Does Tom Wolfe's "Radical Chic" Hold Up?

Ever since the writer Tom Wolfe died a couple of weeks ago, many of his fellow scribes have been going back over his work, remembering what made the man in the white suit such a journalistic trailblazer.

One of the things that fashioned Wolfe's legend is his 1970 article "Radical Chic: That Party At Lenny's." 

Written in deeply cynical, highly detailed observational prose, it's an account of a fundraiser for the Black Panthers held in conductor Leonard Bernstein's Dakota apartment. Wolfe (and others) crashed the event and greatly enjoyed writing about the incongruity of the world's most famous conductor and other elite cultural machers hanging out with a bunch of big, tough bearded black militants.

At the time, the story caused a stir. This was a classic example of "limousine liberalism", liberal hypocrisy, run amok. Conservatives loved it (including the Nixon White House), and the rest of American didn't care. But in NYC journalistic circles, it was a smash because, as a piece of reporting, it was spot on. 

Much of a fan as I am of Wolfe's other work, "Radical Chic" doesn't hold up so well today. As a piece of writing, it's still a strong example of journalistic craftsmanship but it's morality, by 21st century standards is ... less strong. 

It's snarky, sneering, and, yes, racist. 

It's an example of white privilege at its finest -- a white man mocking a bunch of Jews trying to help a bunch "scary" black guys. It's tone is vicious, full of hate in the guise of amused irony. But, because it's so well-written, it's almost easy to overlook this.

In short, "Radical Chic" is like an Americanized "Triumph of the Will": ugly politics, very well-produced.

So, sadly, this article just doesn't hold up. Something that was once a comment on its time is now a dated artifact of another time. (The fact that the Nixon White House (pre-Watergate) liked it should tell you something.) 

You should read the whole article to see what I'm taking about.

And, if you want more of the history of this article, read this.