The woke movement has peaked: what’s next?
My discussion with Jan Jekielek.
I had the privilege of speaking to Jan Jekielek on American Thought Leaders about the decline of the woke movement.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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I listened to this yesterday. You still have not figured out why the liberalism has failed. It is for a very different reason from what you think. The liberalism that you mean has failed to protect itself. The liberalism that you believe in is a beautiful romantic movement which wants to give freedom to people to live the life that they want and to express themselves but it has not taken into consideration that you don't have high-trust society anymore and not everyone shares the same value system.
Let's look at the gay rights movement as an example so that you can understand what I mean. It started as a movement that wanted people to be treated equally and to be allowed to get on with their lives. Then it fought a big battle for access to treatment during the HIV epidemy. All noble causes so far. And then gradually it was taken over by activists who converted it into permanent employment and opportunity for grants. The result is that we don't have proper helpline for suicide prevention for LGB people but there are projects for transgender theatre in New Guinea and studying the history of gay porn. These activists do not represent the community anymore but there is no way of getting rid of them nor there is a way of pointing that they do not represent the community. And it is not about following the laws because in all these organisations there is 'representation of different groups' but, of course, they have put their friends and supporters in the boards so no one is going to vote them out or even disagree with them. You may say that I am tyrant but the only way to resolve such issue is to sack these people and change the way such organisations are managed so there is no such abuse in the future. You cannot make them change their minds or persuade them to do the right thing because they simply don't care about what you think or need as they only follow their own interests.
So you can see how the noble idea of human rights was turned into some travesty because the movement was never prepared for such attack.
Andrew, you say you would be a “smarter more interesting” person if you’d had a more disciplined rigorous schooling from a young age. As a parent, it hurts to hear you say this.
I was grammar school educated at a time when such disciplined rigour was the norm. My experience meant that I experienced some degree of ‘fear’ every single school day. And it shapes who we become in later life. Instilling fear/anxiety in young children is abhorrent. Thankfully, I see my grandchildren educated very differently. Potato painting might not lay the foundation for a future Picasso but at least the child is being educated free from unrealistic demands on their young brains - and come running out of school laughing and joyous. That is what every parent hopes to see.
Regardless of how you now view your early education, you are more than enough - just as you are ✨