There are suspicions that even the 47th president of the U.S. may not fully understand how to fulfill his campaign promises, one of which was to end the war in Ukraine “within days.”
But some things can be discussed with more certainty than predicting the plans of someone as unpredictable as Trump. For example, many are genuinely puzzled by how this all came about.
How did a politician—far from popular in American society, embroiled in numerous legal investigations and scandals—manage to win with more confidence than many of his predecessors?
Why was the Democratic candidate so unappealing to most Americans that not only did Donald Trump triumph, but the Republican Party also won a congressional majority?
The reasons are many, but one primary factor seems to have been largely ignored. It is a force that has the potential to transform any noble goal into its own antithesis, pushing even great civilizations toward ruin.
This phenomenon, widespread in the U.S. and Western Europe, is called “wokeism.” Derived from the English word to wake, it is sometimes referred to as the “Woke Movement” in Russian-language media.
Wokeism is paving the road to hell with good intentions, where well-meaning individuals inadvertently become obstacles to society.
In short, wokeism is the absolute prioritization of minority rights, enforcing not just acceptance of these views but adherence to them, regardless of individual beliefs. As a social-political phenomenon of the 21st century, wokeism began with a noble aim: political correctness.
Political correctness began logically, rooted in the idea that certain language is inappropriate or offensive. Most of us accepted, if reluctantly, that America’s Black population should be called “African Americans” because of the negative historical connotations of the word “Negro.”
But over time, political correctness lost its sense of reasonable moderation, veering into absurdity.
For example, police reports can no longer include a suspect’s skin color, nationality, or religion, for fear of offending others of the same background. Films must rigorously adhere to racial quotas. The term “disabled” is discouraged, and compliments to women are labeled as “sexism.”
Soon, political correctness almost gained the status of law, and those who broke its tenets faced “canceling”—a kind of social “cancellation” or ostracism.
During the height of the BLM movement, a journalist friend of mine wrote that 45% of Black Americans were middle class while the rest lived in poverty. His statement contained no hint of racism, yet he was dismissed from a prestigious research institute over it.
An illustrative joke highlights the absurdity born of this trend: “To succeed today, you need to be a Black, one-legged, single mother with a lesbian orientation.”
On the crest of political correctness came wokeism—an even more radical, unforgiving, and absolute movement.
For me, a defining symbol of the “Woke Movement” was a British MP’s response to an incident involving Pakistani men assaulting an Englishwoman. Her reaction on Twitter was a scolding comment: “Shut up in the name of diversity!”
Wokeism is evident in the encouragement of illegal immigration to the U.S., in police hesitancy to act against migrants terrorizing local populations for fear of accusations of racism, and in “Transgender Studies” taught to children in kindergarten and elementary school.
Originally, wokeism was undoubtedly founded on noble values. Homophobia, for instance, is shameful because sexual orientation is not a choice. Transgender identity, likewise, warrants respectful treatment, as gender transition is a matter for clinical medicine, not moral judgment.
But even the soundest idea becomes absurd when taken to extremes, and these extremes are becoming everyday norms.
University professors who despise traditional America— the very country that built their institutions—look approvingly at campuses adorned with Palestinian flags, where Jewish students are barred from entry by tomorrow’s political elite.
The police, defunded by up to 40% following popular BLM slogans, can no longer ensure public safety, as evidenced by homelessness overwhelming major American cities.
California now has a new law allowing minors to undergo gender transition without informing their parents.
Regrettably, wokeism has become a gift for totalitarian regimes worldwide.
Think back to the 1990s, when, after the collapse of the USSR, the West was a global victor in economics, politics, military strength, and culture. Tyrannical regimes had no rebuttal—their inferiority was evident.
Wokeism, however, has become a lifeline for dictatorships, who now have ammunition for anti-Western narratives. LGBT rights and the perceived moral “weakness” of Europe and the U.S. are presented to the masses as indicators of Western civilization’s decline, as symptoms of an inability to manage their own countries or punish criminals.
The rise of right-wing radicalism and the popularity of regimes like Russia’s and Iran’s can largely be attributed to Western wokeism.
And this context is crucial to understanding Donald Trump’s resounding victory and the Republican Party’s success, as their voters have had enough of the “Woke Movement.”
And it seems, this is only the beginning…
Tengiz Ablotiya
Translated from haqqin.az
