Well, how about that....

As it turns out, one of the reasons David Brooks comes up with broad generalizations which support his various arguments is... ... he makes them up. But he thinks that's okay:

"What I try to do is describe the character of places, and hopefully things will ring true to people," Brooks explained. "In most cases, I think the way I describe it does ring true, and in some places it doesn't ring true. If you were describing a person, you would try to grasp the essential character and in some way capture them in a few words. And if you do it as a joke, there's a pang of recognition."

So it's okay to get your facts wrong on the New York Times editorial page if it "rings true" or if it is a "joke".

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