ezra)