
The Myth of Cultural Marxism â Anatomy of a conspiracy theory
Origin Story
Unraveling the Roots of Cultural Marxism Conspiracy Theories
This chapter delves into the conspiracy theory of cultural Marxism, examining its roots and evolution from neo-Nazism to present-day right-wing politics. It critiques the impact of these ideas on culture, particularly within universities and media, while addressing the dangerous connections between conservative rhetoric and extremist ideologies.
Welcome to another Origin Story bonus episode. This week weâre discussing the conspiracy theory of Cultural Marxism. In the 1990s, cultural conservatives in America began pinning everything they hated, from feminism and gender studies departments to pop music and horror movies, on the legacy of the Frankfurt School, a group of German intellectuals who came together at Frankfurt University in 1923 and resettled in New York in 1935. The theory claims that these Teutonic eggheads, most of whom were Jewish, used critical theory and social studies to infiltrate American life and undermine âJudeo-Christian cultureâ from within. Hence, allegedly, political correctness and much else besides.
The delusion of Cultural Marxism was made famous by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik in 2011 but it is not confined to neo-Nazis. As a pseudo-intellectual justification for the anti-woke backlash, it has been cited by Jordan Peterson, Paul Dacre, Viktor OrbĂĄn, Ron DeSantis and Suella Braverman, making it perhaps the clearest bridge between the far
right and ârespectableâ conservatism: a modern Red Scare for a cultural Cold War.
Dorian takes Ian through the evolution of the theory, from post-war fascist Francis Parker Lockey via conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche to the paranoid fringes of conservatism and ultimately the mainstream. Is Cultural Marxism just a rebranding of Hitlerâs antisemitic obsession with âcultural bolshevismâ or something more ornate? Who were the Frankfurt
School and what were they really trying to do? Why do conservative politicians keep using a phrase popularised by a fascist terrorist? And what does this have to do with the Beatles or A Nightmare on Elm Street? Join us as we unravel one of the most perniciously influential conspiracy theories in the world.
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Reading list
- The History of Political Correctness (1999)
- Moses Apostaticus, âCultural Marxism Is Destroying Americaâ, The Daily Caller (2016)
- Hannah Barnes, âThe Intolerant Ageâ, New Statesman (2024)
- Bill Berkowitz, ââCultural Marxismâ Catching Onâ, Southern Poverty Law Center (2003)
- Paul Gottfried, Antifascism: The Course of a Crusade (2021)
- Martin Jay, âDialectic of Counter-Enlightenment: The Frankfurt School as Scapegoat of the Lunatic Fringeâ, Salmagundi (2010)
- Stuart Jeffries, Grand Hotel Abyss: The Lives of the Frankfurt School (2016)
- Stuart Jeffries, âWhy Theodor Adorno and the Frankfurt School failed to change the worldâ, New Statesman (2021)
- William S. Lind, âUnderstanding Oklahomaâ, Washington Post (1995)
- William S. Lind, âWhat Is Cultural Marxism?â (undated)
- William S. Lind, âThe Origins of Political Correctnessâ (2000)
- William S. Lind (ed.), ââPolitical Correctnessâ: A Short History of an Ideologyâ (2004)
- Sarah Manavis, âWhat Is Cultural Marxism? The alt-right meme in Suella Bravermanâs speech in Westminsterâ, New Statesman (2018)
- Matt McManus, âOn Marxism, Post-Marxism, and âCultural Marxismââ, Merion West (2018)
- Michael Minnicino, âThe New Dark Age: The Frankfurt School and âPolitical Correctnessâ, Fidelio (1992)
- Samuel Moyn, âThe Alt-Rightâs Favorite Meme Is 100 Years Oldâ, New York Times (2018)
- David Niewert, âThe new age of chain terrorism: White far-right killers are inspiring each other sequentiallyâ, Daily Kos (2019)
- Ari Paul, ââCultural Marxism: The Mainstreaming of a Nazi Tropeâ (2019)
- The Red Phoenix, âDebunking William S. Lind & âCultural Marxismââ, The Red Phoenix (2011)
- Matthew Rose, âA World After Liberalism: Philosophers of the Radical Rightâ (2021)
... reading list continues â full list available on Patreon
Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey and Ian Dunt. Produced by Simon Williams. Music by Jade Bailey. Art by Jim Parrett. Logo by Mischa Welsh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Origin Story is a Podmasters production
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