Anthony Bourdain Says Contempt for Middle Americans by ‘Eastern Liberals’ Explains Trump Election
Anthony Bourdain is blaming liberals like himself as the reason Donald Trump won the 2016 election.
In an interview with Reason magazine published Thursday, the host of the CNN culinary travel show Parts Unknown, slammed the “self-congratulatory” and “privileged left” for their disdain for working-class Americans.
“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 upswell of rage and contempt and desire to pull down the temple that we’re seeing now,” Bourdain said.
He continued, “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.”
The 60-year-old chef went on to criticize fellow liberals for denying conservatives “their basic humanity and legitimacy of their views” and “mock them at every turn, and treat them with contempt.”
Bourdain went on to say these issues aren’t specific to the United States. He says Trump’s election is part of a “global trend” towards nationalism “that should be of concern to everyone.”
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“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,” he said.
Bourdain also slammed HBO political talk show host Bill Maher as “the worst of the smug, self-congratulatory left” after being asked about an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher several years ago.
“Not a show I plan to do again. He’s a classic example of the smirking, contemptuous, privileged guy who lives in a bubble,” Bourdain told the outlet. “And he is in no way looking to reach outside, or even look outside, of that bubble, in an empathetic way.
