"The whole DEI apparatus was conjured, as Freeman referenced from my piece, by the descendents [sic] of the Frankfurt Group, to get us off target Racism, misogyny, etc., are a bunch of balloon tanks that look pretty convincing from a 30,000 foot reconnaissance aircraft."
No, the purpose of this movement is to destroy the Western tradition, including any meaningful practice of Christianity. These critics are not misguided egalitarians, they don't want the West to have a future. If you don't believe the genetic descendants of the people who created the Classical tradition have a right to their own homelands because that would be "racist," Freeman's point is that you have already lost. If you are teaching about a hero of history and prefacing it with, "he was a hero, but also we condemn his racism, sexism, etc." you are making an argument that is certain to lose.
My point was the mechanism of the Frankfurt School and its intellectual descendents was to foment revolution by conjuring up oppressor/oppressed narratives about race, sex, and other identities as a manufactured controversy that would bring down the West, but indirectly and slowly. I think you make this point.
Mine was that their effort to attack Christianity and the West was not head-on or direct, assaulting the beaches with direct claims of atheism or critiques of Christianity. Those had been tried by materialists and were insufficient to create revolution. Rather, the Frankfurt School sought to create a revolution based on envy and discontent over conjured up social strife-- a faux cause full of air, but to the end you describe.
I would not advocate changing anything about our classical tradition-- including footnoting our heroes and especially altering our list of works. Where Freeman gets the idea that I would is curious to me.
The quote I used, particularly the "Racism, misogyny, etc., are a bunch of balloon tanks that look pretty convincing" section makes it sound like you believe they have a point about the Classical tradition being racist, sexist, etc., but what you view as its redeeming qualities override that. That's great if that isn't what you meant, but it is understandable why it could be read that way.
Have you ever responded to this column by Paul Gottfried where he argues that the Frankfurt school added on to what American progressives had already been doing to education?
I've not read the Chronicles piece. Thank you. I think I understand your view of the quote. Metaphors are tricky to use well. Maybe I was a bit too far into it. So, I'll clarify: Of course, the woke crowd displays pictures of beaten slaves and facts about, say, Western religious wars or the burning of Mayan libraries that, from a distance without context, can be used to deceive us into believing that the West is really evil on the whole-- because they have atrocities as an example. They claim a 100 pound balloon, painted superficially with atrocities, is really a 33 ton tank and yell danger. They then spin this into a call to change the tradition and fix racism that did not exist as they claim. I think we all recognize the West isn't perfect. But, it is the best culture history has ever spun (until the modern era when Christianity was excised from it). I think in 200 years historians will use the enlightenment as a demarkation between the Christian West and some other culture-- probably a globalist totalitarian state of some type. But, who knows. Presently, we still call ourselves the West, but we are nowhere near as noble as it once was.
I just read the Chronicles piece. My response: RE Chronicle's comments on the Progressives preceding the Frankfurt School, I wonder if he read past chapter 2? Almost the entire book (Battle for the American Mind) was about the Progressives and their work dismantling America. The Frankfurt School provided something to fill the void left by progressives.
Freeman doesn't seem that familiar with our philosophy. What we espouse is simple: great people and great works deserve our attention because they reveal greatness. Calling classical education "hero worship" is funny (he's not far off but I'd prefer "veneration") and like Plato's philosopher who loves wisdom wherever he finds it, so loving greatness means CCE is not exclusive; we can celebrate Augustine the African as much as Bede the Britain, and an impressive woman as thoroughly as an impressive man. The purpose of all this, though. is to inspire emulation; thinking about the great thoughts of great thinkers helps us become great thinkers ourselves. Honoring heroes teaches us to be heroic. Learning from Horatius and Austen and Solzenhitzyn may seem "elite", but I wonder at any parent who wouldn't want an elite education for his child.
Freeman grossly misquotes you, particularly when he links you with anti-racism. Sowell talks about this phenomenon in the chapter "The World of Words" in "Discrimination and Disparities." It casts a shadow on an otherwise strong article from Freeman. I have read the Wilson article and know that Freeman properly frames her position, but I would be quick otherwise to wonder if Freeman represented her correctly with how poorly he represents you. Keep up the good work, David, and I'll remember to say hi at the ACCS in Pittsburg in a couple months. I'm presenting a workshop on the progymnasmata.
Thank you for: Our movement thrives on the action of everyday commoners starting schools with the hope of better days ahead.
FYI, Pavlos Papadopoulos and I are talking about Freeman's attack on JH Wilson (deserved), and on yourself (clearly undeserved) over at our stack, PostModernConservative. https://pomocon.substack.com/p/is-classical-education-going-woke
Read and now subscribed and recommending!
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Solid last line, ha.
"The whole DEI apparatus was conjured, as Freeman referenced from my piece, by the descendents [sic] of the Frankfurt Group, to get us off target Racism, misogyny, etc., are a bunch of balloon tanks that look pretty convincing from a 30,000 foot reconnaissance aircraft."
No, the purpose of this movement is to destroy the Western tradition, including any meaningful practice of Christianity. These critics are not misguided egalitarians, they don't want the West to have a future. If you don't believe the genetic descendants of the people who created the Classical tradition have a right to their own homelands because that would be "racist," Freeman's point is that you have already lost. If you are teaching about a hero of history and prefacing it with, "he was a hero, but also we condemn his racism, sexism, etc." you are making an argument that is certain to lose.
My point was the mechanism of the Frankfurt School and its intellectual descendents was to foment revolution by conjuring up oppressor/oppressed narratives about race, sex, and other identities as a manufactured controversy that would bring down the West, but indirectly and slowly. I think you make this point.
Mine was that their effort to attack Christianity and the West was not head-on or direct, assaulting the beaches with direct claims of atheism or critiques of Christianity. Those had been tried by materialists and were insufficient to create revolution. Rather, the Frankfurt School sought to create a revolution based on envy and discontent over conjured up social strife-- a faux cause full of air, but to the end you describe.
I would not advocate changing anything about our classical tradition-- including footnoting our heroes and especially altering our list of works. Where Freeman gets the idea that I would is curious to me.
The quote I used, particularly the "Racism, misogyny, etc., are a bunch of balloon tanks that look pretty convincing" section makes it sound like you believe they have a point about the Classical tradition being racist, sexist, etc., but what you view as its redeeming qualities override that. That's great if that isn't what you meant, but it is understandable why it could be read that way.
Have you ever responded to this column by Paul Gottfried where he argues that the Frankfurt school added on to what American progressives had already been doing to education?
https://chroniclesmagazine.org/web/faux-conservatism-at-fox-news/
I've not read the Chronicles piece. Thank you. I think I understand your view of the quote. Metaphors are tricky to use well. Maybe I was a bit too far into it. So, I'll clarify: Of course, the woke crowd displays pictures of beaten slaves and facts about, say, Western religious wars or the burning of Mayan libraries that, from a distance without context, can be used to deceive us into believing that the West is really evil on the whole-- because they have atrocities as an example. They claim a 100 pound balloon, painted superficially with atrocities, is really a 33 ton tank and yell danger. They then spin this into a call to change the tradition and fix racism that did not exist as they claim. I think we all recognize the West isn't perfect. But, it is the best culture history has ever spun (until the modern era when Christianity was excised from it). I think in 200 years historians will use the enlightenment as a demarkation between the Christian West and some other culture-- probably a globalist totalitarian state of some type. But, who knows. Presently, we still call ourselves the West, but we are nowhere near as noble as it once was.
I just read the Chronicles piece. My response: RE Chronicle's comments on the Progressives preceding the Frankfurt School, I wonder if he read past chapter 2? Almost the entire book (Battle for the American Mind) was about the Progressives and their work dismantling America. The Frankfurt School provided something to fill the void left by progressives.
What's hard to believe in the Christian Bible? Please comment at https://acts15church.substack.com/p/hard-to-believe
Thank you. G'Day
Freeman doesn't seem that familiar with our philosophy. What we espouse is simple: great people and great works deserve our attention because they reveal greatness. Calling classical education "hero worship" is funny (he's not far off but I'd prefer "veneration") and like Plato's philosopher who loves wisdom wherever he finds it, so loving greatness means CCE is not exclusive; we can celebrate Augustine the African as much as Bede the Britain, and an impressive woman as thoroughly as an impressive man. The purpose of all this, though. is to inspire emulation; thinking about the great thoughts of great thinkers helps us become great thinkers ourselves. Honoring heroes teaches us to be heroic. Learning from Horatius and Austen and Solzenhitzyn may seem "elite", but I wonder at any parent who wouldn't want an elite education for his child.
Freeman grossly misquotes you, particularly when he links you with anti-racism. Sowell talks about this phenomenon in the chapter "The World of Words" in "Discrimination and Disparities." It casts a shadow on an otherwise strong article from Freeman. I have read the Wilson article and know that Freeman properly frames her position, but I would be quick otherwise to wonder if Freeman represented her correctly with how poorly he represents you. Keep up the good work, David, and I'll remember to say hi at the ACCS in Pittsburg in a couple months. I'm presenting a workshop on the progymnasmata.