On Aug 22, 2009, at 5:01 PM, Carrol Cox wrote:
> Tje [jrase "singularly depraved culture" encapsulates two rather
> remarkable claims on the part of the critic: (a) he/she is familiar
> with
> a huge variety of cutlures as a basis for separating American culture
> from all others, and (b) the claim to know, to know with
> unchallengeable
> authority, an absolute standard according to which all cultures can be
> measured. If the critic demurs from such a claimof absoluteness, he/
> she
> may salvage his/her own modesty but also makes hash of the claim.
Hughes is no dope, but aside from that: Lighten up, dude.