War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars …
As a guide to the late twentieth century culture wars, Hartman is unrivalled. War for the Soul of America features incisive portraits of individual players in the culture wars dramas, ranging from legal scholar Robert Bork and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, to dissident feminist Camille Paglia and artist Andres Serrano of Piss Christ fame; cogent discussions of the culture wars' major texts, including The Closing of the American Mind (Allan Bloom, 1987), Gender Trouble (Judith Butler, 1990) and The Bell Curve (Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray, 1994); and revealing presentations of the signal culture wars controversies, including the 1985 porn rock congressional hearings spurred on by Tipper Gore, the heady controversy about changes to Stanford Universitys Western Civilization curriculum (students marched and chanted, Hey, hey, ho, ho, Western cultures got to go), and the early 1990s dust up about the Smithsonian Air and Space Museums allegedly offensive-to-veterans curating plans for the display of the Enola Gay Hiroshima bomber plane. If you lived through the 80s and 90s and paid attention to the news (or were anywhere near a college campus), reading Hartman sometimes feels like debriefing with friends after a raucous night out, an experience punctuated by laughter, head-scratching, and moments of regret for the excesses involved.
There are no more genuine culture wars firestorms like those outlined above today, according to Hartman, only passing flare-ups that are more farcical than poignant. By the turn of the twenty-first century, Hartman says, memories of an Ozzie and Harriet normative America had faded. A growing majority of Americans now accept and even embrace the cultural change wrought by the 60s. This argument is attractive, especially if you lean left. New peoplesblacks and other racial minorities, immigrants from strange lands, Catholics, Jews and other non-Christians, atheists, women, gays, lesbians, the disabledlaid claim to the nation, met with fierce resistance but eventually triumphed. The culture fractured but was then reconstituted into a more diverse and inclusive whole.
This explanation is neat but ultimately unsatisfying. In asserting that the culture wars were a temporary adjustment period, Hartman overlooks the extent to which they have been institutionalized into the very fabric of American society. Fox News, for example, has provided a non-stop, 24-hour televised arena for the culture wars ever since 1996. (MSNBC, on the Left, serves a similar, if less influential and pugnacious, function.) Take note also of our political primary system, in which the extremes of both parties have an outsize role in selecting candidates and shaping political platforms. Hartman points to changing attitudes about homosexuality to support his contention that the culture wars are finished. Homophobia is on the wane and public support for gay marriage is up, dramatically so. Hartman is undeniably right that homosexuality is no longer such a divisive subject in our national conversations but it is worth making a distinction between culture wars issues that may be blunted and others that will always be sharp.
Most important of all, arguably, are the controversies that linger in public education. We have a radically decentralized educational system, as historian David Labaree has pointed out, with some 14,000 individual school districts interacting with the local, state, and federal governments. Under these conditions, the capacity for passionate disagreement about what to teach the 50 million children and adolescents enrolled in public school is enormous. As I write, the Louisiana Senate Education Committee is considering the repeal of the 2008 Louisiana Science Education Act signed by Governor Bobby Jindal, which gives cover to teach intelligent design [and] creationism. Jindal, who majored in biology at Brown University, said, I don't want any facts or theories or explanations to be withheld from [students] because of political correctness. Last week, aftermonths of rancorous debate,the Acalanes Union High School District school board in Lafayette, California, reaffirmed its commitment to working with Planned Parenthood educators to deliver its high school sex education curriculum. The school board was not swayed by the arguments made by the NOISE (No to Irresponsible Sex Education) Coalition that Planned Parenthood is a business that sells sex. Two months ago, the Oklahoma legislature introduced a bill that would ban funding for AP U.S. History courses in light of the College Boards new curriculum guidelines. The bills author, Republican Representative Dan Fisher, said the redesigned framework emphasized what is bad about America, while neglecting American exceptionalism. Schools are much more than conveyor belts for academic contentthey are also critical sites for the transmission of beliefs and values from one generation to the next. Curriculum disputes in the culture wars idiom are not going away anytime soon.
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War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars ...
- Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Ag Secretary Uses Purse Strings to Press Culture Wars in States - DTN Progressive Farmer - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Lionel Shriver: Trump has ended US culture wars but UK is lagging - The Times - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- No 10 happy to dip its toe into culture wars in row with Sentencing Council - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Canada ditches divisive culture wars for focused hyper-nationalism thanks to Donald Trump - Daily Maverick - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Disneys New Snow White Film Fights Culture Wars and Wins - Bloomberg - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Culture wars reach the classroom: What is the best way to teach children about gender and identity? - The Irish Times - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- 'I thought we were done with the culture wars': Democrats push back on measure clarifying what makes school books 'harmful to minors' - Creative... - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Letter: Culture wars drove me away from the GOP - Bangor Daily News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Beth Ann Rosica: Pennsylvania culture wars to be waged in the courtroom - Broad + Liberty - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- I have a pathological need to be right: Ash Sarkar on culture wars, controversy and Corbyns lost legacy - The Guardian - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Alex Gibney to Exec Produce Doc About College Culture Wars and Freedom of Speech (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Embrace of authoritarianism in US fueled by culture wars more than economy, study finds - The University of Kansas - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Memo to Hollywood: Theres No Running or Hiding From the Culture Wars - TheWrap - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Culture wars reach warfighters as area military bases ordered to scrub online content - Fredericksburg Free Press - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- The WA election campaign has been about big promises, but culture wars are inescapable in contemporary politics - The Conversation Indonesia - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- How the Right Hijacked the Working Class for Culture Wars - Social Europe - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Culture wars: Trumps takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- A correspondence from the Culture Wars - Carter County Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Hands on Wisconsin: School children are pawns in the culture wars - The Daily News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Is a Trump backlash on its way? Well, eggs are as expensive as ever and you cant eat the culture wars - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - New York Post - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Gaming Is Becoming More Diverse, Opening a New Front in the Culture Wars - New Lines Magazine - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Creed vs. the culture wars: Hunkered down in the Catholic demilitarized zone - America: The Jesuit Review - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Guardian view on class politics: it has faded as culture wars have risen | Editorial - The Guardian - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- US spending suggests that Irish culture wars are indeed imported by the Left - Gript - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - NewsBreak - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Port: Not every issue has to be a part of the culture wars - INFORUM - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Jaguar May Prove to Be the Latest Casualty in Culture Wars - autoevolution - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Is language the key to resolving the WFH v back-to-the-office culture wars? | Emma Beddington - The Guardian - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Sundance: Tame Stories Reflect an Indie World Battered by Economics, Culture Wars - TheWrap - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into Political and Culture Wars - The Seattle Times - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into the Political and Culture Wars - The New York Times - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- March for Life in San Francisco Sparks Clashes and Culture Wars - SFist - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- The worlds most embarrassing inauguration was led by the Culture Wars President - The Independent - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- 'Culture wars' are costing school districts billions of dollars annually - Audacy - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Under The Malign Influence Of Trump, Britains Draining Culture Wars Are About To Get Even More Toxic - British Vogue - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Open spot will set future of this metro-east library board embroiled in culture wars - Yahoo! Voices - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Culture Wars And DJ Mailbox To Open For Maroon 5 Manila Concert - Billboard Philippines - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trade Wars, Culture Wars, and Anti-Immigration: Trumps Big Promises - Kyiv Post - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trans Georgians and allies brace for another year of culture wars in state Legislature - Decaturish.com - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Trans Georgians and allies brace for another year of culture wars in state Legislature - Georgia Recorder - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- The Forgotten Book Genre That Explains a Lot About Todays Culture Wars - Slate - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Simon Schama on the culture wars: There is a faint smell of the 1930s - The Times - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- The culture wars are coming for children with special needs Labour must tread carefully - The Guardian - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- AI chip race, antitrust challenges, and culture wars: What lies ahead for Big Tech in 2025 - The Indian Express - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- How to take climate change out of the culture wars - National Catholic Reporter - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Biblical grammar enters the culture wars - The Times of Israel - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Battles over books led the way in culture wars over education - Suncoast News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- David M. Lantigua: At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars - TribLIVE - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Eggs, coffee, chocolate, and the culture wars: Foodtech in 2024 - AgFunderNews - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- #Woke to anti-woke, its the era of culture wars - The Times of India - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Disney withdraws from culture wars amid bruising encounters with Trump and DeSantis - The Independent - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Disney reportedly backing away from culture wars: Politics is bad for business - Fox8tv - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- The Whole Hog End of Year Special: "Climate change has also been sucked into the culture wars" - hotpress.com - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Culture wars in the Church has innocent victims: The parishioners - Crux Now - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars - The Conversation Indonesia - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Reilly Riffs on the Culture Wars - Bacon's Rebellion - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Woodstock: From World War to Culture Wars - New York Almanack - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Class, the Culture Wars, and Contempt for Politics: Why we Lost in 2024 - Daily Kos - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Democrats should abandon government force in culture wars - Washington Examiner - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Anthony Jeselnik Reclaims Gallows Humour From The Culture Wars On New Special 'Bones And All' - DeadAnt - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Kitchen-table issues, not culture wars, helped Democrats avoid 2024 wipeout - Washington Examiner - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Child Protection: Hungarys Far-Right Is Grabbing the Initiative in the Culture Wars - Balkan Insight - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Climate change and even tethered bottle caps have got sucked into the culture wars - The Irish Times - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Column | Can our spending habits help explain the culture wars? - The Washington Post - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Lawmakers Are Trying to Take the Culture Wars Out of Defense Budget Negotiations - NOTUS - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Religion-state separation is about to take center stage in the US culture wars - The Times of Israel - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Did Democrats lose on the economy or the culture wars? Three strategists weigh in - KUOW News and Information - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- In Conversation with Culture Wars: New Single It Hurts - Flaunt Magazine - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- No more faggots and Gypsy Creams! How the culture wars came for cookery - The Telegraph - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- Trump Will Bring The School Culture Wars To Every State - HuffPost - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- How the mega-rich are throwing their financial heft into culture wars on college campuses - The Telegraph - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- What kind of person would drag autistic children into the culture wars? The Kemi Badenoch kind - The Guardian - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- Have hurricanes gotten swept up in the culture wars? - KCRW - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- OUTRAGE: Movies and the Culture Wars, 19871996 - BAM | Brooklyn Academy of Music - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- What is Platos Symposium, the classic book drawn into the Gender Queer culture wars? - The Conversation - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- The EV Culture Wars Arent What They Seem - The Atlantic - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- British history is being destroyed before our eyes and it has nothing to do with culture wars over statues - The Guardian - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- 'Culture wars' burning in B.C.s combative election - Vancouver Sun - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]