Anthony Bourdain eviscerates ‘privileged Eastern liberals' for ‘utter contempt’ of working-class Americans
- The star of CNN's Parts Unknown spoke about the presidential election in an interview with Reason
- Bourdain blamed Trump's election on 'privileged Eastern liberals' like himself who speak with disdain about working-class Americans
- He said the labeling of these God-fearing Americans as 'morons and rubes is largely responsible for the up swell of rage and contempt'
Anthony Bourdain says East Coast liberals like himself are the reason why Donald Trump got elected.
In a new interview with Reason, the famous chef, author and host of CNN's Parts Unknown eviscerated the left for their condescension of working-class America.
'The utter contempt with which privileged Eastern liberals such as myself discuss red-state, gun-country, working-class America as ridiculous and morons and rubes is largely responsible for the up swell of rage and contempt and desire to pull down the temple that we're seeing now,' Bourdain said.
Anthony Bourdain has blamed contemptuous East Coast liberals for getting Donald Trump elected
Having spent a lot of time in flyover country, Bourdain said blue-collar Americans aren't all that different from Democrats concentrated in major cities.
Instead of picking apart issues we disagree on, Bourdain said we should be looking for common ground.
'I've spent a lot of time in gun-country, God-fearing America. There are a hell of a lot of nice people out there, who are doing what everyone else in this world is trying to do: the best they can to get by, and take care of themselves and the people they love.
'When we deny them their basic humanity and legitimacy of their views, however different they may be than ours, when we mock them at every turn, and treat them with contempt, we do no one any good.
Bourdain hosted President Obama on the most recent season of Parts Unknown, taking the president for noodles in Hanoi, Vietnam
'Nothing nauseates me more than preaching to the converted. The self-congratulatory tone of the privileged left - just repeating and repeating and repeating the outrages of the opposition - this does not win hearts and minds. It doesn't change anyone's opinions. It only solidifies them, and makes things worse for all of us.
'We should be breaking bread with each other, and finding common ground whenever possible. I fear that is not at all what we've done,' Bourdain said.
Bourdain also said that these issues aren't specific to the U.S. He says Trump's election is part of a 'global trend' towards nationalism 'that should be of concern to everyone'.
'If you look around the world (in the Philippines, in England), the rise of nationalism, the fear of the Other. When people are afraid and feel that their government has failed them they do things that seem completely mad and unreasonable to those of who are perhaps under less pressure.
'As unhappy and surprised as I am with the outcome, I'm empathetic to the forces that push people towards what I see as an ultimately self-destructive act. Berlusconi, Putin, Duterte, the world is filled with bad choices, made in pressured times,' Bourdain said.
On this past season of Parts Unknown, Bourdain hosted President Obama on his show for a visit to a noodle shop in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Parts Unknown is a show in which Bourdain travels the world to explore lesser-known places and cuisines.
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