Behind the News: The Canard of Cultural Marxism w/ A.J.A. Woods

The episode dismantles the myth of 'cultural Marxism' as a coordinated conspiracy, tracing its roots not to the Frankfurt School’s actual critiques of capitalism and mass culture, but to a series of sectarian battles within the far-left and right-wing political movements. Historian Greg Grandin reveals how Pope Leo XIV’s progressive vision—shaped by his time in Peru and deep engagement with liberation theology—was forged in resistance to the Vatican’s conservative backlash against Marxist-influenced Catholic thought in the 1970s and 80s. The episode exposes how the Catholic Church’s internal struggle between liberation theology and reactionary forces culminated in a quiet but profound restoration of radical social commitment under Francis and Leo, using theological rebranding to bypass doctrinal resistance. Meanwhile, intellectual historian A.J.A. Woods dissects how the 'cultural Marxism' narrative, originally a fringe conspiracy theory from Lyndon LaRouche’s movement, was co-opted by the New Right and Tea Party to weaponize anti-woke rhetoric. Far from being a real ideological threat, the Frankfurt School’s actual work—critiquing alienation and consumer culture—was inverted by right-wing ideologues into a fantasy of a secret elite manipulating society through art, music, and gender norms.