Is 'woke' a kind of Cultural Marxism?
That's what some critics of Social Justice Theory, a.k.a 'woke', maintain.
But I think that this is a misunderstanding of Marxism and of woke.
Marxism, most simplistically, offers an analysis of society that is grounded in social class. Marxism views social relations under capitalism in terms of the fundamental antagonism that exists between the mass of workers and the ruling elite that employs them for profit or oversees the system that legitimizes their exploitation. Woke, by contrast, often fails to see social class at all. In its rush to affirm myriad identity groups, the woke cultural elite overlooks social class as a distinct social and political force, or it relativises it as just one more identity that people can try on for size.
Meanwhile, it demonizes the working class as backward, racist and nationalistic. This disregard for social class in general, and loathing of the working class in particular, sets woke views in complete opposition to Marxism. Today, as Thomas Frank notes, would-be members of the elite are taught ‘to deplore working-class movements for their bigotry, their refusal of modernity, and their borderline madness’. It is now quite legitimate in many elite social circles to engage in open displays of prejudice towards white working-class men in particular.
Comparing today’s woke activists to Marxists flatters the identitarians and sends woke’s opponents into combat with a straw man. And yet this is a game seemingly everyone is happy to play.
0
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Cultural marxism is a far-right conspiracy theory that misrepresents responsibility for modern progressives, identity politics and political correctness and has nothing to do with classical marxism other than to smirch woke with the fear of communism.
Are you unaware that the bulk of your post merely reiterates right wing drivel?
Polemicist
Level 7
Nov 23, 2023
1
What a stupid attack....
you should have read more than the headline of my post. You would have noticed that I do NOT believe that "cultural Marxism" is an apt concept when dealing with Social Justice Theory.
Is there one singular thing that coheres around “social justice theory”? Or is it another of many labels applied over recent years to uppity, often younger, people? After elevatorgate “social justice warrior” became popular. “Regressive left” came next. “Snowflake” was another pejorative. “Woke” was co-opted from black lives activists who resurrected it from a blues singer who had reflected on the dangers of being black under Jim Crow. BLM was reflecting upon and protesting police brutality. Woke is monosyllabic so it stuck as a pejorative.
We have gone recently from Haidt and Lukianoff saying the “kids these days” with their peanut allergies and play dates have been mollycoddled to Bill Maher saying everyone, excepting himself, should just shut up. He’s like the smartest guy in the room and hates young people.
So maybe this is largely a generational thing easily blamed on very obscure figures like Herbert Marcuse and Derrick Bell because we need Svengalis and pied pipers to explain stuff that makes older people lose their shit about generational changes. Remember The Who singing about “My Generation”? Maybe not, because their generation ironically have become the reactionary ones. It can’t be that younger people with different viewpoints and concerns, given the state of affairs bequeathed them by irresponsible previous generations, might be reasonably upset.
@Scott321 Not so sure what you are trying to tell me exactly....
All I know after having read a couple of books from smart guys from the left and the right is that there are two types of Left nowadays: the traditional, universalist Left, and the postmodern, identitarian, intersectionalist Left.
I am not that familiar with the situation in the US, but I know that the two varieties of the Left do not like each other too much here in Europe (or in the UK, by the way). To claim that 'woke' is an invention of the right certainly misses the point.
(By the way: there is the same, or an analogous partition on the right: old-school conservatives like John McCain or Liz Cheney have / had little in common with MAGA firebrands like Marjorie Taylor Greene
Ohferpetessake, is it possible to be This wrong and not be a drump-lover?????????
Woke is the antithesis of what you say in your post!!!!!!!!
annewimsey1
Level 7
Nov 23, 2023
1
There is a trope in traditional leftist circles to identify some as class reductionist. I think you apply woke quite broadly toward a wide ranging disparate grouping of people who may believe in upholding their identities but have other concerns apart from such activism. Atheism too is a form of identitarianism.
What so-called “wokism” has in common with the Marxism of yore is a committed opposition seeking to label and eradicate as happened with the red scares, HUAC, and McCarthyism. Ideologues (eg- Chris Rufo) use the fear mongering to benefit themselves. Desantis has opportunistically made such collective moral panic a driving force of his flailing campaign. Seeing the wells of new atheism drying up Richard Dawkins, Peter Boghossian, and James Lindsay have also jumped on the bandwagon. Antiwoke is a cottage industry and a cultish movement that has otherwise reasonable people obsessed. A majority of your posts here wind up pulled toward this cultural strange attractor. To bring so many varied types of people together in such an odd way there needs to be an enemy to hate.
Scott321
Level 7
Nov 23, 2023
3
"Woke" has become a term that conservatives attach to anything they don't like. Fighting "wokeism" is just a means to rile up conservative voters to avoid dealing with actual relevant issues.
In truth, being "woke" simply means being considerate of others, especially those who face discrimination and prejudice. Conservatives hate that they can't just freely throw around racial slurs and hate speech without facing consequences.
In the past, people could and did publicly mock and belittle minorities, especially black people, hispanic people, gays, and trans people. Society has shifted away from that norm but conservatives don't like change. Something I've heard conservatives often say is "you can't say anything anymore". What they mean is that THEY can't voice their bigotry anymore without facing consequences.
Woke has nothing to do with Marxism and doesn't demonize the working class. That sounds like something Ron DeSantis made up.
Charles1971
Level 7
Nov 23, 2023
4
Antiwoke propaganda is a way for conservatives to instill fear in working class voters and wedge them away from common cause and voting their interests. Divide and conquer. They use xenophobia to the same end.
"Woke" has become a term that can represent anything to suit anyone's purpose to manipulate others.
Switchcraft
Level 7
Nov 23, 2023
1
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.