Book Review: America’s Cultural Revolution by Christopher Rufo
Best history of Critical Race Theory I’ve come across
Before I begin reviewing Christopher Rufo’s new book, I should let the reader know I am no newbie when it comes to Critical Theory. I’ve studied it, taught on it, and assisted someone who must not be named prepare a project on it important to an organization that must not be named. I freely admit I am no James Lindsay, nor am nutty enough to have a grievance studies degree, but my knowledge in this area is well above average.
Yet I learned a lot by reading Rufo’s America’s Cultural Revolution. I was already aware of much of what he goes over. But I had not come across a book that connects the dots as well as
does. It’s not a long book; it’s over 300 pages only because of the diligent endnotes. Yet his is an excellent detailed survey of the history and content of Critical Theory, especially Critical Race Theory, and its application in the United States.He begins with the Marxist radicals of the 60’s and 70’s with focus on Herbert Marcuse and Angela Davis. And he goes on to connect their ideologies directly to today’s Critical Theories. I was vaguely aware of the 60’s radicals — even I was rather young back then. But I, like most, did not hear much from them from about 1980 on. In the meantime, I was aware of Leftist silliness in academia, but isn’t there always Leftist silliness in academia? So the sudden rise in Critical Theory, particularly Critical Race Theory, after 2016 was an unpleasant surprise to me. Heck, back in 2008 with the first election in Obama, I thought we as a country had pretty much outgrown racism and racial division. (And then Obama threw gasoline on it, but I best not get started on that.)
In any case, in my mind there was more a gulf than a connection between the 60’s radicals and today’s woke. Yes, I saw them as both Leftists that needed to be defeated. But I did not see that the seeds of Critical Theory were planted back in the 60’s and 70’s and have been growing and extending their suffocating vines ever since. Rufo excels in unvieling that history.
One example: I’m barely old to remember Angela Davis as bad news during the 60’s. I thought she had then become irrelevant except for her place in history and on Communist Party tickets. Rufo disabused me of my ignorance by tracing her influence to today.
Really the only other person who is in the same league in my view when it comes to Critical Theory and its history is James Lindsay. I listen to Lindsay avidly and heartily recommend his wealth of information at
, but it takes a lot more time to listen to his podcasts than to read Rufo’s book. (But please do both if you can.)In the process of going through the history, Rufo spells out very well the teachings and applications of Critical Theory. Frankly, he does that so well that I at times had to stop to cool down. He does not use inflammatory language, but to learn well the teachings and acts of key CT players provokes anyone with half a conscience and half a heart. That is one reason I will not be teaching it to my study group — it is that difficult to go through calmly, at least for me — although I will heartily recommend my group and more read it themselves.
Two other caveats. Rufo focuses mainly on Critical Race Theory among the Critical Theories. You will need to read something else if you wish to learn much about Queer Theory, Gender Studies, etc. Second, although Rufo concludes with “The Counter-Revolution to Come”, he does not go into detail as to how we should counter Critical Theory. He has experience doing so; I hope he will write on that in a follow-up book soon. We need it!
But education certainly has to be part of our response. Ignorance about Marxist and Neo-Marxist totalitarianism and Critical Theory only enables today’s woke totalitarians. America’s Cultural Revolution serves this need for education well. It has certainly added to my knowledge. If you care about what is happening to our society and why and — even better — want to do your part to educate others, Rufo’s book is a must read.
It may or may not be relevant but please find these comments.
You are probably familiar with the work of Paul Kingsnorth and his thesis re the now all-pervasive dark hegemony of the machine and the god's of the machine. His work is informed by writers and cultural theorists/critics such as Lewis Mumford, Ellul and others too. He also refers to Iain McGilchrist's two books, especially The Master and His Emissary re the left brain and the making of the modern Western world-view which has essentially scrubbed the ancient pre-modern understanding that the world is an open-ended , even indefinable psychic phenomenon/process. References to the work of Paul Levy and his three books on The Wetiko Disease/psychosis have been posted on his substack site.
Two of the most prominent propaganda factories for this deeply psychotic left-brained machine anti-culture are The Heritage Foundation and The Manhattan Institute which publishes The City Journal. The modern Western city (especially New York) is the most powerful in-your-face manifestation of the power-and-control-seeking machine world-view (paradigm).
That having been said Rufo is closely associated with both outfits.