The American 1960s represented a Counter-Enlightenment, not an Enlightenment. That's when it became fashionable among many Americans to promote counter-culture instead of civilization, tyranny and social democracy instead of capitalism and liberal democracy, and social engineering instead of the Rule of Law.
In some ways, their victory has been total and complete. Jefferson, Brahms, Newton, Bourguereau, Tennyson, Euler -- are all considered old dead white people, and there's nothing the multicultural left hates more than that. Better to promote the eternal adolescent, they think.
How true. Scary. But true.
as great as ever was - then along came the destroyers