Elites Choose Ugliness in Federal Architecture, No Matter What the People Prefer

Elites Choose Ugliness in Federal Architecture, No Matter What the People Prefer
Tourists are seen at the Tidal Basin across from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, on March 19, 2019. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Theodore Dalrymple
Updated:
Commentary

The firing of Justin Shubow and three other members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (they refused to resign, having committed no fault) reveals something disturbing about democracy as it’s at present constituted: namely how easily elites may override the express preferences of the majority of citizens, even in matters non-political.

Theodore Dalrymple
Theodore Dalrymple
Author
Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including “Life at the Bottom.” His latest book is “Embargo and Other Stories.”
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