Leadership after WASPs

Choate Headmaster Seymour St. John (left) greeting Yale President Kingman Brewster (right) - Photo by Salt Water New Engalnd.

An essay appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and was received this morning (December 21, 2013). The conclusion is as follows:

“What our new meritocrats have failed to evince—and what the older WASP generation prided itself on—is character and the ability to put the well-being of the nation before their own...  Doing the right thing, especially in the face of temptations to do otherwise, was the WASP test par excellence. Most of our meritocrats, by contrast, seem to be in business for themselves. 

Trust, honor, character: The elements that have departed U.S. public life with the departure from prominence of WASP culture have not been taken up by the meritocrats. Many meritocrats who enter politics, when retired by the electorate from public life, proceed to careers in lobbying or other special-interest advocacy. University presidents no longer speak to the great issues in education but instead devote themselves to fundraising and public relations, and look to move on to the next, more prestigious university presidency... 

Thus far in their history, meritocrats, those earnest good students, appear to be about little more than getting on, getting ahead and (above all) getting their own. The WASP leadership, for all that may be said in criticism of it, was better than that.”  

- Joseph Epstein, The Late, Great American WASP, The Wall Street Journal 

The New England WASP Aversion to Pomp and Circumstance

In a New England WASP world, weddings would be little more than a short ceremony at the Congregational church,  followed by "punch and cookies" at the bride's house.  Guests at an ideal birthday wouldn't even fill the sitting room.  The best dinner parties are out of doors with a sailboat or two docked nearby.   Rituals are important, but done with restraint.  

Graduations aside, there is an aversion to ceremony and festivities bordering on anathema.  

The whys are clear. To many WASPs they are a waste of money, and nothing more than a distraction.  And perhaps worst of all, such scheduled merriment forces everyone to wear festive attire.    

All is not lost, however, for WASPs when dragooned.

One strategy is to find other like minded people and more effectively use the gathering.  At any Ivy League football game are at least three clusters of people, including one or two of trustees, working issues as rigorously as in any boardroom.  And another approach, for some WASPs, is to find a quiet corner for a quick doze when the boredom inevitably strikes.

And non-WASPs co-planning such events quickly learn an important rule:  never put a WASP in charge of the food, but perhaps the Scotch.

WASP Food: Tricuits and Cheddar

Photo by Salt Water New England

Who says WASP food can't evolve?   Organic Triscuits and pre-cut Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese... 
 

"Prep and old money WASP are interchangeable from my perspective" - A Comment from Yesterday

 

A comment from yesterday, on cars:

Fairfield county native though we spent summers in Cape Ann on the North Shore of MA growing up. My father gave me his old 7 when I turned 16, I bought a Z4 in college, moved to a 5 series when I made VP and have been trading in new 7’s ever since it died. Jeep GC for the nanny and extra trips; recently

Traded in for an F-150 so we can trailer horses to and fro. My wife went from Wrangler to Mini Cooper to Volvo XC90 when the kids showed up - now on her 3rd Suburban. Both boarding school, DC for College. Four kids and most parents (moms) of our ilk drive Suburbans, Land Cruisers, X5s or GLs - that’s the view at Country Day car line. Prep and old money WASP are interchangeable from my perspective. Who the heck knows how they are trying to redefine prep in this day and age. No one on tv looks like us any more - so we watch old school content. Safety, prosperity and culture thrives in the bubble. And BTW Subaru is NOT prep nor (on the other extreme) is anything a rapper or professional sports player would drive. Good luck. 

- Comment left on What Are the Best New Cars (Make and Model) Today?

The Dry Humor of WASPs

WASP humor is dry.  Perhaps the perfect line would elicit a small, appreciative chuckle about a week after delivered.

That may be a slight exaggeration, but only slight. 

My father would regularly deliver amusing verbal ripostes in such deadpan that only the slightest twinkle might give it away.  There would be a predictable pause as guests processed the comment.  Laughter would cascade out from his epicenter. Then, only after the reaction subsided, would my father flash a trace of acknowledgement.

In fact, I have been on enough shoots with my father that I can tell in nearly every photograph (where I wasn't there) when the subject is reacting to my father's humor. (Some examples below.)

Humor can be topical but not political; philosophical but not religious; delivered in lines not stories; intellectual even deconstructing but not ostentatious; self deprecating but never dour; tailored to the group but never pandering; risqué but only just; from a bit of a rascal, but never small or mean spirited.  

More than how one is dressed or lives, how much or little money one has, or job titles or degrees, or power, I think it is the shared sense of humor that makes people feel they are among kindred spirits.  

Paleoanthropologist and Archaeologist Louis Leakey.  Photos by My Father

Choate Headmaster Seymour St. John

Boat Shoes

Photos by Salt Water New England

L.L. Bean Boat and Tote Bags - The Complete Guide (2024 Edition)

Photos by Salt Water New England

I have received quite a few questions about L.L. Bean Boat and Tote bags.  Here are the top ten, and my answers (and some answers from the community).  

• Boat and Tote, Zip-Top <https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/37037>

• Boat and Tote, Open-Top <https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/33381>

1. What is an L.L. Bean Boat and Tote Bag?

Nantucket Reds

Photos by Salt Water New England

Reds

Reds, such as Nantucket Reds, are an iconic style and color of trousers (and now, shorts).  

The original Reds came from Brittany, France in the 1800s.  The sails of fishing boats were treated with reddish tannins from tree barks for mildew protection.  Remaining material was cut and sewn into work trousers for the fisherman, which became know as Breton Reds.  

Long before Murray's Nantucket Reds were invented, the red pants of choice of yachtsmen and crew, were of course the 'real' Breton Reds. Long ago I picked up a pair of these classic yachting pants while sailing the Channel Races. The pants, after a while, turned a fabulous washed out red that could only be achieved by being on the ocean (not counting the Nantucket fast ferry). They were soft, the right degree of "baggy" and worn by just about every blue water sailor. (Comment, skiwithapro)

A Reader Question for the Community: Snob - Insult or Compliment?

A Reader Question for the Community 

How many of your readers have been called a snob?  Was it intended as a compliment or insult,  and was it received as a compliment or insult? 

I am called a snob often enough and never take offense.  (I am a conservative looking (if not thinking) New England WASP and I often wonder if that alone is enough for some.)

Question for the Community: "Where does this particular SWNE way of life go in the 21st century with the next generation?"

A reader question:

I hope you are doing well this frigid evening. I am an avid reader and wanted to thank you for all the thoughtful and enjoyable content over the past years.  

I wanted to humbly pose a question to you and your readership. Where does this particular SWNE way of life go in the 21st century with the next generation? I saw some debate of this topic in relation to the NYT Bush/WASP article(s). The values and qualities put forth by this blog are certainly in decline. The question is, are they left to die proudly or do they gradually adapt with the times? Where do people fall on this? 

I'm a millennial and have seen many of my peers run away from such a life. In its place, there has been this phenomenon of faux prepdom with 'Brad' and 'Chad'.

Thank you for your time.

The New England WASP Ethos of Fierce Independence

One of the strongest attributes to the Salt Water New England culture is independence.  Fierce independence.