"it is material incentives, not true belief, that lead most people to convert to wokeism."
Those incentives include, so far, lots of status, which is not quite material yet is a direct incentive other than true belief. But then he speculates
"the chances of the political opposition in the United States having the competence, focus, discipline, and fortitude to actually accomplish this are currently close to zero."
As long as Trump is on the scene, I sadly agree.
Lyons is also astute in noting that institutions have no defense against female oriented claims for more empathy and compassion, and the need for emotional protection. Which is both a female strategy, but also goes back to Christian support for the weak and poor, deep & twisted root sof woke.
In thinking about those roots, related also to Christian communalism (almost communism), there is a huge element of prayer and stoic suffering, while helping each other as much as possible without violence. The twisting happens when they want the gov't or some authority to do the helping, and is willing to use violence - to stop the suffering.
This ties in with the discussed "technology-as-magic" fantasy, and " the dream of perfect individual autonomy, free of any and all constraints, that is the gospel of liberal modernity".
This is a false gospel, but very very attractive, especially to an elite class that is too numerous for true elite positions.
If you are correct about AI, it will be a technology shock greater than the internal combustion engine, nuclear energy, container ships, and the internet!
The only path forward on ending wokeness is for the parents of children to pull them out of the public school system, and then to vote that system out of existence by voting down every single bond measure and supporting board member. The entire education apparatus is an indoctrination ministry, producing good little wokesters that are increasingly incompetent at doing anything other than become HR workers, or members of Trust and Safety Councils. However, the parents seem happy enough to continue all of this, so I don't really see any hope whatsoever.
The key line of NS Lyons on Woke:
"it is material incentives, not true belief, that lead most people to convert to wokeism."
Those incentives include, so far, lots of status, which is not quite material yet is a direct incentive other than true belief. But then he speculates
"the chances of the political opposition in the United States having the competence, focus, discipline, and fortitude to actually accomplish this are currently close to zero."
As long as Trump is on the scene, I sadly agree.
Lyons is also astute in noting that institutions have no defense against female oriented claims for more empathy and compassion, and the need for emotional protection. Which is both a female strategy, but also goes back to Christian support for the weak and poor, deep & twisted root sof woke.
In thinking about those roots, related also to Christian communalism (almost communism), there is a huge element of prayer and stoic suffering, while helping each other as much as possible without violence. The twisting happens when they want the gov't or some authority to do the helping, and is willing to use violence - to stop the suffering.
This ties in with the discussed "technology-as-magic" fantasy, and " the dream of perfect individual autonomy, free of any and all constraints, that is the gospel of liberal modernity".
This is a false gospel, but very very attractive, especially to an elite class that is too numerous for true elite positions.
This is a perceptive comment. Thanks for posting.
If you are correct about AI, it will be a technology shock greater than the internal combustion engine, nuclear energy, container ships, and the internet!
The only path forward on ending wokeness is for the parents of children to pull them out of the public school system, and then to vote that system out of existence by voting down every single bond measure and supporting board member. The entire education apparatus is an indoctrination ministry, producing good little wokesters that are increasingly incompetent at doing anything other than become HR workers, or members of Trust and Safety Councils. However, the parents seem happy enough to continue all of this, so I don't really see any hope whatsoever.