I am coming out of an experience extremely similar to this gent, and so I empathize.
However, I came away with a completely different set of lessons. I reinvented myself as a Salesforce Admin and developer. He’s still a journalist, and an arrogant one at that.
I had several jobs not unlike this gents, and it was definitely humiliating. I recommend it to everyone, however, because at this point I am grateful for everything, and am completely committed to lifetime reinvention.
So sad to try and put myself into the place of a journalist. The useful idiot; the very definition of it. Now he’s subsumed by part of the beast he tried his best to serve.
That’s the subtext here. He’s thinking about all those liberal academics who found refuge and sinecure in all of those effete institutions (and likely vehicles for money laundering) and wondering to himself, “Where’s mine? How was I passed over?”
So he writes an article for the Atlantic, who pays him whatever they can spare because they’re hurting, and says to the liberal machine, “Hey! Over here? Where’s my English professor gig?”
Same here, except I get to work in an AMZ sort center. But I have just started my journey into the 60’s decade, and expect that after a few years I won't need to work so hard, if I work hard now.
But I will be slimmer.
One thing my father taught me was to never look down on the “hired help”, since that is how he started working in the 1930s.
Living in New England amongst the Kennedy-esque taught him some strong truths. About how many may be rich in greenbacks but absolutely poor in class and spirit. And be complete jerks as well.
Looks like human nature hasn't changed very much over the years.