Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America
- Downloads：2609
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-07 00:19:13
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John McWhorter
- ISBN：B096L6QWZK
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Acclaimed linguist and award-winning writer John McWhorter argues that an illiberal neoracism， disguised as antiracism， is hurting Black communities and weakening the American social fabric。
Americans of good will on both the left and the right are secretly asking themselves the same question: how has the conversation on race in America gone so crazy？ We're told read books and listen to music by people of color but that wearing certain clothes is "appropriation。" We hear that being white automatically gives you privilege and that being Black makes you a victim。 We want to speak up but fear we'll be seen as unwoke， or worse， labeled a racist。 According to John McWhorter， the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become， not a progressive ideology， but a religion--and one that's illogical， unreachable， and unintentionally neoracist。
In Woke Racism， McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion， from the original sin of "white privilege" and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics， to the evangelical fervor of the "woke mob。" He shows how this religion that claims to "dismantle racist structures" is actually harming his fellow Black Americans by infantilizing Black people， setting Black students up for failure， and passing policies that disproportionately damage Black communities。 The new religion might be called "antiracism，" but it features a racial essentialism that's barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past。
Fortunately for Black America， and for all of us， it's not too late to push back against woke racism。 McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogram friends and family。 And most importantly， he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help， not hurt， Black America。
Americans of good will on both the left and the right are secretly asking themselves the same question: how has the conversation on race in America gone so crazy？ We're told read books and listen to music by people of color but that wearing certain clothes is "appropriation。" We hear that being white automatically gives you privilege and that being Black makes you a victim。 We want to speak up but fear we'll be seen as unwoke， or worse， labeled a racist。 According to John McWhorter， the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become， not a progressive ideology， but a religion--and one that's illogical， unreachable， and unintentionally neoracist。
In Woke Racism， McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion， from the original sin of "white privilege" and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics， to the evangelical fervor of the "woke mob。" He shows how this religion that claims to "dismantle racist structures" is actually harming his fellow Black Americans by infantilizing Black people， setting Black students up for failure， and passing policies that disproportionately damage Black communities。 The new religion might be called "antiracism，" but it features a racial essentialism that's barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past。
Fortunately for Black America， and for all of us， it's not too late to push back against woke racism。 McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogram friends and family。 And most importantly， he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help， not hurt， Black America。
Reviews
Sam
，
There’s a lot in this argument to keep a middle-class， middle-age， cis hetero， overeducated， kombucha-drinking， Birkenstock-wearing， “social justice” （a term Dr。 McWhorter appears to link indelibly to derangement & destruction）， white， female educator like myself up at night。 And that is a win。 I agree enthusiastically with his three-pronged approach。 I‘ve also heard teenagers and adults stumble through primary texts with labored starts-and-stops and heartbreaking self-reproach。 But I’ve also re There’s a lot in this argument to keep a middle-class， middle-age， cis hetero， overeducated， kombucha-drinking， Birkenstock-wearing， “social justice” （a term Dr。 McWhorter appears to link indelibly to derangement & destruction）， white， female educator like myself up at night。 And that is a win。 I agree enthusiastically with his three-pronged approach。 I‘ve also heard teenagers and adults stumble through primary texts with labored starts-and-stops and heartbreaking self-reproach。 But I’ve also reveled in self-righteous indignation when my white colleagues said something I perceived as racially insensitive， even stupid。 And I recall shutting down a potentially productive conversation when a white student misused the word “inequitable” when arguing schools ought to individualize resources to more efficiently meet actual student needs。 Rather “Elect” of me。 But I’ve also taught an undergraduate preservice teacher whose favorite school memory was when her 5th grade teacher set up a school-wide maze activity to teach the Underground Railroad。 They had to sneak from one point to another and make it to the exit without being caught （resulting in a timeout， before being rereleased into the “maze”）。 “It was so fun！” This is the result of ignoring issues of social positioning （e。g。， race） in K-12 schools， and its effect on curriculum。 So， yeah。 My response to this book is complicated。 I read Woke Racism because I knew it would make me uncomfortable。 And it did。 And it does。 There are a lot of ideas to engage with。 And I have。 And I will。 Despite being a card-carrying practitioner and student of CRT。My main issue with this book stems from Dr。 McWhorter’s positioning of CRT as the hallmark of “Elects。” I can appreciate how CRT’s political， boogeyman status might draw readership。 But many assumptions follow such a premise that are problematic， and no， I don’t mean they are witches， just ideas that deserve to be problematized （I。e。， questioned， clarified， evaluated）。 The flippant tone perfectly suits Dr。 McWhorter’s disgust for the “Elect，” but it also disguises multiple non sequiturs。 “Elects” use CRT = Everyone who uses CRT is an “Elect”“Elects” are raving， fanatical， mean-spirited， religious lunatics = CRT， by extension， is also crazy， irrational， fanatical， etc。 Teachers are discussing race （and other categories of social positioning） in classrooms = They are coming for your children！ = Liberal influence on public K-12 curriculum is a horrifying， immediate， novel emergency！ = Schools used to be neutral spaces。 Folks who use a CRT framework believe race is the ONLY obstacle to equality—they will not acknowledge additional， or even completely different， obstacles originating in social， historical， economic， and/or cultural beliefs， values， or norms。 CRT is the rallying cry of unthinking sheep a。k。a。 the “Elect，” not a tool for asking better questions in specific contexts。 People who value CRT are not open-minded or willing to critically evaluate their own assumptions。 Nor are they willing to engage in complexities or field difficult questions。 They never change their mind。 CRT proponents have zero interest in concrete change or in prioritizing action over navel-gazing。 If you are white and criticize race relations in America， you must hate yourself， demonstrate your self-flagellation on social media， and talk endlessly about privilege。 The “Elect” utilize ad hominem attacks = The “Elect” are witch hunters， inquisitors， morally corrupt bullies。 That last is of note， because Dr。 McWhorter also extensively uses ad hominem。 It’s very characteristic of our time for an author to rail against a monolithic perspective， then proceed to generalize， caricature， and minimize others to base， stereotypical characteristics。 If Dr。 McWhorter were indisputably correct in his argument， I’d be incapable of writing this response， paralyzed as I would be by 1） my knee-jerk rejection of a different point-of-view， and 2） my irrational， urgent acceptance of anything he says because he is a black man。 I felt defensive in many places， but I only wholeheartedly disagreed with his assertion that we ought to give up entirely on dialogue。 There’s much to recommend leaning into this discomfort and problematizing my own understandings about justice and meaningful action。 That’s what I’ve always taught in my social justice classroom， because the one truth I rabidly defend is that there is always more to learn。 And the most immediate danger to learning is unshakable knowing。 。。。more
Mike Horne
，
That the New York Times hired the author of Woke Racism to write biweekly columns in their newsletter is either a tectonic shift or simply good PR。 As good as the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints taking a full page ad in the Playbill of The Book of Mormon that simply said， “Our version is sliiiiightly different。”I have carefully read all of Ibram X。 Kendi。 I have read White Fragility。 I have read Caste。 Is there a place where we can seriously criticize these books and not be calle That the New York Times hired the author of Woke Racism to write biweekly columns in their newsletter is either a tectonic shift or simply good PR。 As good as the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints taking a full page ad in the Playbill of The Book of Mormon that simply said， “Our version is sliiiiightly different。”I have carefully read all of Ibram X。 Kendi。 I have read White Fragility。 I have read Caste。 Is there a place where we can seriously criticize these books and not be called racist？ John McWhorter says not in the elite media （NPR， NYT， Washington Post， Atlantic）。 And so the NYT hires him！Nothing new in this book for me （an avid listener to the Glenn Show）。 But I did like to see McWhorter’s arguments cleaned up and shiny。 He is a bit too pugilistic。 But I think he has been punched a lot over these last 20 years。 And I do think we need to push back。Will any of the elect be convinced by this book？ He says no。 。。。more
Fran
，
Review to follow。
Tim Penning
，
McWhorter is a Black professor at Columbia who succinctly and persuasively points out the multiple fallacies of the “woke，” from ‘white privilege’ to ‘anti-racism， the third wave of which he asserts is overwrought and dangerous to democracy at large and Black Americans in particular。 Insightfully equating “woke” proponents as akin to a religious “elect，” he summarily tears down the movement logically and morally。 A must read for anyone who truly values all Black voices being heard vs only a few McWhorter is a Black professor at Columbia who succinctly and persuasively points out the multiple fallacies of the “woke，” from ‘white privilege’ to ‘anti-racism， the third wave of which he asserts is overwrought and dangerous to democracy at large and Black Americans in particular。 Insightfully equating “woke” proponents as akin to a religious “elect，” he summarily tears down the movement logically and morally。 A must read for anyone who truly values all Black voices being heard vs only a few speaking for all。 。。。more
Michael
，
This had potential， but never quite got there。 I sensed that McWhorter had understood enough of Critical Race Theory to write a critique， but not really enough to fully understand the logic of CRT。 He describes it as a religion， which is a stretch。 I'm not sure he's experienced religion first hand。 There are similarities， but ultimately it straw-mans CRT， and strokes the egos of his anti-woke readers。 It's always satisfying when someone confirms that your opponents are irrational。This book felt This had potential， but never quite got there。 I sensed that McWhorter had understood enough of Critical Race Theory to write a critique， but not really enough to fully understand the logic of CRT。 He describes it as a religion， which is a stretch。 I'm not sure he's experienced religion first hand。 There are similarities， but ultimately it straw-mans CRT， and strokes the egos of his anti-woke readers。 It's always satisfying when someone confirms that your opponents are irrational。This book felt rushed。 It needed a collaborator。 It needed critical feedback。 It's going to sell lots of copies， but a lot of lazy lite racists are going to feel justified and miss the point of antiracism and racial justice。 He's preaching to the choir， which he acknowledges， but I'm not sure the choir needs a sermon; they need to understand CRT properly， which includes knowing its strengths。This book has some really good moments though， including the list of self-contradictory elements of CRT。 That's because CRT isn't about logical consistency per se， it's about power structures。 I would have liked to have seen this explored in more depth。I might read this again， idk。 It's short enough that it won't take long to go through。 I'm just not sure I learned much。 。。。more
William Altmann
，
A challenging book， well written， coherent， compelling。I marked a lot of pages to go back and re-read。I wondered how much of what McWhorter writes can be applied to the current "Third Wave Feminism"， or neo-feminism as some have called it。 A challenging book， well written， coherent， compelling。I marked a lot of pages to go back and re-read。I wondered how much of what McWhorter writes can be applied to the current "Third Wave Feminism"， or neo-feminism as some have called it。 。。。more
Siddharth
，
One of the best books I’ve read this decade and that speaks to me as a liberal。 Prof。 John McWhorter is a genius and provides valuable and practical lessons on dealing with “the Elect”。
Rod J Naquin
，
This book helps me make sense of the last ten or so years of my life， and much of what’s transpired in the last two or so years。 It’s a relentless polemic， yet it’s also deeply humanist in its recognition of the humanity behind lots of wild seeming nonsense。 Also it’s admirable in its professed goals， specificity of audience， thorough evidence base， and practical， actionable recommendations
Peter Schutz
，
“I write this viscerally driven by the fact that the ideology in question is one under which white people calling themselves our saviors make black people look like the dumbest， weakest， most self-indulgent human beings in the history of our species… Lord forbid my daughters internalize a pathetic—yes， absolutely pathetic in all the resonances of that word—sense that what makes them interesting is what other people think of them， or don’t… A version of this book written by a white writer would b “I write this viscerally driven by the fact that the ideology in question is one under which white people calling themselves our saviors make black people look like the dumbest， weakest， most self-indulgent human beings in the history of our species… Lord forbid my daughters internalize a pathetic—yes， absolutely pathetic in all the resonances of that word—sense that what makes them interesting is what other people think of them， or don’t… A version of this book written by a white writer would be blithely dismissed as racist。 I will be dismissed instead as self-hating by a certain crowd。 But frankly， they won’t really mean it， and anyone who gets through the book will see that whatever traits I harbor， hating myself or being ashamed of being black is not one of them。 And we shall move on。”“To these people， actual progress on race is not something to celebrate but to talk around。 This is because， with progress， the Elect lose their sense of purpose。 Note: What they are after is not money or power， but sheer purpose， in the basic sense of feeling like you matter and that your life has a meaningful agenda。”“Kids build forts because they like building forts。 As often as not， after they've built one， they don't really spend much time in it。 People claiming that the ‘work’ of white-privilege consciousness-raising is a prelude to political action are like kids pretending their forts are for protection。 It feels good to say that all of this rhetoric and dismissal is necessary for changing ‘structures。’ But the real reason they are engaging in this suspiciously lengthy prelude is that there is a joy almost all of us take in hostility。 Most who aren't up for wielding it themselves don't mind watching it slung。”“But the theme here is that being Elect can be， for a black person， like a warm blanket。 You belong to something。 Anyone who questions how ‘black’ you are because of your speech， appearance， interests， or upward mobility is likely to hush up if you're on the barricades with them decrying the racism of your university—or， later， your workplace， town， or country。 Marx warned， in his Inaugural Address to the International Working Men's Association in 1864， of a ‘solidarity of defeat，’ where what energizes people's sense of themselves as a group is obstacles forced on them from an enemy above。 Marx thought of this as a holding pattern and urged true revolution; black America can seem oddly stuck in an almost brandishing the defeat as a badge of pride。 But this is understandable as a kind of therapy。 Humans seek pride where they can get it。It must be clear， then， that much of what can seem confusing about many black people's take on racism is due not to manipulativeness but to filling a hole， in a way all humans seek to in assorted ways。 Black people who insist that black America can do no better than okay until racist sentiments no longer exist， societal procedures yield no racial disparities， and all Americans can perform a lengthy recitation on black social history are fixing themselves。 Their alienation is therapeutic。”“As often as not today， what the person ‘feels’ is based on what they have been taught to ‘feel’ by a paradigm that teaches them to exaggerate and even fabricate the ‘feeling。’ In other words， much too often， the person who tells you to accept and go from how they “feel" has been， as it were， coached。”“The politesse of pretending that race issues don't have to make sense， that they are uniquely ‘deep，’must go。 It constitutes racist discrimination。 If the designation of someone or something as racist seems incoherent， chances are it is just that: not ‘complex。’ Do not condescend to black people by pretending that nonsense， when it comes from us， is deep。 If you truly see us as equals， you can-if only internally-call us on our bullshit。 It's what you afford everyone else。”“We must become more comfortable keeping our own counsel， and letting our own rationality decide whether we are racist， rather than entertaining the eccentric and self-serving renovated definitions of racism forced upon us by religionists。” 。。。more
Liz
，
A perspective worth listening to as McWhorter answers some of the questions I have had about cultural appropriation， gentrification， affirmative action and other race connected topics。 That being said McWhorter spends the entire book railing against a group he calls the "Elect' --a group he defines as being primarily concerned with expressing their "wokism" more than taking any real action to address the inequities in the world。 Ok， we know this kind of poser exists。But he never really identifi A perspective worth listening to as McWhorter answers some of the questions I have had about cultural appropriation， gentrification， affirmative action and other race connected topics。 That being said McWhorter spends the entire book railing against a group he calls the "Elect' --a group he defines as being primarily concerned with expressing their "wokism" more than taking any real action to address the inequities in the world。 Ok， we know this kind of poser exists。But he never really identifies them beyond that。。。。how many really exist？ who is the leader？ Who are these people？ This kind of vague， generalization made his theory that this is a growing "religion" implausible to me but I found many of his ideas enlightening。 。。。more
Jon Cheek
，
McWhorter very capably criticizes the excesses of key elements of the Left in their efforts to make anti-racism a religion today。 An African-American， Leftist intellectual in a prestigious university， McWhorter's perspective is important。 The style is engaging， logical， and witty。 McWhorter is openly critical of the unceasing attempts to label just about everything as "Racism" and he points out the fallacies in such a practice。 While not excusing the fact that the founding fathers owned slaves， McWhorter very capably criticizes the excesses of key elements of the Left in their efforts to make anti-racism a religion today。 An African-American， Leftist intellectual in a prestigious university， McWhorter's perspective is important。 The style is engaging， logical， and witty。 McWhorter is openly critical of the unceasing attempts to label just about everything as "Racism" and he points out the fallacies in such a practice。 While not excusing the fact that the founding fathers owned slaves， McWhorter argues that they should be honored for the whole scope of benefits they brought to society and America， though he applauds the efforts to remove monuments to those whose fame is entirely due to their efforts to uphold slavery （e。g。， confederate generals）。 McWhorter concludes with three main directives the country should work to implement to begin to solve some of today's problems。 。。。more
Griffin T
，
This book would probably be pretty good if it wasn't simultaneously an attack on Christianity along with being an attack on the New Race Ideology in politics today。 It's main point is pretty much "Critical Race Theory is a bad religion， ALMOST as bad as silly old Christianity。" It's an obvious mischaracterization of the Christian religion。 Readers get the sense that McWhorter very badly wants to fit in with writers like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins， and McWhorter's work suffers becau This book would probably be pretty good if it wasn't simultaneously an attack on Christianity along with being an attack on the New Race Ideology in politics today。 It's main point is pretty much "Critical Race Theory is a bad religion， ALMOST as bad as silly old Christianity。" It's an obvious mischaracterization of the Christian religion。 Readers get the sense that McWhorter very badly wants to fit in with writers like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins， and McWhorter's work suffers because of this。 It just does。 Sorry guy， I just can't get behind ANOTHER book that hasn't gotten farther than blind Enlightenment era rationalism as it's main mechanism for argument。 。。。more
Nick
，
Great read with delicious， McWhorter-esque prose that inspires confidence to recapture logic and reason as legitimate tools to evaluate anti-racism’s agenda and methods。 He shines a bright light on the elephant in the room to ask （and answer） the uncomfortable questions that arise when “Elect” ideology is professed in the name of social progress。 （“Elect” is his word for the class of people who subscribe to critical social justice scholarship and activism， aka “the woke mob，” but whom he sees as Great read with delicious， McWhorter-esque prose that inspires confidence to recapture logic and reason as legitimate tools to evaluate anti-racism’s agenda and methods。 He shines a bright light on the elephant in the room to ask （and answer） the uncomfortable questions that arise when “Elect” ideology is professed in the name of social progress。 （“Elect” is his word for the class of people who subscribe to critical social justice scholarship and activism， aka “the woke mob，” but whom he sees as just normal people trying to do good in the world。）I wish John had spoken to: standpoint epistemology and specifically the sociological perspective versus the anthropological perspective; “demanding accountability” as the reductionist response to pointing out the harm of cancel culture; the meaning-making crisis and how our postmodern thirst for meaning tilled the fields in which the seeds of anti-racism’s religiosity could sprout。 John does not claim that racism isn’t real and doesn’t exist。 Rather， he believes the anti-racist agenda obfuscates the true barriers to achievement for low-income people of color。 In particular， John calls for three keystone strategies to help reduce disparities in racial outcomes:1） End the war on drugs。2） Pursue phonics-based curriculum to teach reading， particularly to lower-income students （of color）。3） Make vocational training as accessible as possible while eroding the perception of the necessity of a four-year degree。 Writing this small but positive review and making it a public comment with my name attached is nerve-racking for me。 But bravery despite the potential to be cancelled is what John hopes of his readers。 。。。more
Brandon
，
I inhaled this book in a day。 I first came across McWhorter via his writing in the Atlantic and knew he was the type of author I would enjoy reading。 This book is an impeccably reasoned tour de force gutting of woke ideology。 He successfully argues that it is essentially just a religion and some of its key tenets are plainly false as well as do harm to the people it is supposedly trying to help。 I read white fragility and how to be an anti racist back in 2020 （I was confused and trying to do wha I inhaled this book in a day。 I first came across McWhorter via his writing in the Atlantic and knew he was the type of author I would enjoy reading。 This book is an impeccably reasoned tour de force gutting of woke ideology。 He successfully argues that it is essentially just a religion and some of its key tenets are plainly false as well as do harm to the people it is supposedly trying to help。 I read white fragility and how to be an anti racist back in 2020 （I was confused and trying to do what I thought was the "right thing"） and I couldn't agree more with his critique of them。 Absolute excellence。 I am also fresh off reading The Coddling of the American Mind by Haidt & Lukianoff and found them to go well together。 。。。more
thewanderingjew
，
Woke Racism， John McWhorter， author and narrator This brief， apolitical book， written by a black author who defines himself as a liberal democrat， bucks the trend， as he attempts to explain the prevailing habit of making every white person a racist and all accusers of them sacrosanct。 He develops the mob’s idea of what makes a racist， and he makes suggestions on how to fight back against them when you are falsely accused。 His advice is “don’t give in”。 Using references from such well-known autho Woke Racism， John McWhorter， author and narrator This brief， apolitical book， written by a black author who defines himself as a liberal democrat， bucks the trend， as he attempts to explain the prevailing habit of making every white person a racist and all accusers of them sacrosanct。 He develops the mob’s idea of what makes a racist， and he makes suggestions on how to fight back against them when you are falsely accused。 His advice is “don’t give in”。 Using references from such well-known author authorities like Robin DiAngelo， Ibram Kendi， and Ta-Nehisi Coates， among others， he labels this group of virtue signalers and their supporters as part of The Elect。 They view their beliefs and their advice as unquestionably true， as a matter of blind faith， and therefore， he compares the group’s foundational beliefs to that of a religion and the followers to that of zealots。 They bridge no compromise; you can never apologize enough， you can never truly repent so you cannot be forgiven， you can never reform， you are incorrigible and irredeemable， and denying you are a racist immediately recognizes you as a racist。 It is circular reasoning and the tactics are an art form from which there is no escape。 No amount of reparations to the black relatives of former slaves is enough because the pain cannot be calculated。 No white ancestor or historic figure can be forgiven for their transgressions， regardless of what good they may have accomplished。 Because your skin is white， you have no way to escape the guilt they have assigned to you， even if you have never had a relative who transgressed or who held slaves， and you have never supported anything closely related to racism or segregation。 You are stained white and are painted with the same brush as all who are labeled racist， and you must remain guilt-ridden and be silenced forever， allowing only those who accuse you and redefine America’s history， to have a voice。 This trend was begun in recent years， and mob hysteria has enriched its believers with the idea that anything they say or write is real and true。 It must be accepted in the way that all precepts are accepted by fanatic， religious entities。 You， too， must simply accept their truths on blind faith。 In some instances， this author suggests that the accusers need psychiatric help for they are over-reacting and expressing false outrage， so great is their belief in their self-righteous cause。 Although the author does not mention the author Isabel Wilkinson， I believe she may have instigated a good deal of this frightening rhetoric and cancel culture that bridges no dissent。 She described America as having a caste system that was worse than that in India。 It is obviously not true and defies common sense， but guilt-ridden people took up her mantle and refused to critically assess the facts and ideas in her book。 The same attitude continues today with white people accepting the accusations of their racism as legitimate， and they are paying homage to their accusers， cowering before them， with no hope of redemption。 It is slow coming， but people are just now beginning to fight back， as the author says they should。 This authoritarian movement， which really does not relate to politics， but rather to zealotry， needs to be stopped。 While there are legitimate concerns and changes that must be addressed， he objects to the current climate that is shutting down discourse and speech， often preventing the accused from working in their widening sphere of influence， as they disturb their equilibrium。 The author suggests that you deny the accusations and threaten these people who are harassing you with their own exposure。 He believes that when concepts may not be questioned and they must be accepted by blind faith， it should not be tolerated， and those that disagree should seek medical help since something is wrong with them。 He may be on to something， but he may also find that he has many enemies who will disagree and glom on to the cause of eliminating him。 His viewpoint is disagreeable and unacceptable to them， and they will call him names too。 Chapter four is particularly enlightening as it feels like the quintessential explanation of the racialized issues facing Americans today。 As a former teacher， in the 1960’s， I understand the charges of racism in the schools that McWhorter is referring to， because in my first job， the very first directive I received was to keep the room quiet， not to prioritize education， but instead to prioritize discipline。 This was a Special Service school， in a very depressed neighborhood， but it was the system more than the teachers or the students or the families that were racist。 The older teachers just wanted to retire and get their benefits。 The system encouraged an atmosphere that discouraged learning and encouraged the maintenance of decorum instead。 I soon discovered that discipline was not going to be easy， nor was learning。 I experienced assault， vandalism， and racism， poor school standards， and anti-Semitism。 The system made it more difficult for the students to achieve， but many truly wanted to， and many families truly encouraged learning。 It was the opportunity that was lacking， and the motivated teachers were in short supply。 The author cites studies that indicate the violence that occurs more in these types of schools， and that is part of the problem， but only part。 Resources were lacking。 Teachers worried about the number of paper towels in a bathroom more than they worried about the equipment they received。 Often， they kept what they were given， hoarding it， or “borrowing” it for the following year。 Often， they purchased supplies with school funds， and then they deemed them to be safer if kept in their own homes。 The author refers to the teaching of phonics。 He believes that white students， with more books in their homes， were better able to learn to read when the teaching of phonics was eliminated。 That， he believed inferred a bit of racism。 However， since I stayed after school， and on my own time， tutored both black and white students in reading， using the eliminated phonics skills workbooks， I must disagree。 To me， the problem was lazy teachers。 It was easier to have kids memorize a sight vocabulary， than to teach them how to read by dissecting the word and learning the rules。 Over the years， I have watched the teaching in the public schools deteriorate as unions gained control and endless changes were made and demanded。 There were more cries for money and benefits rather than actual hands-on teaching time。 So I do not believe it was systemic racism or racism， but rather the continued support for an incompetent system that has stressed benefits for the teachers and administrators over benefits for students。 Moreover， the problems seem to stem more from deprivation rather than racism， from educator’s greed over the demand for educators with skills。 In the final chapter， chapter 5， McWhorter suggests several solutions to the antiracist issues he notes， issues currently overcoming common sense with a narrative that he believes is often manufactured and overacted。 His suggestions are worthy of consideration as they encourage a mutual kind of behavior， to be used by those attacked， in order to stop the outrage， not to retaliate， but to change the angry， accusatory and largely false narrative。 There is an audio and eBook version of the book。 I recommend the eBook because there are many quotes and references that I would like to look up to learn more about， but in the audio， they were not readily recognizable。 At times， the book was a bit too pedantic， more like a lecture， and in a print version it would be easier to handle and understand。 The author is a linguist and believes that there is nothing wrong with a black language， but I remember when Ebonics was popularized。 I also seem to remember that it was more of a dialect consisting of poor grammar and lazy pronunciation。 It is something I will have to explore further。 For certain though， in this polarized world， this book is a necessary read for all。 。。。more
Michael
，
Excellent book。 Coherent， thorough and frankly profound。 Prof McWhorter， who was hired by the New York Times， brings a fresh perspective to the social justice debate。 His examples are clear and well researched and his arguments are compelling。 As a lifelong Democrat， this book really gave me a different perspective from what I’ve been hearing from today’s Democratic left wing。
Andrew
，
We must become more comfortable keeping our own counsel， and letting our own rationality decide whether we are racist， rather than entertaining the eccentric and self-serving renovated definitions of racism forced upon us by religionists。-p173I find John McWhorter’s hot takes on “woke racism” to be provocative and convincing。In a calm and articulate fashion， he explains why this recent phenomenon is well meaning but， in his view， destructive， and must be resisted。 He defines “woke racism” to be We must become more comfortable keeping our own counsel， and letting our own rationality decide whether we are racist， rather than entertaining the eccentric and self-serving renovated definitions of racism forced upon us by religionists。-p173I find John McWhorter’s hot takes on “woke racism” to be provocative and convincing。In a calm and articulate fashion， he explains why this recent phenomenon is well meaning but， in his view， destructive， and must be resisted。 He defines “woke racism” to be anything that puts battling power differentials as the central focus of human endeavor。 Those who do this are “the Elect。”He argues that reactionary “woke” shaming does not just affect celebrities or wealthy eggheads along the Acela corridor。 Real people’s lives have been destroyed by a childish， simplistic racialized worldview， like a catechism， creeping openly into many of our personal and professional lives。 JM argues that this phenomenon is a religion， and he makes many convincing claims。 There is original sin， repetitive empty phrases， superstitions， apocalyptic ideas， banishment of heretics， and a clergy with a liturgy。The most prominent print texts on this anti-racism movement （Coates， DiAngelo， Kendi） are harshly criticized:Within this system， if whites venture any statement on the topic other than that they harbor white privilege， it only proves that they are racists， too “fragile” to admit it。 The circularity here – “You’re a racist， and if you say you aren’t， it just proves that you are” – is the logic of the sandbox。-p33Redefining words （Merriam Webster did this with “racism” last summer） should be troubling:Ask whether microaggressions merit the same response as physical assault and the Elect do not receive this as a challenging query。 To them， it is splitting hairs to taxonomize assault in this way。-p159Because we are online constantly， woke behavior is obviously performative:… her tweet was a form of testifying as a member of the Elect。-p49[A white appearing， half-Asian student claiming racism because people “expected her to be smart because of her Asian-ness”] was adopting a sense of existential grievance that her daily experiences did not justify。 Being assumed to be smart can be something of a nuisance， I’m sure， but it is not exactly what most would consider suffering from the depredations of the Man。-p119 JM wonders if well meaning， empathetic people are not assuming victimhood or self-loathing for understandable psychological reasons mixed up with one’s social circle’s expectations， media diet， and the progressive culture at large:As often as not today， what the person “feels” is based on what they have been taught to “feel” by a paradigm that teaches them to exaggerate or even fabricate the “feeling。” In other words， much too often， the person who tells you to accept and go from how they “feel” has been， as it were， coached。-p164It seems that ideology can supplant real scholarship and expertise。 If this happens， it is anti-intellectualism from the left。 The well-meaning 1619 Project at the New York Times， criticized for historical inaccuracies in its portrayal of the American Revolution as being fueled by slavery， nevertheless goes on to win highest honors:Someone has received a Pulitzer Prize for a mistaken interpretation of historical documents about which legions of actual scholars are expert。-p108Good people are being swept up into a simplistic， racialized worldview， exploding onto the scene in just the last few years。 Its strategy is to “think hard” about “privilege” and deliberately conflates the obvious consequences of slavery and past racism for racism in the present。 Or re-defines the term to include anything。 Most of this is online Twitter mobbing， but that now translates into real-world harm of good， tolerant， ethical people。 There is so much injustice to fight， and this "woke racism" phenomenon is distracting from the real progress that could be made in specific areas （Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is an example of a specific issue， that if solved， would improve human well-being immediately）。John McWhorter thinks that the Elect cannot be reasoned with， and that they are just one voice at the table。 Those opposed to the Elect should not be scared of being called "racist"。 He lists examples of those who stood their ground to unfair and venomous attacks: lay folks， Unitarian reverends， Universities， computer science professors， corporations， others:The Elect will be ever convinced that if you join these brave， self-possessed survivors， you are， regardless of your color， a moral pervert in bed with white supremacy。But you aren’t， and you know it。Stand up。-p187 。。。more
eric bergkvist
，
Stand up！！ An important book。I wish I could get my friends， fellow Lefties all， to read this book。 They， though not fully Elect themselves， are good little boys and girls。 They “do their part” to make the world a better place。 They think that all those defenestrated by the Elect mob probably had it coming， that those splats on the sidewalk are the eggs that had to be broken to make the fluffy omelette of a glorious “Antiracist” future。 The Elect remind me of those bullhorn wielding mobs of teens Stand up！！ An important book。I wish I could get my friends， fellow Lefties all， to read this book。 They， though not fully Elect themselves， are good little boys and girls。 They “do their part” to make the world a better place。 They think that all those defenestrated by the Elect mob probably had it coming， that those splats on the sidewalk are the eggs that had to be broken to make the fluffy omelette of a glorious “Antiracist” future。 The Elect remind me of those bullhorn wielding mobs of teens in Maoist China during the cultural revolution， screaming at the mentors they used to revere。 Cowards and bullies。 This book shines the light of reason on the Elect， and I think if we follow McWhorter’s advise， the Elect will scurry back under the stove like cockroaches when the kitchen switch is flipped。 。。。more
Mel Corrigan
，
Three cheers for sensibility！ McWhorter's thesis might not be bulletproof， but it's reasonable and sane， and the time is right。 And it's such an enjoyable and inspiring read that I finished it in one day。 Three cheers for sensibility！ McWhorter's thesis might not be bulletproof， but it's reasonable and sane， and the time is right。 And it's such an enjoyable and inspiring read that I finished it in one day。 。。。more
RE
，
This was an effective， well-reasoned， and persuasive argument against the rise of woke ideology （or as McWhorter labels it "the Elect"）。 Casting their ideology as religious rather than political helps to explain their level of zealotry and resistance to any conversation or compromise。 McWhorter gives ample examples of their destructive effect on civil society and offers tangible ways to work past them and actually help to improve the lives of the disenfranchised。 The book's structure was in five This was an effective， well-reasoned， and persuasive argument against the rise of woke ideology （or as McWhorter labels it "the Elect"）。 Casting their ideology as religious rather than political helps to explain their level of zealotry and resistance to any conversation or compromise。 McWhorter gives ample examples of their destructive effect on civil society and offers tangible ways to work past them and actually help to improve the lives of the disenfranchised。 The book's structure was in five chapters， and this worked well apart from some tendencies toward over-explanation and repidity。 Yet， this is an important and timely book。 。。。more
Eric
，
"Frankly it is better said by someone black"Towards the end of the book McWhorter writes the above。 It applies to this entire， excellent book。 I recommend the audiobook， which the author reads himself。 It is tremendous。 "Frankly it is better said by someone black"Towards the end of the book McWhorter writes the above。 It applies to this entire， excellent book。 I recommend the audiobook， which the author reads himself。 It is tremendous。 。。。more
Armin
，
A must-read for anyone who's privately questioned the excesses of wokeness。 Sadly， the people who really need to read this book， the woke mob themselves， won't。 Worse still， they'll probably pillory the author。 But one of his sage pieces of advice is to simply ignore them and move on。 Something we all need to do。 A must-read for anyone who's privately questioned the excesses of wokeness。 Sadly， the people who really need to read this book， the woke mob themselves， won't。 Worse still， they'll probably pillory the author。 But one of his sage pieces of advice is to simply ignore them and move on。 Something we all need to do。 。。。more
João
，
I’m conflicted about this book。 While I don’t agree with everything he wrote， I think the author has some ideas that are worthy of a hearing。 On the other hand， this book is not a good vehicle for those ideas。 It reads like a social media feud that grew up to be a book。 The author says in the acknowledgments that the book “leap out of” him， and it does read like it was written with the sort of feverish anger one associates with internet trolls。 I also got the feeling that he wrote this with much I’m conflicted about this book。 While I don’t agree with everything he wrote， I think the author has some ideas that are worthy of a hearing。 On the other hand， this book is not a good vehicle for those ideas。 It reads like a social media feud that grew up to be a book。 The author says in the acknowledgments that the book “leap out of” him， and it does read like it was written with the sort of feverish anger one associates with internet trolls。 I also got the feeling that he wrote this with much anticipatory glee at the hatred he imagines the people he criticizes will hurl back at him。 Every ideology， including woke ideology， can lead to excesses， and I usually applaud the bravery of anyone willing to push back against perceived excesses， since scrutiny is how we keep people honest。 Maybe this type of pushback is the best we can hope for in this day and age， but I wish we could get better。 。。。more
John
，
Incredible book。 The best answer to the Kendi and D’Angelo。 A must read for anyone interested in the current debates on race。
H James
，
There won’t be too much new here for Mr McWhorter’s regular readers， but it’s a much more articulate， convincing， and polished piece than the dozen‐or‐so newsletter essays from which it sprang。 There is a sprinkling of case studies that don’t quite succeed in illustrating the specific knuckling‐under that Mr McWhorter is discouraging （Bill de Blasio’s inconsistent enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions for Orthodox Jewish weddings and BLM protests， for instance， can be explained by run‐of‐the‐mill There won’t be too much new here for Mr McWhorter’s regular readers， but it’s a much more articulate， convincing， and polished piece than the dozen‐or‐so newsletter essays from which it sprang。 There is a sprinkling of case studies that don’t quite succeed in illustrating the specific knuckling‐under that Mr McWhorter is discouraging （Bill de Blasio’s inconsistent enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions for Orthodox Jewish weddings and BLM protests， for instance， can be explained by run‐of‐the‐mill political calculus combined with ineffectual management rather than kowtowing to a modern‐day witch‐hunt）， but generally Mr McWhorter is admirably focused and never seems to lose sight of the tangible improvements he hopes to effect for Black communities in the U。S。 。。。more
Bernd Schnabl
，
very important insights。
mark propp
，
note: i did not read the published book， but rather read the seven excerpts mcwhorter published on his substack feed。i found the excerpts exceptionally good， perfectly written as you'd expect and refreshingly short。this is a topic crying out for clear heads and concise words， and this fulfills that requirement perfectly。we are caught up in a moment where everyone seems to have elected to handwave away inconvenient details that do not align with their deeply held beliefs that all things associate note: i did not read the published book， but rather read the seven excerpts mcwhorter published on his substack feed。i found the excerpts exceptionally good， perfectly written as you'd expect and refreshingly short。this is a topic crying out for clear heads and concise words， and this fulfills that requirement perfectly。we are caught up in a moment where everyone seems to have elected to handwave away inconvenient details that do not align with their deeply held beliefs that all things associated with what you could broadly call the enlightened west are horrible and racist and need to be smashed。i don't think this book is going to change many minds。 but it's a good reinforcing vehicle for people who feel like we're sliding into an irrational mindset where we may be in danger of trashing all the qualities in our world that make things good: free markets， free minds， free trade， individualism。highly recommended。 。。。more
Mars Cheung
，
Best book I've read on the excesses of so-called 'anti-racism' since Cynical Theories。 The latter was an informative read from the ground level about how Postmodernism is the backbone of Critical Race Theory and to the extent on how it corrupts social justice movements。 John McWhorter's book doesn't delve into those details so much but describes why nuances regarding race are brushed aside dismissively， why having slight differences of opinion to solutions gets one tarred as a racist， and how fe Best book I've read on the excesses of so-called 'anti-racism' since Cynical Theories。 The latter was an informative read from the ground level about how Postmodernism is the backbone of Critical Race Theory and to the extent on how it corrupts social justice movements。 John McWhorter's book doesn't delve into those details so much but describes why nuances regarding race are brushed aside dismissively， why having slight differences of opinion to solutions gets one tarred as a racist， and how feel-good actions that do little to solve actual problems （often making them worse） are celebrated so readily。 Makes little sense from a rational point of view but if the actions are viewed from a lens akin to behaviors of those who follow fundamentalist tenets of a religion， then the 'why' comes into focus。 Recommended read for those who want to understand why cancel culture is prevalent and insidious and to those needing to understand why Robin DiAngelo/Ibram Kendi's works are poison to race relations。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Short， sweet， and to the point， John McWhorter's "Woke Racism" hits every note on the convergence of politics， race， and culture in America， and does so with pitch-perfect clarity。 Short， sweet， and to the point， John McWhorter's "Woke Racism" hits every note on the convergence of politics， race， and culture in America， and does so with pitch-perfect clarity。 。。。more
Jacob
，