[The_Reader_David]

The trouble is "Cultural Marxism" is a stupid name, reflecting an intellectual tone-deafness to the actual content of the 21st century left, a lack of perceptiveness, which makes fighting them harder.

The left is no longer Marxist, but Nietzschean.

"Multiculturalism" and feminist separatism represent Nietzschean transvaluations of values: they embrace the stereotypes old Marxist anti-racism (which bizarrely had more in common with American conservatism than this new movement does) fought against, but with the value assigned to them turned upside down. Blacks do have rhythm, but that makes them superior to whites; women are less rational, more driven by emotion, but that makes them better suited to formulating 'humane' social and foreign policies; etc.

The Nietzschean left also embraces Nietzsche's romanticization of nature--radical environmentalism--and the savage as opposed to the civilized--hence their affinity for the Jihadis. The Marxist 'religion is the opiate of the masses,' which would alienate them from the Muslims as much as from Christians, is replaced with Nietzsche's special antipathy for Christianity (they seem to ignore the fact he hated Buddhism at least a much. . .perhaps because there aren't many genuine classical Buddhists in America. . . or perhaps, since their Nietzscheanism is derivative, via Heidegger and Sartre, they don't care to follow him on this--after all 'Buddhist' meditation techniques are a nice way to relax.)

Continuing to fight 'Marxists' is a mistake: fighting the last war always is.

[gondramB]

"The left is no longer Marxist, but Nietzschean. "


Yes, but "Nietzschean" is hard to pronounce.

[King Prout]

actually, they'd be Nietzscheo-Marxists. these dipwads STILL believe in the communist Utopia, and are anti-meritocratic - both rather divergent from Nietzschean philosophy

[Billthedrill]

I'm inclined to agree, although IMHO "nihilistic" is a better description of most of the current adherents of this strange and bitter doctrine. They actually go Marx one better - he dreamed of utopia after the current structure of society is torn down, they just want to tear it down.

BTW, a lot of people misunderstand Marx's dictum on religion. It was one of the vestiges of society that he would have torn down almost regretfully albeit in his opinion necessarily. What he wrote in whole was: "Religious suffering is at one and the same time the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." (Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right)

My personal guess is that Marx would have considered the members of the Frankfurt School to be heretics and major obstructions to the eventual victory of socialism, as in fact they may be. But they were right about the proletariat - it did turn into the bourgeoisie, a thing neo-Marxists have never really forgiven it for. They're stuck finding oppressed classes through which to project a revolution that will never happen. That doesn't mean they can't hurt people in the meantime.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Both the left and the right have claimed Nietzsche but he was never a party animal... (well, ok... maybe once at Wagner's place)

[oneofmany]

Very true. Nietzsche said it best himself: "Liberal institutions straightway cease from being liberal the moment they are soundly established: once this is attained no more grievous and more thorough enemies of freedom exist than liberal institutions."
The Twilight of the Idols
1888