modish nymphomaniacal criticism,nhiahiy appreciated among the liberalncommissars of V’oi^ue and The NewnYorker. Her reasoning has the gracefulnessnot disco dancing, and it runs intonpeculiar mental arpeggios, as the followingnconclusion of her review of ThenDeer Hunter, an obviously masculinenmovie, demonstrates:n”… but Michael, the transcendentnhero, is a hollow figure. There isnnever a moment when we feel. Oh mynGod. I know that man. I am thatnman.”nTo our traditional recognition. Ms.nKael is not that man, as she is not anynman. and never will be. Whatever thentemperature oi her wishes and effortsnto be a man. the unfair order of naturenmakes it a bit difficult. That goes fornphysical characteristics as well as fornthe so-called general feelings as theynare conveyed by art and theoreticallynshould know no confines of gender.nSorrv to sav. however, but there arenlimits to all identification processesnin literature and drama. The unifyingnforce is not absolute, and somethingnwill remain forever closed to Ms. Kael’sninsights and sensibilities. Empatfiy hasnhermetic subdivisions, and not evennMs. Mu^aztne. ERA. and President Carter’snprofeminist machinations cannaccomplish a transfiguration by socialnlegislation. Men. for example, are alsonpretty deficient m penetrating thenboundaries of feminine fantasies.nThe Teachers of SubtletynMademoiselle, a monthly dedicated tonbreeding vulgarity. stupidity and sartorialnfashions amid bovine women justnunder twenty, runs two remarkable featuresnin its Januarv issue. One is a stirringnessav entitled “Sex: Is It FinallynTime to Shut Up About It.'” by a subtlenwriter named Mary Ellen Banashek.nwho demands more delicateness andnsophistication in matters of tender feelingsnand their projection throughnspecilic channels oi the human soulnand body. Ms. Banashek uses quitene-xplicit—one is tempted to say titillatingn—dialectics to argue her cause: hernmission, however, is to spread her powerfulnintellectual discovery that thingsnsensual can gain in attraction and depthnwhen approached with discretion,npoetry, allusion and such other heretoforenunheard-of devices of refinement.nAnotiier feature is a column by ancertain iVIs. Judith Coburn. a dishevelednfeminist, apparently in a constant searchnfor carnal satisfaction. She advocatesnthe most direct approach to extortingnservices from men. often called “grabbing”nbv people in professions that dealnwith street violence. Ms. Coburn’s columnnis called “The Intelligent Woman’snGuide to Sex,” which is an inadvertentntitle, if it was consciously approved bynMademoiselle’s editors. Do they reallynthink that an intelligent woman wouldnread their publication.’nLife & DeathnOf late a certain Mr. Tom Forcadenhas died, allegedly by his own hand,nand, though it’s not our custom to badmouthnthe departed, it is to be said,nhonestly, that he personified all the filthnPolemics & ExchangesnOur Destructive Moral Climatenby Tiber R. MachannThe moral climate of a culture isnone of the most powerful influences innthe lives of people. It rules what can benthought of as right or wrong in the conductnof the citizens and the character ofnthe institutions of a society.nThe moral climate is fostered mostlynDr. Machan teaches philosophy at StatenUniversity College in Fredonia. NewnYork and is an editor of Reasonnmagazine.nnnof the ‘bOs. He threw bom’bs for thenSDS and Weathermen, helped Hanoininstall communism in South Vietnam,nparticipated in many acts befouling thenUnited States. He finally became thenbig honcho of the drug subculture, thenoracle of the Consolidated Poisoners ofnAmerica, founded High Times, thenmass-suicide organ, and became a financiernof NORML. The best addendumnto the horrible idiocy of his ideas, life,nand ultimately, to the characterologynof his entire human pattern, is that asna correspondent for the UndergroundnPress Syndicate, which by definitionndenotes illegality and rebellion, henfought the White House tor his officialnaccreditation and congressional pressngallerv credentials—and he won. ThenVillage Voice calls him. in eulogy, an’Radical Romantic.’nIn another article, Forcade’s buddynbewails his demise. The author is allnin tears. Through unusual verbs henexpresses his grief:n”The news of Tom’s death upset andndestabilized me. I never thought [ he]nwould end like this …”nIf he had asked us, we could haventold him that, to our way of reasoning,nMr. Forcade would end like this. Dnby the media—including publications,nbroadcasting—and the various forumsnof ideas—e.g., schools, universities,nchurches, and the political arena. Thosenwho are prominent in these areas setnthe moral tone of a culture. Should anyonenoppose this tone, the action involvednwill be disapproved unless given verynspecial consideration or regarded as unimpressive.nFor instance, when a corporationnbrings in large profits, this isngenerally regarded to be improper withinnour present moral climate, so it needsnto be justified as something special.ni29nChronicles of Culturen