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America as a Civilization: Max Lerner
American writer and liberal political columnist Max Lerner speaks about the current state of American politics. This lecture is part of a six-part series based on Lerner’s book, America as a Civilization: Life and Thought in the United States Today (1957). Lerner begins the lecture by discussing the results of the recent 1958 elections. He argues that the results reflect a feeling of frustration with the general directions and outcomes of the 1950s so far. He contends that “the style and genius of American politics are not abstract;” they are instead primarily pragmatic in that American voters want immediate results rather than ideological developments. Lerner also discusses class structure and the creation of suburbs in the United States, which he believes represents “a flight from loneliness and temporariness” in modern mass culture. The lecture is followed with questions from the audience.
Recorded December 2, 1958 at 92nd Street Y, New York.
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