Wokeness destroys America, harms Israel
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell
I am deeply passionate about the United States and its prosperity. However, it took a shocking event in Israel to open my eyes to the disturbing reality that American universities have become breeding grounds for “wokeness” and the gradual erosion of our great nation.
You might be skeptical, thinking, “Wokeness is the enemy? Really? What’s next, criticizing Winnie-the-Pooh?”
But hear me out.
I did some research and discovered that “wokeness” is defined as being aware and actively attentive to important societal issues, particularly those related to racial and social justice. It sounds harmless, right? In fact, it could even be the basis for a superhero character, like Marvel’s Wokeman, fighting for justice 24/7.
However, as an economics student, I’ve learned that good intentions don’t always lead to positive outcomes. Wokeness started as a well-intentioned response to address the inequalities of our society’s past. But it has spiraled into something far more sinister.
At some point, the wokeness movement transformed from a Marvel superhero movie into an Orwellian nightmare, where some animals are more equal than others.
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While the idea of uplifting minorities may seem noble, it has taken a wrong turn. Now, the majority often faces penalties for not belonging to a minority group.
This brings me to the epicenter of wokeness on college campuses – DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). I must admit, I was oblivious to DEI’s existence until recently. It may sound like a cool government agency, but it’s much more than that. DEI stands for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Who could possibly be against these three wonderful words?
But here’s the catch – DEI has become a breeding ground for anti-Semitism on college campuses. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman explains DEI’s role perfectly in this essay:
In light of today’s news, I thought I would try to take a step back and provide perspective on what this is really all about.
I first became concerned about @Harvard when 34 Harvard student organizations, early on the morning of October 8th before Israel had taken any military…
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) January 3, 2024
Ackman, a Harvard University graduate and major donor, goes on to explain that DEI’s ideology categorizes individuals based on their level of oppression. Whites, Jews, and Asians are deemed oppressors, while a subset of people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and women are deemed oppressed. According to DEI, you are either an anti-racist or a racist.
As a result, DEI has allowed the de-centering of whiteness on campuses, leading to the spread of anti-Semitism. Jews, who are not classified as a minority, have been placed in the category of oppressors, despite being a minority group with a tragic history.
But let’s not forget the facts – there are only 15.7 million Jews in the world, and during the Holocaust, six million Jews perished. Shockingly, there are even individuals today who deny the Holocaust’s occurrence.
As someone who grew up as a Jew in the Soviet Union, I never sought special treatment for being a minority. I simply wanted society to see beyond the label in my passport that said “Jewish.” I certainly don’t want my children to be part of the DEI “superclass.”
Unfortunately, if you attend an American college and don’t fall into the category of an oppressed minority, you will be subjected to a different set of rules. College administrators often require “context” and actual harm to Jewish students before taking action against anti-Semitism, while simultaneously punishing students for using the wrong pronouns.
This issue doesn’t stop at colleges; it permeates our society. Colleges are the factories shaping our future, producing the next generation of workers and thinkers.
Discrimination based on gender, skin color, ethnicity, or sexual preference was a sin of the past. People should not be punished or favored based on these traits. The current woke ideology perpetuates a victim and victimizer mentality, hindering personal growth and progress.
Life is full of obstacles, and history has been unfair to many groups, including Jews. However, Jews have chosen not to be victims but agents of change. We embrace obstacles as opportunities for growth. As the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
America, a country built on meritocracy, is now becoming a place where your identity determines how you are treated. Whether you’re a Supreme Court justice, a college administrator, or an employee at the DMV, your job should be based on your accomplishments and character, not your identity.
We must face a hard truth – by solely acting on our hearts and artificially trying to improve the lives of specific groups, we inadvertently create new injustices. Everyone should be treated equally, and no one should be more important or protected than others. All lives matter, and this statement should not require context. We must overcome the fear of being canceled for speaking these truths.
It’s disheartening to see DEI infiltrating large corporations and our government. Imagine if air traffic controllers were hired based on their DEI status rather than their skills. This is not a far-fetched scenario; it’s already happening. We must consider the consequences of hiring individuals solely based on their identity, as it can lead to disastrous outcomes, even in life-or-death situations like air traffic control.
If we allow this woke cancer to continue spreading through our economy, it will erode meritocracy and potentially crash our economy. Unlike a plane crash, this decline won’t be immediately visible on the news; it will happen gradually, one DEI hire at a time.
I often wonder how Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech would be received on today’s college campuses. He dreamed of a nation where individuals would be judged by their character, not the color of their skin.
We can learn from orchestras, which hire performers based solely on their skills. During auditions, the jury cannot see the performers; they only hear their music. We should adopt this model and treat all individuals based on their merits and contributions to society.
When I arrived in the United States, I was told that this country values individuals based on their merits and what they bring to society. I miss that America.
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Vitaliy Katsenelson is the CEO of IMA, a value investing firm in Denver. You can read his articles on ContrarianEdge.com. He is also the author of Soul in the Game – The Art of a Meaningful Life.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Author’s note: While this topic may have political implications, I do not align with any political party. I am registered as an independent and have voted for candidates from various parties in the past.
How does the current woke ideology perpetuate a victim mentality and hinder personal growth and progress in our society
Eartening to see the erosion of liberty in American universities, where the right to speak freely is being suppressed by the rise of “wokeness” and the distorted ideology of DEI. As George Orwell once said, ”If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
Wokeness, initially conceived as an awareness of societal issues like racial and social justice, has now transformed into something far more sinister. It has become a tool for discrimination, where the majority often faces penalties for not belonging to a minority group. This is evident in the DEI movement that has taken hold on college campuses.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – three words that sound noble on the surface. However, DEI has deviated from its original purpose and has become a breeding ground for anti-Semitism. This ideology categorizes individuals based on their level of oppression, with whites, Jews, and Asians deemed oppressors, and people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and women deemed oppressed. This categorization ignores the tragic history of Jews and places them in the oppressive category, despite being a minority group with a long history of persecution.
The de-centering of whiteness on campuses has led to the spread of anti-Semitism. Jews are being treated as oppressors, despite their minority status and historical suffering. It is important to remember that only 15.7 million Jews exist in the world, and six million perished during the Holocaust. Denying the occurrence of the Holocaust is an egregious act that should not be tolerated.
As someone who grew up as a Jew in the Soviet Union, I never sought special treatment for being a minority. I wanted to be seen as an individual beyond the label of “Jewish” in my passport. The DEI movement, with its classification of oppressors and oppressed, is not a path I want my children to be a part of.
This issue extends beyond college campuses; it permeates our society at large. Discrimination based on gender, skin color, ethnicity, or sexual preference should be a thing of the past. People should be judged based on their abilities and character, not their identity. The current woke ideology perpetuates a victim mentality, hindering personal growth and progress.
America, once built on the principles of meritocracy, is now becoming a place where identity determines how individuals are treated. This goes against the ideals of equality and fairness that our nation was founded upon. We must recognize that by artificially trying to improve the lives of specific groups, we inadvertently create new injustices. All lives matter, and no one should be more important or protected than others.
It is time to reclaim our right to free speech and challenge the prevailing ideologies that suppress it. We must speak up against the erosion of liberty and the rise of wokeness in our universities and society. As Orwell stated, liberty means the ability to express ideas, even those that others may not want to hear. Let us embrace the principles of freedom and equality that have defined our great nation, and work towards a society where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.
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