What's So Scary About the Frankfurt School?
This article from The Nation reviews A.J.A. Woods' book 'The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy,' which examines how the Frankfurt School of 20th-century German theorists became a central bogeyman for the contemporary right. The piece traces the conspiracy's origins from Anders Breivik's 2011 manifesto to modern American right-wing figures like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr. Woods argues that the 'Cultural Marxism' narrative originated in 1960s left-wing infighting, then migrated rightward through figures like William S. Lind and the Free Congress Foundation. The article notes that the term is used vaguely to encompass grievances against political correctness, multiculturalism, and diversity, often without clear definition. It highlights how the Frankfurt School's complex theories have been simplified and weaponized in political discourse, with the conspiracy theory now mainstream on outlets like Newsmax and in Heritage Foundation papers.
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