Know Your Enemy
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Midge Decter: Anti-Feminist Cold Warrior (w/ Moira Donegan & Adrian Daub)
🕑 Added 2023-07-27 20:31:00 +0000 UTCIn this episode, Matt and Sam join Moira Donegan and Adrian Daub — co-hosts of the new podcast “In Bed With The Right" — for an in-depth look at the life, times, and work of the late Midge Decter, who died in 2022. Decter was inspired by a distinctly conservative, mid-century American reading of Freudian psychology, mobilized in defense of traditional family hierarchies, which made her an important link between neoconservatives and the religious right — unsurprisingly, she helped found or served on the boards of numerous conservative organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, Committee for the Free World, and the Independent Women's Forum, among others.
Her essays, books, and memoirs represent an anguished counter-revolt against the sexual liberation movements of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and her trajectory from (ostensible) New Deal liberal to anti-feminist Cold Warrior proves a perfect subject for Know Your Enemy. Decter also was married to Norman Podhoretz (another subject of KYE lore) and the mother of John Podhoretz, current editor of Commentary magazine. A quarrelsome, Jewish conservative with a lively writing style and a fascinating, emblematic life story: what could be better?
Further Reading:
Midge Decter, An Old Wife’s Tale: My Seven Decades in Love and War (2002)
—The New Chastity and Other Arguments Against Women's Liberation (1972)
— Always Right: Selected Writings of Midge Decter (2002)
— Liberal Parents, Radical Children (1975)
— Rumsfeld: A Personal Portrait (2003)
— “The Boys on the Beach,” Commentary, Sept 1980.
— “Socialism & Its Irresponsibilities: The Case of Irving Howe,” Commentary, Dec 1982.
— “Documentation: Sex Education on Trial—What They’re Teaching Our Children,” Crisis Magazine, Dec 1, 1998.
John Podhoretz, A Son’s Eulogy for Midge Decter (1927-2022), Commentary, May 12, 2022.
R. R. Reno, “My Memories of Midge Decter,” First Things, May 11, 2022.
Jeet Heer, “Farewell to Midge Decter, the Bigot on the Beach,” The Nation, May 13, 2022.
Ronnie Grinberg, “An overlooked conservative writer helps explain Trump’s enduring appeal,” Washington Post, May 20, 2022.
Douglas Martin, “Midge Decter, an Architect of Neoconservatism, Dies at 94,” NYTimes, May 9, 2022.
Adrienne Rich, “The Anti-Feminist Woman,” NYRB, Nov 30, 1972.
Comments
Joel
tfw u get sprung 4 Rummy
Benjamin Pletcher
From Michelle Goldberg in the NYT today: “Revisiting the episode of “Know Your Enemy” with Hochman, I couldn’t help wondering if, as the son of Portland liberals, he’s simply mastered a kind of ideological code-switching. The same month he went on the left-wing podcast, Hochman appeared on a Twitter Spaces chat with Fuentes and some other young right-wing figures. Once again, Hochman seemed to be trying to find common ground.”
Maurice Marion
soooo interesting wow what an ep
History Chick
Donald Rumsfeld sexy? Gross!
Joe Oliva
Good episode as usual. Figure it's more likely you see this here. I didn't follow nate hochman closely, but seems like he drifted really close to the far right given the whole nazi meme and apparent empathy towards nick Fuentes. Given you were friendly with him I'd be curious to see how you think he shifted in that way over the last 2 years. Probably not worth a whole episode but maybe a few minutes of musing on what drags 'intellectuals' like that down to the ultra far right.
JimJim5122
Where can one read about the construction of 1950s womanhood as a backlash against suffrage (mentioned in the episode)?
Hannah
Despite having read The Boys on the Beach, I somehow didn't realize how unfathomably horny Midge Decter was. Now I know. Something about her refusal to pretend she was happy with suburban life and domesticity makes me like her so much more than someone like Phyllis Schlafly, despite them holding basically the same views. The cruelty ends up looking like a form of self-harm with Midge. Andrea Dworkin really had these women pegged, it's amazing. BTW, so glad to hear you guys cleared the legal troubles, but sorry to hear of all the sleepless nights! Keep up the work we all so enjoy.
Catherine M Stanford
Thanks for a great conversation! I remember one time I checked Midge Decter's The New Chastity in the 1970s out of my local library when I was a young feminist. She made me so mad. I wasn't refusing to grow up! Ha-ha!
Rick Perlstein
It won't shock u that I have a Midge story...
