The Unbearable Heaviness of Writing

Usually the Atlantic is a joy to read. But the series that Bernard-Henry Levi wrote in it (which has now unfortunately mutated into book length) had some of the most bloated, obfuscated, and self-important writing I've ever read... comparision between this:

and this

is ridiculous. I just thought I'd point that out. If you want a more serious critique of American culture, I'd suggest watching this. If you want to know what's so bad about it, read Garrison Keillor's review in the Times. I quote: "In more than 300 pages, nobody tells a joke. Nobody does much work. Nobody sits and eats and enjoys their food. You've lived all your life in America, never attended a megachurch or a brothel, don't own guns, are non-Amish, and it dawns on you that this is a book about the French. There's no reason for it to exist in English, except as evidence that travel need not be broadening and one should be wary of books with Tocqueville in the title."