Title

Slouching towards Gomorrah : modern liberalism and American decline

Description

In Robert H. Bork's Slouching Towards Gomorrah, one of our nation's most distinguished conservative scholars offers a prophetic and unprecedented view of a culture in decline, a nation in such serious moral trouble that its very foundation is crumbling. Of our own President, Bork writes: "Thirty years ago, Clinton's behavior would have been absolutely disqualifying. Since the 1992 election, the public has learned far more about what is known, euphemistically, as the 'character issue.' Yet none of this appears to affect Clinton's popularity. It is difficult not to conclude that something about our moral perceptions and reactions has changed profoundly. If that change is permanent, the implication for our future is bleak.".The root of our decline, Bork argues, is the rise of modern liberalism, which stresses the dual forces of radical egalitarianism (the equality of outcomes rather than opportunities) and radical individualism (the drastic reduction of limits to personal gratification). The roots of modern liberalism are deeply embedded in the past two and a half centuries - and perhaps - arise from the very nature of Western civilization itself. From the collapse of popular culture to the general weakening of intellect, from the role of the Supreme Court as an agent of modern liberalism to the trouble in religion, from the assault of radical feminism on American institutions and freedoms to the "killing for convenience" of abortion and euthanasia, Bork has brilliantly encapsulated a nation and a culture on the brink. He courageously sounds an alarm for all Americans.To understand our current plight and the direction in which we are moving, Bork believes we must look to the Sixties, a decade in which the moral integrity of our nation came under full-blown assault. We have never recovered from that attack because the radicals of the Sixties have taken over or heavily modified the cultural institutions they once sought to destroy.

Identifier

593013

60391634

Creator

Bork, Robert H

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

1996

Program air date: December 4, 1996

Publisher

Regan Books

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Notes on front endpapers: A population, a culture lobotomized by TV. Enemy within is modern liberalism. Radical egalitarianism, radical liberalism, radical feminism, radical individualism. Boredom p. 23/9. Multiculturalism is a lie p. 311. Religion--US a very secular nation p. 279. Universities p. 250. Censorship 140. V-Chip, Madonna. How much did Rush L. affect sales? Tocqueville--why do site him so often. Vietnam p 18. What was the spirit of Port Huron. Nihilism was the order of the decade. My 60s life style p 32. Democracy is in retreat in V.S. p 37. New York City access channel--what did you see? p 128. Your opinion of the Supreme Court, ' ' ' 'universities. Popular culture--Nine Inch Nails song "Big man with a gun" p. 124. Alt sex. 25 talk show hosts competition. MTV. Underlinings/Notes: Underlinings: culture politicized, politics culturized, modern liberalism, radical individualism, radical egalitarianism, Elvis, rock, James Dean, C. Wright Mills, Jack Kerouac, the Beats, 60s sprit revived in the 80s--Clintons. collapse of criminal justice system, modern liberalism is enemy within, radical egalitarianism, church may not require moral behavior, personal convenience, road to cultural disaster, fragmented society, no sense of community--society of low morale, Vietnam does not explain 60s. Silent generation--1922-1947=43.6 million; boomers--1946-1964--79 million. Radical politics substitute for religion. Port Huron Statement. Modern liberalism--search for politics of meaning. Opposition to counterculture, today's modern liberalism, is what our culture war is about. Ivy League set pace in retreat of reason. Nihilism--hedonism/political rage. Censorship for violent, sexually explicit material. Moral chaos of the universities. National identity--loss of cultural unity. Bilingual education, self-esteem. Quotas, affirmative action, diversity. Court. Religious right. Notes: "Culture," "Liberalism not always bad," "radical egalitarianism," "quotas, affirmative action," "ruthless hedonism," "affluence/boredom," "technology can't be halted," "French Revol and the 60s in colleges," "Vietnam powerful metaphor," "the protests," "Jane Fonda," "Universities," "leftish faculty," "radio," "SDS," "my 60s lifestyle, socialism, etc., Marines, U. of Chicago," "Yale," "New York Times," "rap," "rap criminals," "TV," "Montel Williams," "MTV," "NYC access channel," "art," "alt.sex," "Madonna," "murder," "TV rating system," "V chip no solution," "Mapplethorpe, Cincinnati," "Supreme Court," "lewd, obscene, profane, libelous," "don't buy it," "30% illegitimate births," "illegitimate births v. ennui," "Charles Murray," "welfare," "Big Brothers/Big Sisters," "severity of punishment is in decline," "prisons cost too much," "disaster," "presidential debates," "Tocqueville," "US very secular nation," "Catholics, birth control, divorce," "no Founding," "multiculturalists quote A.A.," "Stanford," "rewrite history," "a lie," "democracy in retreat in U.S.," "a society that feels guilty," "security a religion," "Regulations, law by bureaucracies," "modern liberals govern through the judiciary and the bureaucracies," "powerful intellectual and artistic forces," "Ken Galbraith," "Clarence Thomas," "religious conservatism," "foolish," "talk radio," "politics becoming conservative," "liberal media."

Subject

"Liberalism--United States."

"Social values--United States."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

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