This article is a part of the Woke 101 series, which will get you up to speed on the basics that they don't teach you when you become a soldier in the culture war.
This is a premium article. Free subscribers will receive a preview and can decide whether to upgrade to access the full content.
My work is completely funded by people like you. Please consider subscribing to support the most unique and nuanced unwoke content on the internet.
In August 2023, a professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago (a publicly funded institution) declared his open condemnation of individualism and meritocracy while advocating for Critical Race Theory to be integrated into coursework across a variety of subjects.
Here’s a quote from the above article:
In addition, Morton criticized meritocracy, calling it a myth. He argued that credentials and references such as letters of recommendation create a barrier for students because of "financial, social and cultural capital" playing a role in determining one's success in chemistry.
Even the promotion of "individualism" is problematic, according to Morton. He argues that "the bootstrap mentality communicated through U.S. laws and social norms is a false reality given racism and its de facto outcomes."
Think about the definitions of these terms:
Individualism is defined as advocating the liberty, rights, or independent action of the individual or the principle or habit of or belief in independent thought or action.
Meritocracy is defined as a group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than class, privilege, or wealth.
Why would anyone be opposed to that?
Yet, this is hardly the first instance of those concepts being denounced.
In the summer of 2020, an exhibit about the aspects & assumptions of whiteness and white culture in the United States appeared in the African American History Museum in Washington DC. “Rugged individualism” was specifically identified as a feature of “white culture,” and one could argue that many of the bullet points in other categories could be interpreted as meritocracy, particularly the section on work ethic.
But these ideas started long before that. The original article about the characteristics of a white supremacist organization was written by Tema Okun in 1999, and has been taught and implemented at almost every major university since. Individualism is again identified as a feature of white supremacy culture. And the antidote seems to be relying on the collective (the team) rather than on the merits of the individual.
Here is the PDF of the article for your reference.
So, why is this happening? Why does the woke left seem to be at war with the ideas of individualism and meritocracy, the concepts that literally make up the American dream?
The answer is that the American Dream is their target.
It’s not white people. It’s not straight people. It’s not men. The American Dream is the greatest enemy of the woke left.
In the remainder of this premium article, I will explain to you why and help you connect the dots to be able to identify the tactics of the left when it shows up for you in the real world.
Become a premium subscriber to continue below the paywall to access the rest of this content. I’m 100% grassroots funded, so I’m only accountable to you. Thank you in advance for your help - I can’t do it without you.
