the newfound vulnerability of "the Man". The Flak Catchers smile pathetically, allowing their tormentors to indulge themselves in abuse; the process is seen as a farcical but useful expedient, condescending toward the resentment of these communities. Wolfe describes one mau-mauer who would show up at the offices and hand over icepicks, switchblades and straight razors that he said were taken from gangs, in exchange for payments from the program. As a result, much of the money of these programs was not reaching its intended recipients, rendering the programs largely ineffective. Cultural impact The phrase "radical chic" has entered into the political and cultural lexicon to describe the adoption of radical or quasi-radical causes by members of the wealthy high-society and celebrity class. Both essays were later reprinted in Wolfe's collection The Purple Decades, indicating that he considered them among his best work. "Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers" is cited in David Foster Wallace's Consider the Lobster in the essay on "Joseph Frank's Dostoevsky". Wallace recommends reading it to understand Dostoevsky's disillusionment as a young rich socialist when he met the dregs of Russian society in prison. References External links "Radical Chic", the complete text—New York magazine "Radical Chic", a scan of the original article—New York magazine 1970 non-fiction books Books about race and ethnicity Books about New York City Books about the San Francisco Bay Area Essay collections by Tom Wolfe Farrar, Straus and Giroux books