Swimming Upstream in the Culture Wars – National Review
Transgernder flag at a protest against Trump administration policies in New York City, 2018(Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
National Review is never afraid to resist the Lefts demands for conformity.
Adead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it, said G. K. Chesterton. National Reviewhas demonstrated its liveliness by going against the tide of a culture that threatens to drag us down into the slough of despond.
You can help us continue the long journey upstream by contributing to our webathon.
The phrase culture war was born in Germany, then used in a Republican convention speech nearly 30 years ago, and has since become the description of the times we live in. But cultures are vast things, much larger and more mysterious than mere politics or even the state itself. A culture includes the religion of the people, their assumptions about human nature and about the purpose of their civic associations; it is our assumptions about what is good to know, and why. And of course, it includes the resplendent gamut of the arts, high culture, and mass entertainment. National Reviewhas been fighting for a healthy, free, excellent, and truly diverse culture from the start and carries on that fight today.
The Left talks about diversity, by which it means all types of people brought into conformity. They believe that every social and cultural institution is meant to embody and enact one set of progressive egalitarian values. But we have supported the republican institutions and a conservative judiciary that would allow truly diverse organizations to flourish in American society.
We have stood with the little platoons that make life in our society worth living in. And dying in! Over the years, we stood with the Little Sisters of the Poor and their right to spiritually and materially assist the dying while remaining Catholic. Weve stood with all religious organizations that seek freedom to honor God and serve His people according to their conscience.
We have been at the forefront of opposing the emerging threat of gender ideology that would rob women of their spaces, their sports, and even their exclusive claim to motherhood. The phenomenon would impose on young children a life of sterility and surgeriesand aims to put into doubt some of the oldest and most basic facts about biology. NR stands athwart this social contagion of lies.
National Review does not allow partisanship to cloud our judgment on these matters. When even Republican governors are willing to give in to the chemical castration and abuse of children, National Review rises up to oppose them. When a Republican-appointed and usually sound Supreme Court justice decides that transgenderism and gender identity are part of Johnson-era legislation on civil rights, we call out his false textualism, his tautologies, and his arrogant invitation to sue people to find out the true meaning of his ruling.
Before it became commonplace, we pointed out that our new identity politics was a displaced and discombobulated form of religion. Weve also pointed out that it is kind of a miserable way to go through life.
And National Reviews arts coverage reflects that deep commitment to human excellence and beauty, free of cant and the strictures of ideology. In particular, I think it is important to call out the essential, provocative coverage of cinema offered by Armond White, who not only argues for the greatness of cinema but is himself an American original. Alongside him, we have Kyle Smith and Ross Douthat covering the movies and what they mean for American life.
Weve stood up for a healthy, full life together and an American culture that protects life and enables the pursuit of happiness. So stand with us today.
See the original post:
Swimming Upstream in the Culture Wars - National Review
- Why are culture wars taking priority over our wallets? | Letters - The Columbus Dispatch - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- How Harry Potter won the culture wars with its new series - The Telegraph - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Lisa Nandy hits out at culture wars hours after BBC outrages women - you can't make it up - Daily Express - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- The Culture Wars Are Coming for Your Electricity - Mother Jones - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- AI is now part of the culture wars and real wars - The Verge - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Gen-Z vs. Boomers? Why Gen-X Is the Key to Solving Todays Workplace Culture Wars - inc.com - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Texas comptroller is the states top accountant. The candidates are campaigning on culture wars. - The Texas Tribune - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Varden: Dont Weaponize the Gospel in Culture Wars - EWTN Vatican - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Amplified: The Exportation of the Culture Wars disquieting study of weaponised rhetoric - The Irish Times - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Jeffrey Epstein and the Myth of the Culture Wars - Christianity Today - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Steven Roberts: Bad Bunny won this round of the culture wars - Rocky Mount Telegram - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Book review: The New Dark Age: Why liberals must win the culture wars by Nigel Biggar - The Church Times - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Memo to PM Carney - Japans Iron Lady has chosen realism over culture wars, and so must you: Stephen Nagy in National Newswatch - The Macdonald-Laurier... - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Live: Germany's Merz tells Munich conference US culture wars have created deep 'rift' with Europe - Yahoo News UK - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Reform will put an end to campus culture wars for good - The Telegraph - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Germany's Merz says culture wars have opened 'rift' between US and Europe - LBCI Lebanon - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Siriannis 2026 Predictions: Equity, AI And the New Culture Wars - AdvisorHub - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Opinion | Platos fall to culture wars carries a troubling irony - The Washington Post - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- National Trust chief: I regret getting caught up in culture wars - The Times - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Why Georgias culture wars may be finally cooling - AJC.com - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Andy Warhol would have hated safe spaces. So why keep dragging dead artists into todays culture wars? - The Guardian - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Scott Adams, Dilbert creator who went from cubicle wars to culture wars, posts open letter to time with his death at 68 - Fortune - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Washingtons Other Culture Wars - puck.news - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Nonprofits at a Crossroads: Jeffrey Winn Reviews The Nonprofit Crisis: Leadership Through the Culture Wars, by Greg Berman - Law.com - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- The man saving the Dutch masters from the culture wars - The Times - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- The man saving the Dutch masters from the culture wars - thetimes.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Trump Is Dominating the Culture Wars. Next Comes a Battle Over Americas Story. - Yahoo Finance - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Trump Is Dominating the Culture Wars. Next Comes a Battle Over Americas Story. - The Wall Street Journal - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Rising Alt-Rockers Culture Wars Share New Groove-Rock Belter "In The Morning" - LIVING LIFE FEARLESS - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Popes, immigration courts and culture wars: Faith stories that made an impact in 2025 - America Magazine - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Jeans: Symbol of culture wars after viral ads - The Straits Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Book Review: "Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars" - The Humanist - December 25th, 2025 [December 25th, 2025]
- Friday essay: racism, misogyny and culture wars: Zadie Smith and Anne Enright help us make sense of troubling times - The Conversation - December 25th, 2025 [December 25th, 2025]
- Inside Meta's 'year of intensity' as its AI overhaul, culture wars, and crackdowns collide - Business Insider - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Calibri is woke and Times New Roman is MAGA: the culture wars come for fonts - Fortune - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Trump takes the culture wars to a level conservatives have only dreamed about - The Boston Globe - December 10th, 2025 [December 10th, 2025]
- Beyond Canadian vs. colonial - How Canadas past became a battleground in the culture wars: Geoff Russ for Inside Policy - The Macdonald-Laurier... - December 10th, 2025 [December 10th, 2025]
- How Japan is losing its top position in the culture wars to South Korea - Scroll.in - December 5th, 2025 [December 5th, 2025]
- US-Style Culture Wars Have Come to Britain but Who Is Starting Them? - Byline Times - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Parents 'have wept.' What Cincinnati school board race results mean for culture wars - Cincinnati Enquirer - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Central Ohio voters rejected conservative school board candidates. Are culture wars over? - The Columbus Dispatch - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Britons becoming increasingly divided over culture wars - The Times - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- The current culture wars over prisoner releases is hiding the real issue - thecanary.co - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Halloween Becomes Another Target of the Kremlins Culture Wars - The New York Times - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Ubisoft CEO gets candid about Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture wars - Gamereactor UK - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Culture wars have left UK more divided than ever, poll finds, and right-wing extremism is rising - PinkNews - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Starbucks was once progressive. Its now approaching a dangerous spot in culture wars - ThePrint - October 31st, 2025 [October 31st, 2025]
- Starbucks Is Approaching a Dangerous Spot in the Culture Wars - Bloomberg.com - October 30th, 2025 [October 30th, 2025]
- Gertrude Himmelfarb: conservative historian who shaped todays culture wars - valleyvanguardonline.com - October 30th, 2025 [October 30th, 2025]
- 'Common sense has vanished!' Ex-detective warns force is being 'crippled by culture wars' in furious tirade - GB News - October 30th, 2025 [October 30th, 2025]
- Nancy Pelosi speaks on culture wars, redistricting, and the Democrats stand on the shutdownbut dont tell her that her party is rudderless - Harvard... - October 28th, 2025 [October 28th, 2025]
- Future Czech government divided over inclusion in schools as debate echoes global culture wars - Radio Prague International - October 26th, 2025 [October 26th, 2025]
- Inside the culture wars tearing heritage quango to pieces - The Times - October 26th, 2025 [October 26th, 2025]
- Is Your Chatbot Really Woke? The Truth Behind the AI Culture Wars. - Built In - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Liverpool, Arne Slot and Mo Salah: Fighting Footballs Culture Wars - The Anfield Wrap - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- The New McCarthyism: How the Culture Wars Replaced the Function of Our Government - The Humanist - October 23rd, 2025 [October 23rd, 2025]
- The man in the middle of the culture wars - Real WV - October 23rd, 2025 [October 23rd, 2025]
- Video: The Culture Wars Have Come for Wikipedia - The New York Times - October 21st, 2025 [October 21st, 2025]
- Safe Space review lively campus comedy wrestles with the culture wars - The Guardian - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]
- Meet the NJ Librarian Whos Taking on the Culture Wars - New Jersey Monthly Magazine - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]
- The Culture Wars Came for Wikipedia. Jimmy Wales Is Staying the Course. - The New York Times - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]
- Matthew dAncona culture: After the Hunt storms into the culture wars - thenewworld.co.uk - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]
- Book Review: "Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars" - TheHumanist.com - October 17th, 2025 [October 17th, 2025]
- The culture wars over the Bay Area's Super Bowl halftime show rage on - SFGATE - October 17th, 2025 [October 17th, 2025]
- Culture Wars Swing Back Hard With Anthemic New Single Bittersweet - XS Noize - October 15th, 2025 [October 15th, 2025]
- Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson discusses his recent speech, warning against adopting a populist agenda and asserting that the Liberal Party... - October 15th, 2025 [October 15th, 2025]
- Libs warned not to give ground on culture wars - senatorpaterson.com.au - October 15th, 2025 [October 15th, 2025]
- Culture Wars Announce First UK Headline Show and Drop New Single Bittersweet - Music and Gigs - October 15th, 2025 [October 15th, 2025]
- English football, right-wing politics, and a new front in the culture wars - The Athletic - The New York Times - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Race for Southern school board reflects the culture wars roiling across the country - York Daily Record - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Texas A&M chancellor on culture wars and a new era of state-driven reforms in academia - Bryan College Station Eagle - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Republican-led Culture Wars show the world should never underestimate the capacity of Americans to hate - Milwaukee Independent - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Nick Gibb: The Tories Are Too Focused On Culture Wars - Politics Home - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- 'We're not the enemy, and drivers aren't the enemy either' - meet the cyclist trying to create calm on the roads and end the culture wars - Cycling... - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- US Supreme Court girds for culture wars with LGBT, guns and race cases - Reuters - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- How LGBTQ+ people are stepping up to run for school board seats on the front lines of Americas culture wars - Advocate.com - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Katherine Rye Jewell Tunes into Americas Culture Wars in 'Live from the Underground: A History of College Radio' - That Eric Alper - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Money Monday: Brands become part of culture wars - WLNS 6 News - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Meeks Reacts to Trump and Hegseth Gathering of Military Leaders to Wage Culture Wars - House.gov - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- The Liberal Party cant survive by dodging the culture wars - AFR - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]