Frankfurt School Myth Drives Culture‑War

The 'Cultural Marxism' claim is less an accurate intellectual history than a portable origin story that simplifies complex academic debates into a single villain and soates into mass right‑wing organizing, media, and policy attacks. Books and essays that trace the myth’s genealogy (and reveal ironic personal links, like Gottfried’s mentorship under Marcuse) weaken its rhetorical power but also show how durable such origin myths are. — If the myth persists, it will keep legitimizing institutional assaults, censorship campaigns, and conspiratorial frames in mainstream politics; exposing its mechanics changes how policy and media actors respond.