Acerbic Iconoclast

Something fundamental is wrong with contemporary Western culture, feminist critic Camille Paglia alleges: We don’t value manliness. In a wide-ranging and probing interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ms. Paglia touches on everything from rape culture to ADHD, fearlessly upsetting many sacred cows of the academic establishment.

She adds her voice to other feminists, from Kathleen Parker in Save the Males to Christina Hoff Summers, who are willing to point out that men and women’s dignity is intrinsically linked. When we denigrate one half of the human race, we hurt everyone.

Ms. Paglia sums up the fallout of the Sexual Revolution, 50 years on: Not only is there “no room for anything manly right now,” but “Our culture doesn’t allow women to know how to be womanly.”

May we recover a ethos of gracious, and good manliness and womanliness. If we fail to, Ms. Paglia thinks Western civilization will collapse, lacking the courage to defend itself.