BOBOS Bourgeoisie: The Rise of a New Social Class

Author: David Brooks
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Top 10 Books from Harvard Business Review · Bestselling Book Review from The New York Times! In this era, those who can rise are those who can transform creativity and emotion into products. These highly educated individuals stand one foot in the bohemian world of creativity and the other in the bourgeois realm of ambition and the pursuit of success. These elite figures of the new information age are bohemian bourgeois—taking one character from each, we tentatively call them Bobos. Are you a BOBO?
◎ Do you think spending $150,000 on a media center is a waste, but spending the same amount on a slate shower is an expression of the Zen rhythm of nature?
◎ Does your recently renovated kitchen look like an airfield with pipes?
◎ When choosing a refrigerator, the deciding factor is that only freezing isn’t cool enough?
◎ Would you pay more for a socially conscious toothpaste—one that doesn’t actually kill bacteria but instead holds up a sign telling them to leave?
◎ Do you work at a trendy tech company where everyone has empty hiking boots and ski goggles, having just walked from a parking lot covered in 400 feet of snow into the office?
◎ Do you think your education is on par with those couples who shine in the New York Times’ wedding announcements?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then you may be a member of today’s new elite. Even if you’re not, you’d better keep your eyes open, because these Bobos define the era we live in.