Young individuals are increasingly becoming more socially aware.
There is a cultural emergency unfolding, with future generations unlikely to uphold the values of freedom and reason that we hold dear.
Regardless of one’s position on Israel-Palestine, the campus protests since Oct. 7 have brought to light a dark side of our dominant left-liberal ideology, focused on ‘be kind’ humanitarianism and equal representation.
In the book “The Third Awokening: A 12-Point Plan for Rolling Back Progressive Extremism,” the argument is made that bleeding-heart liberals, rather than cultural Marxist radicals, are primarily responsible for the woke cultural revolution. When the world’s complexity is reduced to a stark black-and-white morality narrative of ‘kind’ minorities versus ‘unkind’ majorities, it fuels the romanticization of the former and dehumanization of the latter, framing whites as mean and ‘people of color’ as nice.
Progressives who see the world through this lens often see Jews as white villains and Palestinians as minority victims.
These cultural impulses are particularly strong among young Americans, lacking the patriotic foundation and commitment to free speech that have historically tempered progressive extremism among older liberal Americans.
Those who believe we have reached the peak of woke culture and will soon revert to classical liberalism should reconsider. While some senior liberals at institutions like The New York Times or Meta may push back against cancel culture and the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda, generational turnover continues. While woke culture may not yet dominate, its influence is growing through gradual shifts in leadership.
Harvard-Harris polling shows that nearly half of Zoomers support Hamas over Israel, while a Skeptic Research Center survey reveals a significant portion believe “the Israeli government advocates for white supremacy.” This generational divide is stark, with older generations having significantly different viewpoints.
This youth movement is not limited to the US, as British 18-25-year-olds are evenly split on whether J.K. Rowling, who holds non-traditional views on gender, should be dropped by her publisher, contrasting with the less than five percent of those over 50 who share this belief. While progressive illiberalism may seem less prominent in today’s boardrooms, its influence is likely to persist into the future.
We should not assume that young people will outgrow woke culture. History shows that the young can be catalysts for transformative societal change. Young people today are less tolerant of speech that may offend sensitive minority groups compared to earlier generations, with college-educated youth increasingly embracing moral absolutism and prioritizing sensitivity to minorities over free speech, truth, and merit.
Where are these ideologies taking root? Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, play a significant role, but so do the nation’s educational institutions. Research conducted in partnership with Zach Goldberg for the Manhattan Institute reveals that exposure to critical race theory (CRT) in schools significantly impacts young people’s perceptions, leading to beliefs like ‘White people are racist and mean’ and advocating for racial preferences and reparations.
Progressive education is reshaping the political affiliations of young Americans, as seen in the significant shift in party preference among those exposed to critical social justice (CSJ) ideas in schools. This transformation underscores the need for conservative leaders to confront the education system and push for political neutrality in classrooms.
To address this societal shift, a substantial reallocation of political capital is required. Conservative leaders must prioritize cultural reforms over economic and foreign policy concerns and challenge political biases in education. The focus must be on reforming schools to prevent a slow-motion societal upheaval.
Eric Kaufmann, professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, recently authored a book titled “The Third Awokening: A 12-Point Plan for Rolling Back Progressive Extremism.”
