6 Chapter 1
advocacy.^14 In fact,the cartoonis in referenceto a differentcontroversy.It refersto when
WilliamGrahamSumnerintendedto assignone of Spencer’s bookson biologicalevolu-
tionfor his sociologyclass.As Yalewasfoundedas a religiousinstitution,the college’s
president,NoahPorter(1811–1892),censuredSumnerfor assigningthatbook,as Spen-
cer’s theoriescontradicteda literalinterpretationof Genesis.Sumnerstoodup to Porter,
tellinghimthathe wouldindeedteachthe book,andthatif PorterprioritizedBiblical
doctrineabovescientificevidence,Porterwouldhaveto go aheadandterminateSum-
ner’s professorship.In the end,Sumnerremainedat Yaleandrefrainedfromassigning
the work,sayingthat the controversyunderminedits usefulnessas a textbook.The matter
resultedin increasedpresscoveragefor Spencer’s writingsin the USA,though,and
Porterinadvertentlydrewmoreinterestto the man’s philosophy.Theeditorialcartoon
that Greenshowcaseswas in referenceto that controversy—of religiousauthoritiestrying
to suppressdiscussionof Spencer’s ideasconcerningbiologicalevolution.Professorswho
are awareof the contexthappento sidewithSumnerand Spencerin this case,callingit a
victoryin the historyof the academic-freedommovement.^15 AmericanThoughtitselftells
this story.^16 But,on accountof his yieldingto assumptionsandfailureto considerevi-
dence,JohnGreenderidesa cartoonin defenseof academicfreedomas an apologiafor
corporations.
On Thursday,November10, 2011,one letterto the editorin theHonoluluStar-Advertis-
erdelivereda smorgasbordof the capitalism-haters’ favoriteclichés: “Whilesomeof our
Americanmiddleclassstill believein trickle-downeconomics,the upper-classbelievesin
the sucking-uptheory,in whichmoreand morewealthand politicalpowerare placedin
the handsof fewerand fewerindividualsand largecorporations.A crudeand sometimes
cruelsocialDarwinism,the survivalof the economicfittest,has becomea partof the
radicalright’s agendaand ideology... ” To completethe tritenessof the letter,its writer
includeda dig againstthe title of one of AynRand’s bestbooks—“Whateverhappenedto
the fundamentalbeliefthatwe are our brothers’ andsisters’ keepers?Selfishnesshas
becomea primaryvirtue.”^17
TheMiamiHeraldis far moredirectin its attack,ridiculingfree-marketadvocatesfor
“theirAynRand-modeledsocialDarwinismandadherenceto libertarianpreceptslike
completelyderegulatingbusiness,andstoppingthe governmentfromprovidingMedi-
care,SocialSecurityor regulatingfood,drugsor civilrights.”^18
A similarcommentaryappearsin the Friday,May11, 2012,Henderson,Kentucky’s
Gleaner. Laboringunderthe prejudicethateverylast free-marketerbelongsto the Relig-
iousRight,the letterwritersarcasticallysnips,“Afterlisteningto all of today’s right-wing
political leaders’ adoration of the renowned Russian atheist, Ayn Rand (‘Atlas
Shrugged’), I realizewhytheyholdthe anti-Christianopinionthatloveof self and greed
is the ultimatebasisfor a virtuousand productivelife.” The letter-writerthengoeson to
providea completelyun-sourced,fabricatedquotationfromAynRand:“Randstatesthat,
‘Anythingotherthanputtingyourowndesiresaboveall othersis immoral.’ She and her
Republicanfollowersrejectthe compassionandmercyof Christ’s teachings(Luke10,
GoodSamaritan). They believe all ethicalphilosophyfrom otherreligions are also
contraryto the naturalrule of ‘SocialDarwinism’ (survivalof onlythe economicallyfittest
is justified).”^19 Despitethe ReligiousRight’s objectionto natural-selectiontheory,though,
someprominentfiguresof the politicalLeftrecognizedDarwinas theirenemy,and
juxtaposedthe imageof Darwinagainstthe moralsupremacyof the politicalLeft.In a
1934 frescoin MexicoCity,whichhe titled“Manat the Crossroads,” the Marxianpainter
DiegoRivera(1886–1957)madeknownwhichhistoricalfigureshe regardedas goodand
whichas evil.On the rightof the paintinghe portrayedhistoricalpersonalitieshe ad-
mired—KarlMarx,VladimirIlyichLenin,andLeonTrotsky—whereas,on the left,in