Ladeeez and Gennntellmennnnn! In the Red cornerrrrrr religious fundamentalism! and in the berlue cornerrrrr liberalism!

Meanwhile, on the steps outside the entrance to the arena, a group of buddhists attempt to hand leaflets to the crowd eagerly entering

I'm surprised nobody's jumped in with an opinion on this article yet.  (If I had a giant floodlight with a Member Pace-shaped cutout in front of it, I'd shine it at the night sky.)

My personal feeling is that Paglia is preaching to a very small and outmoded contingent of liberal caricatures.  Although the voices of a few secular humanists have gotten louder in the last decade or two, freedom of worship is constitutionally guaranteed, and pooh-poohing of organized religion is rare among even the most intellectual crowds (out of courtesy, at least).  The argument for comparative religion in education and religious tolerance–because, ultimately, that's what it is–might raise red flags among her buddies, but I think most of us would be unlikely to bat an eye.  In any case, it hardly seems to constitute a radical position.

In fact, although I certainly can't quantify this, I think Paglia's piece has a faint aroma of self-centered, mildly patronizing baby-boomer b******t of the sort that Americans (maybe Britons too) of my generation occasionally have to deal with from their parents.  Paglia seems to valorize the Christian (and, for that matter, African-American) communities in America with a sort of noble savage exoticism, like, "come on guys, even though they don't listen to Joni Mitchell and Laurie Anderson, we can still learn a lot from these people."  It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  Your mileage may vary.

I also think it's interesting how Paglia compares the current state of hip-hop to rock and roll.  Mainstream American rock music is really amazingly bad, but as with any disciple outside of one's field of expertise, it's inadvisable to pee on someone else's lamp-post.  The quality of American "middle-brow" music, much of which could be labeled rock and roll or even "hard rock," has never been higher.  Regrettably but predictably, Paglia makes no mention of contemporary concert music.