In the late 1940’s, another newly coined term was shot into our cultural
arteries: “McCarthyism.” Again, it was a derogatory term, suggesting
some insidious evil, and without any clear definition. Its alleged meaning was:
“Unjust accusations, persecutions, and character assassinations of innocent
victims.” Its real meaning was: “Anti-communism.”
Senator McCarthy was never proved guilty of those allegations, but the
effect of that term was to intimidate and silence public discussions. Any
uncompromising denunciation of communism or communists was—and still
is—smeared as “McCarthyism.” As a consequence, opposition to and
exposés of communist penetration have all but vanished from our
intellectual scene. (I must mention that I am not an admirer of Senator
McCarthy, but not for the reasons implied in that smear.)