The American Spectator

The Marxist-offshoot think tank known as the Frankfurt School brought cultural Marxism to Columbia University with a vengeance in the 1930s. Let us not overlook such miscreants of the Frankfurt School as Theodor Adorno, who viewed the traditional family as a fascistic and warped institution (The Authoritarian Personality, 1950), protofeminist Erich Fromm, and Wilhelm Reich, who blamed Nazism on monogamy. Above all, the granddaddy of the New Left, Herbert Marcuse, was a Frankfurt School import. Marcuse originated “Critical Theory,” or destructive criticism of virtually every Western cultural tradition, especially the family. He also pioneered the politically correct technique of labeling opponents as mentally ill (i.e., homophobes, xenophobes,haters, etc.), spawned “oppression studies” departments, which have twisted most modern colleges into little North Korean pretzels, and advocated “polymorphous perversity” (Eros and Civilization, 1955).

It would be more accurate to say the cultural Marxists set the sexual revolution booby trap for us, and we bumbled into it.

Edward Elmer San Antonio, TX

I’VE BEEN SUBSCRIBING to the Spectator for decades (when it was the Alternative), and I’ve never written a letter of complaint before. But it seems to me that any semblance of the editorial hand that made reading the Spectator from cover to cover an enjoyable exercise has been thrown overboard.

I am specifically referring to “Fight the Fiat” by Lewis Lehrman and “Murder Allegation Most Foul” by Quin Hillyer (TAS, July-August, 2012). Those articles had all the stylistic panache of a Sunday NY Times Magazine piece, wedded to The Nation and Rolling Stone. With the exception of spell check, doesn’t anybody check to see if articles are readable and comprehensible anymore?

Marc Epstein

DEAR MR. TYRRELL: Hi. In your recent online article about Justice Roberts and the decision about health care (“Chief Justice Roberts, You Fox You,” July 5), you used “anfractuous.” What a wonderful word. What a joy it must have been to use it. Thank you for the pleasure and the exercise.

Best wishes for a great summer.

J. Mesch

Forty-Five Years of Spectator

JOIN THE VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY for a convivial night hosted by longtime contributor Ben Stein! The American Spectator’s 45th Anniversary Bartley Gala will be held November 14th in the presidential ballroom at D.C.’s Capital Hilton, and tickets are available now.

More information: www.spectator.org/gala