It's fashionable now within the alt-research community AKA information terrorists, to lay the blame of contemporary moral bankruptcy at the door of the Frankfurt School and Cultural Marxism. There's clearly some basis in this argument and indeed, many contemporary intellectuals and (qu)ackademics are determined to push forward a minorities agenda that is all about furthering one minority while undermining both the majority, and in the long run, the collective of under represented minorities they exploit such as LGBTI, feminist and ethnic groups.
The flaw in the argument against the Frankfurt school is they established themselves in pre-war Nazi Germany which is about the worst place in the world to launch a critical theory movement that fought for minority rights. There's no escaping that given the winners of WWII had yet to be determined there's little chance anybody could have logically planned the Frankfurt School's flight to, and success in, late 60's USA.
I could also offer a counter claim. The idea that a Berkeley professor who subsequently argued against the (winners of WWII) military industrial complex and planned obsolescence in consumer culture couldn't be removed from his academic post is just silly given any professor today knows full well not to question basic fairy tales such as 9/11.
Marcuse received a ton of hate mail and death threats for his views.
Marcuse received a ton of hate mail and death threats for his views.
I like Marcuse.
His words are grounded in logic and good intent. Naturally, any belief system can be weaponised, as indeed it was in 60's' USA, but it's clear that Marcuse was just the decent side of the Ronnie Reagan vs Scruffy Hippy dialectic that was completely stage managed in order to reap the dividends of a cultural war that distracted from the rape of Vietnam and much much more.
His words are grounded in logic and good intent. Naturally, any belief system can be weaponised, as indeed it was in 60's' USA, but it's clear that Marcuse was just the decent side of the Ronnie Reagan vs Scruffy Hippy dialectic that was completely stage managed in order to reap the dividends of a cultural war that distracted from the rape of Vietnam and much much more.
There are more key individuals I need to study from the Frankfurt Group in order to determine a rounded opinion, but from this early start I'm already modifying my early snap judgement on the Frankfurt school to something more nuanced, complex and as ever, more interesting.
