I haven’t read a David Brooks column in ages, because he isn’t getting the link-linky love that he used to get among bloggers and twitter-type that I rely upon for my reading material. Today’s column is getting a lot of attention:
Many people wonder how they too can become Thought Leaders and what the life cycle of one looks like.
In fact, the calling usually starts young. As a college student, the future Thought Leader is bathed in attention. His college application essay, “I Went to Panama to Teach the Natives About Math but They Ended Up Teaching Me About Life,” is widely praised by guidance counselors. On campus he finds himself enmeshed in a new social contract: Young people provide their middle-aged professors with optimism and flattery, and the professors provide them with grade inflation. He is widely recognized for his concern for humanity. (He spends spring break unicycling across Thailand while reading to lepers.)
Apt. 11d 
During one of his manic phases, an unemployed bipolar friend of ours was wanting to write opinion columns. He also was thinking of a career in motivational speaking around during a different manic phase.
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Friends don’t let friends read David Brooks.
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People are tweeting photoshops of the OFA flannel Christmas ‘let’s talk about ACA’ guy. About seven down, there is a ‘thought leader’ photoshop. sort of a harmonic convergence of snark: http://twitchy.com/2013/12/17/ofas-flannelcare-guy-is-internet-sensation-with-conservatives-photoshops/
Brooks has had better moments, definitely.
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