The New York Times Style section — home of trend pieces about tweens making massive real-estate decisions, dog co-parenting, and, of course, the entire Vows column — brings us the latest good argument for class war: rich-kid séances.
Trying to communicate with the dead was a major trend of the late 1800s and early 1900s, but siblings Larry and Toby Milstein are bringing it back. The Milsteins, both in their early 20s, live in their parents’ $20.5 million place in the Dakota on the Upper West Side (the family is reportedly worth $3.1 billion). The particular séance the Times attended was meant to summon composer Leonard Bernstein, who once lived in their apartment.
Toby, who is described by the Times as a “social justice warrior princess” made a toast to Bernstein early on in the proceedings:
“Right here, the pink — oh my God, the pink panthers, LOL — the Black Panthers,” she corrected herself. “Like, he’s organized a lot of major activist groups here.”
Guests at New York’s hottest séance included various other young one-percenters, including the son of a former ambassador to France, the great-granddaughter of impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, and Princess Noor Pahlavi, the granddaughter of the Shah of Iran. They enjoyed mini champagne bottles, Jack Daniels whiskey, and macarons while attempting to contact the ghost.
Sounds just slightly more glamorous than the time you pulled out the Ouija board during a middle-school sleepover, then lay awake in your sleeping bag for the rest of the night, terrified of what ancient and malevolent spirits you may have disturbed.
