Does This Make Us Snobby?

The Times' columnist David Brooks has a piece today accusing people who enjoy "The Daily Show" and "Borat" of snobbery.

Call us grammar snobs, but we couldn't help but notice the spot where Mr. Fancypants Writer Brooks falls victim to an evil word twin:

Cohen also knows how to rig an unfair fight, and to then ring maximum humiliation and humor out of each situation. The core of his movie is that he and his audience know he is playing a role, and this gives him, and them, power over the less sophisticated stooges who don’t.

He's confusing "ring" with its homonym "wring." The latter means "to extract." The former is the sound those clue bells ought to make when he reads his error in print.

We wouldn't point this out, of course, except that we truly enjoy "The Daily Show" and the work of Sascha Baron Cohen. Perhaps Brooks would prefer a humorless world, or one where knock-knock jokes were the only ones allowed. Or perhaps he would prefer jokes that make fun of well-educated city dwellers, or even Jewish people. Barf. We'll take Cohen and Jon Stewart and Co., any day. L'chaim!

P.S. And we were totally lying when we said we wouldn't point this out except for the accusations of snobbery. Of course we would! Mistakes in The Times! Irresistible!