What if the elites are the ignorant ones?
That's very likely to be true. The author, James Traub is probably a pretty smart guy. He is well educated, and his father was a very successful businessman. But Traub is simply steeped in the liberal mindset of the New York elite. In his world the leftist and globalist ideas he believes are never challenged, they are simply considered facts, and so he never questions his own ideas. So much so that Traub misses the irony in his statement:
"Maybe it is; maybe we have become so inclined to celebrate the authenticity of all personal conviction that it is now elitist to believe in reason, expertise, and the lessons of history."
But hasn't history shown that the very ideas and concepts Traub is convinced of are wrong? And wasn't every failing socialist country managed using the "reason" and "expertise" of its ruling elite? Doesn't history show that allowing unfettered immigration can result in societal disruption?
The next time Mr. Traub goes to a Council on Foreign Relations meeting he might want to ask his colleagues if they have ever considered whether or not they are, in their own ways, ignorant, and perhaps should consider other perspectives. That's more intelligent than just claiming that anybody who disagrees is "ignorant", "science-deniers" and "angry, nationalists."