
Beyond Gender They LIED for 60 Years - Eric Kaufmann Exposes the Progressive Myth
Oct 31, 2025
Eric Kaufmann, a professor and researcher on culture wars, delves into the decline of the progressive era that shaped Western institutions for 60 years. He discusses the 'moral Big Bang' from the 1960s, exploring how white guilt recalibrated American policies. Kaufmann contrasts cultural socialism with economic Marxism and highlights the role of universities in ideological shifts. The conversation culminates in a debate about the future, suggesting a potential pivot towards classical liberalism as society grapples with ongoing identity politics.
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Sixty-Year Cultural Project
- The progressive era is a 60-year cultural-left project centered on identity-based equal outcomes for race, sex, and sexuality.
- Kaufmann calls this 'cultural socialism', distinct from economic Marxism, and says it's now entering an inflection point.
The 1960s Moral Big Bang
- Kaufmann describes a 'moral Big Bang' in the 1960s when civil-rights activism shifted cultural power and created new taboos around racism.
- Institutions responded by signaling virtue (e.g., affirmative action) to alleviate white guilt and reclaim moral authority.
Three Cultural Awakenings
- Kaufmann identifies three cultural-left 'awakenings' (late 60s, late 80s/90s, 2010s) that escalated identity politics each time.
- The 2010s 'Great Awokening' moved campus ideas into mainstream institutions and media.




