Political extremism is often presented as being a linear concept, stretching from the polar ends of the political left to right. But it’s better explained as being circular, where the extremes on both ends neighbor each other and share more in common than they do with the moderates in the proverbial middle.
The primary goal of ideological extremists is to recruit the most vulnerable people into their flock, because strength is in numbers, and misery loves company.
However, extremist recruitment can create an unintended side effect for the people who are fighting against them: they edge closer to the people whom they claim to reject.
The racial tension perpetrated by the media and exploited by progressive activists in all walks of life created a counter-reaction by the majority who reject outlandish racism claims, the push to see racial minorities as victims, and the acceptance of white Americans as being inherently guilty for sins they haven’t personally committed.
Reasonable people can accept that life in America may not be perfect for some people for unfair reasons, but there was a reaction of disgust when the narrative shifted to the immediate guilt of an entire group of people based on something they had no control over—their skin color—and anyone (of any color) who stood offended by these assumptions was unjustly labeled a white supremacist.
With every implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in workplaces and corporate environments across the country, more people were being suffocated by nonsensical dogma that aimed to compel the majority to adhere to a more revolutionary approach toward social cohesion or else feel the wrath of administrative power.
Every form of entertainment started to shapeshift into a purposefully multi-ethnic theatrical event perpetuated by the industry elites who consider the ramifications of not following the guidelines of DEI and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) to be more important than the financial impact of not following the profits.
With numerous massive shifts in our society being pushed by the progressive elite, an anti-woke movement formed as a countermeasure to return to normality, allying with people of all political persuasions and ethnicities with the primary objective of ridding society of this pernicious ideology.
However, over time, the anti-woke and anti-DEI movement has created unintended casualties as a result of their pushback: the misperception of favoritism for all minorities.
The anti-woke brigade has become so fatigued from fighting the “woke” ideologues, who are attempting to use race-based practices that favor minorities or anyone who’s labeled as “marginalized,” that they’re quick to believe that the success of someone who fits into this demographic is solely due to the existence of these practices.
I’ve had this happen to me as a writer and commentator: Having had a multitude of opportunities in the past couple of years, I’ve been labeled as a diversity pick by the very people who wear the uniform of the anti-woke. After Tucker Carlson was fired, Lawrence Jones, a black man, temporarily filled in for his timeslot and online was quickly attacked for being placed there not for his experience or talent but due to his skin’s melanin content.
In some ways, the anti-woke brigade has fallen for the traps placed by the progressive left. Progressives wanted all Americans to consider race in all of their actions to hypothetically make them understand what it’s like for minorities. While their primary goal is to recruit, it’s not always necessarily to make you believe what they do; it’s just as effective to make you see the world as they do by becoming more race-conscious.
Progressives understand the importance of confusion, manipulation of language, and beneficial propaganda to shift unsuspecting naysayers and adversaries into a state of paranoia that causes them to leave behind their original principles.
When you’ve begun implementing skepticism of every person that fits into the category of “marginalized” when their star rises, you’re no longer color blind: you’re racially clear-eyed.
