Be forewarned: this piece is purple prose that takes a long time to get to its point. Lots of adjectives and adverbs to climb over within the hills and valleys of each sentence.
I've been guilty of this crime myself, on a smaller scale. I seek to critique, not condemn.
Halfway through I found myself wondering if the composition was AI assisted. That thought may have been influenced by the context in which I discovered this essay (i.e. finding it here on HN), or it may have been the result of simple fatigue, but I had to push myself to finish.
I'd be interested in reading a less verbose version.
Usefully, the article includes a reference to https://ideas.ted.com/the-rise-of-the-useless-class/
I believe in the Orwellian rules religiously, but I like indulging in maximalism from time to time. It felt apt that the article uses a dense, historical style to help it evoke a part of cultural history bygone.
That said, it might be objectively bad writing or AI, and perhaps I just don't know any better.
I confess, a similar thought flittered across my mind as I was reading. I was reminded of a style of writing that I had long since put behind me. That style is a slog. I enjoyed a year of intense study in literature back in 1977. I don't have the literary chops anymore, or the patience to get through Infinite Jest, let alone re-read Moby Dick or Pickwick Papers.
But, you do know better: dense is a much better word than verbose, or my rather harsh purple prose. You are kind.
Still, do you think it's okay to end a sentence with bygone? I'm going to check the HN guidelines and get back to you on that one.