To paraphrase Rosanne Rosannadanna,
“You ask a lot of questions.”
It’s my opinion that liberal conscience of the nation began as reaction to the Vietnam War. The left became the anti-war party. Around that time, leftists began their march on academe and locked it up, which means their views were what became canon, and their radicalized students carried their self-righteous condescension into the populace.
I think during/after the Vietnam War was the rot finally beginning to show in the tree.
It may have started as far back as WWI. So many soldiers rejected God because they were given no answers to explain the Great War. Then there was the sexual freedom so many soldiers experienced overseas. Life is Life and it happened, despite the folks back home wanting to belief all their boys/men were chaste and honorable.
Are changed greatly at that time, going from accepting what was beautiful to various Isms. So many folks back then, were like folks today; not wanting to admit they were looking at trash, because they wanted to fit in with the current crowd.
I think your idea of Academia’s being the front point, though is an extremely good comment.
And to think, even today, there are folks who thinks going to College just to go and leaving monies to Colleges are a good thing. I realize there are some professions where College and further education are a must. For all others, though, they may as well stand in the street and throw their monies out hoping it does good.