A man’s character is better discerned via exploring where his loyalties lie, rather than what he enjoys *consuming* — be it waltzing & scotch or be it pro wrestling & Bud Light. In describing a “social conservative” all Hart is really describing is yet one more consumer, albeit with high-falutin’ tastes.

The attitude he describes is nauseating, reminiscent of the Mikey Novaks, Neuhauses, and Victor D. Hansons of the world — who, one suspects, place their status in their cozy little cultivated bo-bo clubs ahead of any and all other commitments.

OK, OK, sure… so Chris Hitchens says nasty things about Mother Theresa, the Pope, and God for that matter.

But hey, before we get too harsh with him we should remember that he speaks Latin, can mix a mean martini, and knows people who know people!!

(contemptuous belch)

Give me a decent-spirited, working-class regular-joe over Hart any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

Elitism is the last refuge of the mediocre — and a real aristocrat wouldn’t chatter about how great aristocracy is.

I happen to have obtained something of a reputation as a “conservative” and I can’t tell you how often when some issue or topic which resonates (or is supposed to resonate) with the “conservative cause” came up, I would find an arm of one of these types around my shoulder and an assurance that “we” would beat those dirty liberals. All the time I wanted to turn around and inquire “Who’s we?” but I never did.

Well, one of my best friends is just one of these characters. Southern, privately-educated, well-dressed, witty, hard-core Republican. I keep on telling him what a liberal he is and he confesses incredulity. Though perhaps I ought not to perpetuate the well-worn “It’s the economy, stupid!” paradigm but: “It’s the moral order, stupid!”

These folks just don’t have a clue that virtue and morality are the essence of, for lack of a better word, “conservatism”. If one were blind to political parties and examined the lives of these individuals, one would find little difference in the personal lifestyles of suburban preppy Republicans and suburban preppy Democrats. So what if you hate Ted Kennedy? Any idiot can do that. Do you avoid the near occasions of sin? Which attribute is more telling of a true conservative?

It’s not even, as it often purports to be, “classy”. Can we really consider refined those who wear blazers, sail, and drink scotch when their conversation consists of “Man, you should’ve seen this chick I banged last night”? I think not. Their immorality is a complete betrayal of the traditionalism they espouse in matters sartorial.

When it came time to decide where to go to college, while many aspects of Hampden-Sydney (which I actually visited) and Sewanee impressed me, I couldn’t be bothered spending four years at (admirably) small institutions which were chock-full of this “type” of person I already knew too well. They could be counted on to keep up a collegiate tradition, but could they keep up the Western tradition in their own personal behavior and their interaction with others? Doubtful.

That said, I would love for their to exist in America a somewhat-aristocratic elite of well-dressed, well-mannered, well-educated men and women who are responsible members of their communities and instiutions, upholders of tradition and charity, and, above all, good Christians. But it would be foolish to think that such a thing exists when it very plainly doesn’t. There are more than a handful of Americans who fit the aforementioned criteria, but they are still far too few (and too disparate) to form a ‘class’ or ‘elite’ of any kind, other than one of sanctifying grace.

[As an aside, I once fell for a very charming horse-obsessed Sweet Briar girl, but she was a good Catholic, I’m happy to say.]