Culture wars are a political fabrication meant to incite a political base, but never to resolve anything.  The failure to resolve is perfect because it guarantees unending support by true believers, who care about culture, but are misguided to believe there can be a political solution.  Politicized xenophobia reflects the ugliest spirit of nationalism and should always be condemned.  What was the legacy of Germany’s kulturkampf?

In those days, German conservatives viewed the greatest threat to German culture as “The Jew.”  Richard Wagner is credited with inventing modern ant-semitism in 1850, initially attacking Jews anonymously, but republishing an essay in 1869 in his own name since the views had by then become widely accepted.  In 1855 Gustav Freytag’s “Debit and Credit” uses a Polish Jew character as the villain.  By 1874, an anti-semitic article was regularly published in a popular weekly paper, The Gartenlaube.  Written by Otto Glagau, it was called ‘The Stock Exchange and Foundation Swindle in Berlin.’  In 1879, Heinrich Von Treitschke, editor of Preussiche Jahrbucher published ‘Our Opinions,’ blaming Jews for the economic collapse of 1873, and everything else.

Sadly, a true believer in the rhetoric of the kulturkampf would eventually take power.  Adolf Hitler decided to implement the hatred and self-righteousness that German conservatives had been spewing for almost a century into a policy of genocide.  The result was one of the greatest crimes against humanity ever committed, as well as the destruction of Germany.  What Bismarck had perceived as politicking as usual, turned out to be devastating for millions of people.  Bluster has consequences.

With complete historical ignorance, American conservatives have been waging culture wars for years.  Again, there are those who don’t understand that political rhetoric doesn’t always translate into the greatest policies.  Just as Hitler built concentration camps, Republicans have built more prisons in America over the last twenty years than have been built at any time in human history.  Even now, with budgets being gutted, Republicans are holding the line.  Rather than close prisons, they are laying off school teachers and shutting down schools.  If you want to understand why turning America into a police state has had little impact on our actual culture, read my book Essays of a Penitentiary Philosopher, the first chapter is, Culture.  For culture to be truly valued and preserved, it must be understood.

The culture wars have been used to distract Americans from the real issues, allowing our schools, economy and infrastructure to collapse.  The way we are destroying ourselves is a lot less obvious than the way the Germans did it.  The reason culture wars can never be successful is because they are a war against ourselves.  Politicians use the disenchantment of the populace to justify extreme counteractions that result in more harm than good.  While we know what Hitler’s idea of victory would have been, what would Republicans be satisfied with?  Is their cultural vision realistic, if fathomable?  A culture war means victory for one culture.  Isn’t that contrary to the ideas that America was predicated on?  That’s why the second chapter of my book is Multiculturalism.

To see a different approach in how we address our problems, read my book and my blogs for free at www.politicsandjustice.com.