[crashryan]

I read a fair amount of Mencken when I was younger, but "The Smart Set" was only a legend, one which many intellectuals held in reverence. It's interesting finally to have the chance to read the magazine.

I was immediately struck by the overwhelming snarkiness of the criticism. The smug self-importance of Mencken, Nathan, and the others is astonishing. They're 1920s versions of Internet trolls, expressing contempt for those to whom they feel superior (which is almost everyone), and smirking coldly down their noses at the "idiots" who haven't heard of their favorite obscurities (it's worth noting that Remy de Gourmont, Ludwig Thoma, and Max Reger didn't make it into the pantheon of immortals.)

The editors peddle mysogyny, racism, and anti-iiberalism with a pompous superiority that presages Mencken's later romance with Chancellor Hitler's campaign to clean up the mess of the masses.

Very disappointing. It's the sort of thing that gave intellectualism a bad name.

Link to the book: The Smart Set v64 01