How Woke Won

1. Woke ideology has conquered Western institutions

Woke has conquered the West. From schools and universities to multi-national corporations, social media, journalism, and even the police and military, woke values dominate every aspect of our lives.

Pervasive influence. Woke ideology has permeated nearly every facet of Western society, from education and media to business and government. This worldview emphasizes identity politics, victimhood, and a rejection of traditional values. Its rapid spread has been facilitated by:

• Social media amplification
• Institutional adoption (e.g. diversity training, language policing)
• Celebrity endorsements and corporate virtue signaling
• Academic theories entering mainstream discourse

Redefining norms. Woke thinking has shifted societal norms around language, behavior, and cultural expression. Examples include:

• Expanded definitions of racism and sexism
• Push for gender-neutral language
• Calls to "decolonize" curricula and cultural institutions
• Emphasis on microaggressions and unconscious bias

2. The cultural elite promotes woke values to maintain power

Woke allows members of the cultural elite to carve out a role for themselves in managing the alleged division between oppressors and oppressed.

New moral authority. The cultural elite has embraced woke ideology as a means to maintain influence and moral standing. This allows them to:

• Position themselves as enlightened advocates for the oppressed
• Justify their privileged positions through displays of virtue
• Create new administrative roles to manage diversity and inclusion initiatives

Top-down implementation. Woke policies are often imposed from above, bypassing democratic processes:

• Corporate diversity mandates
• University speech codes and bias reporting systems
• Government agencies adopting critical race theory frameworks
• Media gatekeepers promoting particular narratives around race and gender

3. Schools and universities have become sites of woke indoctrination

In the woke school, girls learn that their need for privacy comes second to the rights of boys who identify as girls.

Reshaping education. Schools and universities have become key sites for promoting woke ideology to young people. This manifests in:

• Curriculum changes emphasizing identity and oppression narratives
• Gender ideology promoted to children as young as elementary school
• Campus speech codes and bias reporting systems
• Mandatory diversity training for students and faculty

Stifling debate. The academic environment increasingly restricts open inquiry on controversial topics:

• Self-censorship among faculty and students
• "No-platforming" of speakers with opposing views
• Pressure to conform to particular ideological stances
• Equating speech with violence to justify censorship

4. The justice system now enforces woke ideology

Whereas the gay-rights movement demanded more freedom from the state, and for gay people to be free to go about their sex lives unconstrained by the law, the transgender movement demands the state's recognition and protection, often in the form of intervention to regulate the behaviour of the public.

Redefining justice. The legal system has shifted towards enforcing woke concepts of social justice:

• Hate crime legislation based on subjective perceptions
• Policies prioritizing gender identity over biological sex in prisons and shelters
• Recording of "non-crime hate incidents" by police
• Expansion of anti-discrimination laws to cover new protected categories

Unequal application. This new approach often results in uneven enforcement:

• Selective prosecution based on identity of victim/perpetrator
• Disparate sentencing guidelines
• Erosion of due process in campus tribunals
• Prioritization of group rights over individual rights

5. Woke capitalism co-opts social justice for profit

Woke capitalism is now one of the key ways through which the cultural elite consolidates power and brings about political change without the general public having a say.

Virtue signaling as strategy. Corporations have embraced woke messaging and causes as a marketing tactic:

• Advertising campaigns centered on social justice themes
• Corporate activism on controversial political issues
• Diversity and inclusion initiatives as PR moves

Power consolidation. This allows big business to:

• Deflect criticism of exploitative practices
• Curry favor with regulators and politicians
• Appeal to affluent, socially conscious consumers
• Justify concentration of wealth and power as "progressive"

6. Critical race theory rehabilitates racial thinking

Woke anti-racism enshrines the bogus idea of racial differences between groups of people. Whiteness comes to be conceived of as a form of original sin, with predominantly white societies permanently trapped in the legacy of their founding crimes.

Essentializing race. Critical race theory (CRT) promotes a worldview that:

• Sees racism as the fundamental organizing principle of society
• Defines people primarily by racial identity
• Posits that all disparities are due to systemic racism
• Rejects colorblindness and meritocracy as "white supremacist" concepts

Divisive outcomes. The application of CRT often leads to:

• Increased racial tension and resentment
• Erosion of common civic identity
• Discrimination in the name of "equity"
• Perpetuation of victimhood narratives

7. Gender ideology undermines women's rights and family values

Promoting transgenderism to children is important to woke activists precisely because they are aware that notions of gender identity get to the very heart of what makes us human and what binds us into societies.

Redefining sex and gender. Gender ideology posits that:

• Gender identity trumps biological sex
• There are infinite genders beyond male and female
• Children can be "born in the wrong body"
• Language and social norms must change to affirm trans identities

Societal impact. The push for transgender rights has led to:

• Erosion of women's sex-based rights and spaces
• Medical interventions on children with gender dysphoria
• Compelled speech through pronoun mandates
• Redefinition of family structures and parental rights

8. Identity politics has replaced class-based analysis

Woke does not simply ignore social class, its ideas are actually hostile to the best interests of the working class. Its practice of dividing society up into ever-smaller identity groups provides the managerial class with moral authority and a renewed sense of purpose.

Shift in focus. The left has largely abandoned class-based politics in favor of identity-based grievances:

• Race, gender, and sexuality prioritized over economic issues
• Intersectionality used to create hierarchy of oppression
• Working class often demonized as bigoted and backward

Dividing the masses. Identity politics serves elite interests by:

• Fragmenting potential class solidarity
• Creating competition for victim status
• Obscuring shared economic concerns
• Justifying a managerial class to mediate identity conflicts

9. Victimhood culture rewards vulnerability over resilience

Being a victim affords people social status and the past provides a useful source of suffering. However, this short-term increase in status comes at a high psychological cost. Communities that see themselves as oppressed may be given concessions and privileges, but they will struggle to be considered truly equal.

Valorizing weakness. Modern culture increasingly rewards displays of vulnerability:

• Trauma and mental health struggles seen as badges of authenticity
• Historical oppression used to claim present-day victim status
• Resilience and stoicism viewed with suspicion

Societal consequences. The rise of victimhood culture leads to:

• Perpetual grievance-mongering
• Erosion of personal responsibility
• Infantilization of adults
• Breakdown of social trust

10. Woke ideas threaten democracy, free speech, and social cohesion

Woke has won. And yet the most vocal proponents of woke values deny that it even exists. The woke elite accuses critics of 'starting a culture war', despite the fact that those raising questions about changed policies and practices are often commenting after the event, on actions that have already been set in motion – it is their values that are being called into question.

Undermining core values. Woke ideology poses significant challenges to:

• Free speech and open debate
• Equal treatment under the law
• Merit-based systems in education and employment
• National unity and shared cultural identity

Resistance and backlash. As woke ideas become more entrenched, opposition is growing:

• Political movements against critical race theory and gender ideology
• Legal challenges to discriminatory "equity" policies
• Grassroots organizing by concerned parents and citizens
• Renewed emphasis on viewpoint diversity and classical liberal values

Last updated: November 7, 2024