Comments on: W.R. Marshall: The new McCarthyism of the anti-intellectual right http://augustafreepress.com/2008/09/25/wr-marshall-the-new-mccarthyism-of-the-anti-intellectual-right/ The Valley. Virginia. Defined. News from AugustaFreePress.com. Wed, 23 May 2012 08:45:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Robert Birt http://augustafreepress.com/2008/09/25/wr-marshall-the-new-mccarthyism-of-the-anti-intellectual-right/comment-page-1/#comment-29080 Robert Birt Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:07:32 +0000 http://augustafreepress.wordpress.com/?p=6669#comment-29080 Max Friedman is simply WRONG, and his comment indicative of a lack of knowledge of American history and culture. Anti-intellectualism DID NOT begin with Herbert Marcuse. And despite my own reservations about his notion of "repressive tolerance", Marcuse was not himself anti-intellectual. Indeed, he was a philosopher belong to a very old and revered European intellectual tradition. And an opponent of REAL fascism--let's forget Friedman rhetorical use of the word fascism--itself a murderous anti-intellectual movement and regime that forced Marcuse and others of his colleagues out of Germany during the 1930s. And how does one explain the anti-intellectual attacks on Thomas Jefferson long before Marcuse was even born? Moreover, I acknowledge that anti-intellectualism can be found throughout the political and ideological spectrum. Yet, as American historian Richard Hofstadter noted in his classic ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM IN AMERICAN LIFE, anti-intellectualism is commonplace and pronounced within the Right than within the Left. The Left didn't launch McCarthyism during the 1950s. And one didn't find in the anything like the anti-intellectual intolerance in the Obama/Biden campaign as one did in the McCain/Palin campaign. Even Noam Chomsky noted that his Marxist adversaries tried to ARGUE with him, to refute him, and not simply DENOUNCE him as unAmerican and subversive in the way his conservative opponents did. Frankly, I don't think this a coincidence. Max Friedman is simply WRONG, and his comment indicative of a lack of knowledge of American history and culture.
Anti-intellectualism DID NOT begin with Herbert Marcuse. And despite my own reservations about his notion of “repressive tolerance”, Marcuse was not himself anti-intellectual. Indeed, he was a philosopher belong to a very old and revered European intellectual tradition. And an opponent of REAL fascism–let’s forget Friedman rhetorical use of the word fascism–itself a murderous anti-intellectual movement and regime that forced Marcuse and others of his colleagues out of Germany during the 1930s.
And how does one explain the anti-intellectual attacks on Thomas Jefferson long before Marcuse was even born?
Moreover, I acknowledge that anti-intellectualism can be found throughout the political and ideological spectrum.
Yet, as American historian Richard Hofstadter noted in his classic ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM IN AMERICAN LIFE, anti-intellectualism is commonplace and pronounced within the Right than within the Left. The Left didn’t launch McCarthyism during the 1950s.
And one didn’t find in the anything like the anti-intellectual intolerance in the Obama/Biden campaign as one did in the McCain/Palin campaign.
Even Noam Chomsky noted that his Marxist adversaries tried to ARGUE with him, to refute him, and not simply DENOUNCE him as unAmerican and subversive in the way his conservative opponents did. Frankly, I don’t think this a coincidence.

]]> By: Max Friedman http://augustafreepress.com/2008/09/25/wr-marshall-the-new-mccarthyism-of-the-anti-intellectual-right/comment-page-1/#comment-616 Max Friedman Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:44:52 +0000 http://augustafreepress.wordpress.com/?p=6669#comment-616 Sorry Marshall, but "anti-intellectualism" really started with Herbert Marcuse and his advocacy of "intolerance for tolerance" if the speaker was one he disagreed with. Call it the "shout down the speaker" theory of ideological action. Actually, let's call it Left-wing, Marxist anti-intellectual terrorism. I've seen it in action and it reminds me of the old films from Nazi Germany and from the Communist mobs in France, Italy, and on the American campuses. That is why they are now calling "liberal" leftwing-fascism. Seiggie Heil, comrade. Sorry Marshall, but “anti-intellectualism” really started with Herbert Marcuse and his advocacy of “intolerance for tolerance” if the speaker was one he disagreed with. Call it the “shout down the speaker” theory of ideological action.

Actually, let’s call it Left-wing, Marxist anti-intellectual terrorism. I’ve seen it in action and it reminds me of the old films from Nazi Germany and from the Communist mobs in France, Italy, and on the American campuses.

That is why they are now calling “liberal” leftwing-fascism. Seiggie Heil, comrade.

]]>