H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis Mencken (Sep 12, 1880 – Jan 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians and contemporary mo
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Henry Louis Mencken (Sep 12, 1880 – Jan 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians and contemporary movements. As a scholar, Mencken is known for The American Language, a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States. As an admirer of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, he was an outspoken opponent of organized religion, populism and representative democracy, the latter of which he viewed as systems in which inferior men dominated their superiors. He was also an ardent critic of economics. Mencken opposed both American entry into World War I and World War II.
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