Wokeism's War on Sanity

 Renée S. Kohanski argues that wokeism and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts are rooted in flawed ideas that divide society into categories of oppressed and oppressors. This approach leads to moral superiority claims while undermining personal responsibility and the true complexity of social issues.

1. Flawed Hierarchies: The DEI framework sorts people into categories of "less than" and "better than," creating a hierarchy that promotes superiority rather than real opportunity.

2. Thought Control: It promotes a mindset similar to that depicted in George Orwell’s "1984," where dissenting thought is discouraged and controlling narratives prevail.

3. Supreme Court Ruling: The 2023 Supreme Court decisions against race-conscious admissions at Harvard and UNC were seen as victories but have led to the rebranding of DEI under different names, maintaining the same underlying ideologies.

4. Impact on Competence: The language of DEI often leads to questioning the competence of qualified individuals, such as Black pilots, based on their race rather than their skills.

5. Cultural Trends: The changing language allows institutions to preserve a moral high ground without addressing the effectiveness or outcomes of their policies, enabling a false narrative.

6. Projection and Insecurity: Wokeism encourages individuals to project their insecurities onto others, avoiding self-examination and accountability, resulting in external blame for internal issues.

7. Zero-Sum Thinking: This ideology fosters a belief that one person's success must come at the expense of another, undermining the potential for personal growth and effort.

8. Distortion of Reality: Wokeism can distort reality by reclassifying actions as products of systemic issues, evading personal responsibility and blurring the lines between choice and circumstance.

9. Threat to Social Order: Kohanski warns that a society unable to distinguish between personal choices and social circumstances risks losing order, accountability, and the ability to protect its most vulnerable members.

Wokeism, through its linguistic and ideological distortions, poses a significant threat to society by undermining personal accountability, creating a false dichotomy of victims and oppressors, and jeopardizing societal structure. The author emphasizes that a society detached from reality risks sacrificing its future. 

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/10/wokeism-s-war-on-sanity/