David Brooks referred to a survey in On Paradise Drive which proved that those surveyed who were in their twenties would pick the inner-ring suburbs, also known as the Professional zone, over any other zone as described in the introduction. Agreeing with these surveyors, I, too, would want to live in the inner-ring suburbs because I admire the Professionals’ “commitment to lifelong learning” and their habits which are “wired for hard work” (32,31). Brooks mocked the Professionals for these traits because of how the Professionals used them.
When Brooks pointed out the shallowness of each of the zones, he did not relent when he came to the Professionals. He does not so much as look down on them as he does laugh at their lives which have potential to do good for others but halt at the outer confines of their homes. Brooks recognizes the Professionals’ desire to learn more, but he mocks at what the Professionals then do with this learning. Brooks equated the Professionals’ view on why they learn more to the illustration of Christopher Columbus returning from the New World with the air of defeat but declaring to the king and queen of Spain that although the trading route to India remained undiscovered, he did find himself while exploring. Regardless, I love to learn, and I love to be around people, similar to the described Professionals, who never want to stop learning either.
Nothing drives me more crazy than to be around lazy people. And although Brooks called the Professionals hard working, he also revealed that the Professionals unleash their hard working spirit through renovations of their homes and installation of the next greatest home improvement devise. Brooks made the Professionals look absolutely absurd with their heated bathroom tile floors and offices in every room of the house, but I can tolerate people who have the budget from working so hard in their executive jobs to go big or go home.
Amid all the foolishness about the Professionals’ actions told by Brooks, he does not disprove them but has a slight fondness of the “educated, lively, tolerant” Professionals (33). Brooks more likely than not would also live in this zone and recognized that he would fit in here also. And I feel the same.
Neither Here Nor There 